Found a Persian Mauser - can anyone tell me something about it?

[Kestrel]

Found a Persian Mauser at Galyans, of all places. It was imported by Samco and according to the manager of the gun department, he said they were refurbished by Springfield. ??? Does Springfield Armory refurbish mausers? It was $152.

It has cosmoline all over the stock (not thick, just greasy). It's in 8mm and has about a 26-28" barrel. The bore actually looks very good. The gun looks very good. The markings are all in Persian, I guess. Might as well be Klingon, as strange as it looks. Even the markings on the ladder rear sight.

The receiver was in great shape, had the crest on the receiver and had no pitting. Bolt/action was very smooth. Had no accessories with it, just the gun.

Does anyone know anything about these rifles? Is the Persian mauser any good? Is it a '98? I know I sound like an idiot for buying a gun and not knowing anything about it, but it was in good shape, just $152 and it was a whim...

(By the way, they also had 800 round cases of 8mm surplus for $80 (the markings looked Russian or something.)

Thanks much for any help,
Steve

 

[HarryB]

You gotta deal...

Persian Mausers were built by the Czechs for the Persians. It is a Model 98 action and is considered to be one of the nicest military rifles ever made--right up there with the Swede and Argentine Mausers. They typically start at twice that price.

Pictures please!



The Springfield most likely refers to Springfield Sporters, not Armory...

 

[Kestrel]

Harry,

Thanks for the info. I'll try to set up the ability to post pictures. (Not sure where to host them for free.)

I also need to clean it up, first. I probably underestimated the condition of the bore. It is really in excellent shape. Looks like it was hardly fired. The stock has dents and so forth, but the bore is great.

Does anyone know how I should clean up the stock? I'd like to get all the grease off, but don't want to risk swelling the wood or damaging the finish.

Thanks again,
Steve

 

[Tropical Z]

That is a good price if its in as good of shape as you say.Clean it with mineral spirits and a paint brush.Expect to use half a gallon.Id recommend the use of chemical resistant gloves.Learn how to disassemble the bolt at the site below.
www.bobtuley.com

 

[Beetle Bailey]

I am by no means an expert on Persian Mausers, but one of them passed thru my hands recently. They are Czech made for a Persian contract and use the 98 Mauser action. IINM, the writing is called "Farsi" and personally I think it's pretty cool, even though I can't read it (but I did use what I assume were the numbers on the rear sight as a "cheat sheet" for checking the serial numbers ). I think it was a 29" barrel and did you notice that the front sight is actually part of the barrel? Another cool feature. Also, the Persian Mausers are known to be very accurate rifles and very well made and the one I handled was. The main thing I didn't like too much was that using the sights (while good for accurate shooting) were too taxing for my eye. That much concentration (I know I'm being picky) just wore me out ( or maybe it was the 8mm recoil ).

Don't know anything about a Springfield refurbishment, but why would the guy lie? $152 sounds pretty good for a Mauser if you are happy with the condition of it. Remember, you are only a collector if you want to be a collector. It sounds like it should be a good shooter and the unique markings should be a bonus. If it turns out it hasn't been refurbished, then it's kind of a steal, so no need to worry about the price, I know guy who paid almost double that .

As for 8mm surplus ammo, it might be either Romanian, Yugoslavian, Turkish, or hm. . . can't think of another one right now. The Turkish is really, really hot. The Yugo is pretty good and I heard the Romanian was good also, but no first hand experience. BTW, all surplus 8mm is corrosive. I also tried Olympic 8mm (Greek commercial) and they have to work on their quality control. In the same box I saw rounds with the bullet seated high, low, and what I assume was supposed to be just right

BTW, you can get accessories from Samco (they have the beatiful bayonettes for I think around $30). Hope this helps and enjoy the rifle .

 

[Kestrel]

Thanks for the info. You're probably right about the barrel length - it is long. As for what they said about Springfield, that just doesn't sound right. Where in the process would Springfield get it from SAMCO? The box had SAMCO tape on it. It looks like Springfield would have had some kind of sticker or something on the box.

Thanks again,
Steve

 

[Beetle Bailey]

As I said, I don't know a whole lot about Persian Mausers and less about Springfield and their refurbishment practices, but if it was me, I'd just go around telling people I bought it off a dealer who didn't know what he was selling . Also, I'd go with the Yugo 8mm if you can get it (comes in 15 round boxes on stripper clips). BTW, all 8mm surplus is super-cheap right now.

 

[Gordon]

In the 70's I bought a Persian Carbine in the cosmoline. Stock has a couple bumps but overall gun was new. It shoots wonderfully if a fellar can hold those barley corn sights on target. It is the only bolt 8mm I have or want. Of course I had to get a Hakim in the 80's , I got a cherry with a new bayonet. These are my 8mm battery and hang on the wall, with persian Daggers surrounding them. I kind of thought the' soul of the Arab is his rifle' was kinda noble, before I hooked up with Israelian officers and after 9,1,1,.Now it is the wall of mockery and shame!

 

[cracked butt]

The key to deciphering some of the markings on the receiver is the rear sight. The rear sight starts at 100 meters and goes up by 100 meter increments. the first numeral is a '1' for 100 the next is a '2' for 200 etc. You can get the date of manufacture by the stamping on the left side of the receiver by adding a certain number to it to get a date {I'm probably wrong here, but the number is something like 1381} as it goes by the Muslim calender- someone will probably correct the wrong number for me though


If it has a 29.5" barrel its a 98/29 and is made by the czechs, if its a short carbine version, it could be made either by the Czechs or by the Persians themselves- carbines are pretty rare and would probably worth ALOT more than you paid for. The 98/29 sells from around $200 from Samco.

As others said, the persian rifles are the cream of the crop for mauser 98 type rifles. The one I have has a a very slick bolt and a nice even finish on the metal. Having the varnish worn off the stock in handling areas such as the the wrist and forearm is very common.

The bayonet is a 'must have accessory' -big beautiful pigsticker is a good description for it.

 

[BamBam-31]

I'm the dude that paid almost twice what you did for mine.

As far as Mausers go, they don't get much better. I don't believe these rifles were ever used in a war. As a result, many Persian Mausers are in immaculate condition.

Here are some specs:

Manufacturer: Ceskoslovenska Zbrojovka, Czechoslovakia (Brno Arms Factory)
Importer: Samco Global Arms, Inc.
Mechanism Type: Bolt Action
Caliber: 7.92 x 57 mm
Overall length: 48 1/2 "
Barrel Length: 29 1/4"
Weight: 9 lbs., 10 oz.
Rifling: four-groove, RH twist
Trigger: two stage, 5 3/4 lbs. pull
Sights: windage adjustable inverted V front, open elevation adjustable rear
Stock: European walnut, length of pull 13 1/4", drop at heel 1 1/4", drop at comb 1/2"

As mentioned, the bayonet from Samco is a must have. Simply beautiful, for about $30. A bayo in similar condition for a Garand or Enfield will cost you triple that, easy. I'd get a sling from them, too.

www.samcoglobal.com

I filled in the Farsi inscriptions on mine with a white grease pencil. Looks totally cool. I think it says, "One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them." My buddies (Beetle included) prefer, "Die, Infidel!"

Anyways, the Persians are real finds. Prices are super-inflated for really nice examples (I've seen some on sale for $500-750). Unbeatable Old World workmanship. I shoot 2" groups at 100 yds. with mine easily.

Corrosive 8mm ammo is bountiful. Some of it is pretty accurate. Romanian and Yugo have received good reviews (Yugo has no steel in bullet). Turk is HOT, and some batchs are bad. I say stay away from Turk. Don't be afraid of corrosive ammo--immediately after you finish shooting, run a patch of Windex through the barrel and use the same patch to wipe the bolt face. The ammonia in the Windex will dissolve the corrosive salts from 8mm primers. Then a dry patch, then a CLP patch. Then take it home and clean as usual. No problemo.

Hope this helps.

 

[Tropical Z]

Do the bayonets for these mausers have any crests or writing in Farsi on them?

 

[Beetle Bailey]

I filled in the Farsi inscriptions on mine with a white grease pencil. Looks totally cool. I think it says, "One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them." My buddies (Beetle included) prefer, "Die, Infidel!"

Well, since we are naming names here, I said privately to BamBam-31 and a few other friends "Oh, check this out, it's really cool. That says 'Death to Infidels!' Haahaa, just kidding." Taken out of context and in our current political climate, it sounds very irresponsible, to say the least. It was a joke for private ears who know and understand that I have nothing against Persians or Iranians as a group, nor do I insensitively mock a religion I know very little about in a spiteful manner. At least one of them also knows I have hatred and animosity towards those who unfairly discriminate against entire groups for the actions of individuals. I hope this makes my position clear and I apologize if any of my words insulted or offended.

Oh, yeah, again, get the Persian bayonette! I don't have the rifle anymore and don't really dig bayonettes, but I might just get one anyways. That's how nice they are. Sorry, can't remember the markings on it.

 

[BamBam-31]

Beetle,

Dude, it was obviously a joke. Relax.

Tropical Z,

Yes, the bayo has a crown and Farsi numbering on the pommel. Go to the Samco website--they have good pics of the rifle and the bayo. They're selling theirs for $29.95 (excellent condition), but I've seen them for $50+ at other sites. And it's not a bayo, it's a sword.

 

[Jim K]

Golly, I hate to spoil the "one Ring" story, but the usual marking on Czech made Persian rifles just says "Brno Rifle Factory" and the model year. The VZ-24 has the additional marking "medium rifle", with the model date 1317. The Model 1310 is the Czech 98/29 long rifle. The Czechs helped Persia set up its own rifle factory, which produced the Model 1328 (1949) carbine. The last is not generally as well made as the Czech rifles. To convert from the Moslem year to the western year, add 622, but the calendars don't coincide so the actual western year can be 1 plus or minus the result.

The writing is Farsi, the language of Persia/Iran, using the Arabic alphabet, with some differences. Many Moslem nations in Africa and Asia have their own languages, but write them using the Arabic alphabet; they all look the same to us, but they are not. This is not really that strange; German, Polish, French and English all use the same basic alphabet, but they are not the same language.

One difference seen in numbers is the "4". The Farsi "4" looks like a billhook; the Arabic "4" looks like a written capital "E".

As an aside, we call the numbers we use Arabic numbers, but they actually originated in India. So our "Arabic numbers" don't look like Arabic numbers.

Jim

 

[Kestrel]

Well, I called SAMCO today about the rifle. It seems the story at Galyans was completely wrong. They were never sent to Springfield Armory. (I thought it sounded kind of sketchy.)

The rifle is really great. I was looking at it again today. I can't believe you can buy a high powered rifle, with this kind of machining for that price.

I'm looking forward to trying it out.

Also - SAMCO has some Hirtinberger and Portugese 8mm ammo. The Hirt was made in the 80s and the Port. was made in the 70s. They said both are non-corrosive. ??? The hirt. stuff is expensive, though. You can buy commercial SP ammo for less than SAMCO is charging for the hirt.

Does anyone know anything about the Portugese ammo? Is it really non-corrosive? Is it good? Reliable?

Steve