Golden State Arms .308 heavy barreled mauser

[AJAX22]

I swung by the ventura gunshow today and accidentaly ran across a neat project.

Its a benchrest heavy barreled (and I mean HEAVY, one of the thickest I've ever seen) mauser rifle that is chambered in .308. It says:

Santa Fe (Short)
Mauser Action A-26
Golden State Arms
Passedena CA

It has never been fired and comes with a stock that is almost compleatly inletted and glass bedded.

Apparently it was a project that an older percision shooter was working on at the time of his death. He was working on finishing up the stock inletting and fitting a buttpad when he passed.

the seller didn't have the partially the butpad but everything else is there and aside form some extremly slight blemishes, it is in pristine condition.

I know alot of people say that a gun has never been fired when it actually has had a few rounds through it. but this really is unfired. I don't believe optics have ever been fitted to this gun, there are no marks, scuffs, rubbs, discolerations etc where you would expect them.

Anyone ever hear of this company? is this a worthwhile project?

 

[SDC]

Golden States Arms (Santa Fe was one of their trade names) was an importer/distributor in the 1960s; they did a whole bunch of Mauser reworks on K98s and built their own rifles on Spanish Mauser actions, but I think they went out of business around the time of the GCA '68.

 

[AJAX22]

Here are some pics (not very good ones, but I didn't have my good camera today)

 

[Jim Watson]

The action is, as SDC says, either a reworked military Mauser or a post war Spanish Mauser action. It is drilled and tapped for a peep sight and the bolt handle bent to clear a scope sight. I expect it is drilled and tapped for a top scope mount, right? Looks like a plain trigger, if the rifle shoots well, it would probably be worth a Timney.

The barrel is a straight bull, apparently well polished, blued, and crowned. Probably ok.

The stock looks like one off an early Remington 700 BDL, I presume it has been re-inletted for the Mauser action and heavy barrel.

No great dollar value, but it ought to be fun to mess with.

 

[Beagle-zebub]

When you say Spanish Mauser, does that necessarily mean 96 model? Aren't they supposedly not quite right somehow for .308, despite being able to handle other big calibers? Something about a small-ring action or whatever.... Don't remember.

 

[Jim Watson]

No.
The Spanish got cozy with the Germans and went to 8mm '98 Mausers. They apparently kept up the manufacturing capacity for a good while.

 

[jlbraun]

Go shoot it!