Late production 1893 Spanish Mauser- Desirable?

[.455_Hunter]

A LGS has what appears to be an unissued 1893 Spanish Mauser (7x57mm) made by Oviedo in 1931. This is the full length rifle with a straight bolt, cleaning rod and all matching serial numbers. The bore is as new. The price is maybe a bit high, but how often do you see a new, matching 1893?

Is there a significant increase metallurgical QA/QC by 1931 over the earlier 1893 guns?

My mixmaster 1916 Short Rifle seems to have excessive head-space, but that could be from the mismatched bolt, and not locking lug distortion.

Would you have any concern shooting such a rifle with factory/mil-spec 7x57mm ammunition? It's not a '98 action, but its also not a pre-1900 indigenous Spanish production example either.

Your thoughts?

 

[Dave DeLaurant]

Spanish commercial arms have a mixed reputation due to the plethora of cheaply-made Eibar handguns. Old-timers often dismiss Spanish weapons being made from 'soft' steels, but keep in mind that the Mauser action was originally designed around the use of case-hardened, low-carbon steel. It is ultimately a question of whether the receiver and bolt forgings were homogeneous and properly heat treated for use at the intended pressures. The Spanish government didn't knowingly accept unsafe arms to equip their own peacetime military, and the Spanish Oviedo arsenal is known to have produced good, functional smallarms.

That said, Jerry Kuhnhausen's shop manual on Mausers shows a sectioned photo of a Spanish-made '93 receiver ring that suffered setback, due in his opinion to overpressure abuse, possibly from higher-pressure 7.62 NATO ammo after its later conversion to FR-7 configuration. Use of 7.62 NATO in FR-7 rifles is a controversial topic. I don't think the same is true for the original loadings of 7x57.

Personally I download ammo for all of my old milsurps out of respect for their age and preservation.

As for whether the price quoted is reasonable, I don't know the market well enough to speculate but if I had the money I might be tempted. Ideally I'd prefer a German-made pre-1898 example in unaltered condition, but I can't remember the last time I saw one of those in my locale.

 

[.455_Hunter]

Thanks for the response!

I would guess that pre-Civil War era 1893s would be about the top of the quality pyramid for the whole production run. I will go back and check it out some more.

I am not a fan of the .308 non-98 conversions, regardless of HP White's assessment.

 

[tark]

Oviedo's were not quite up their German counterparts when it comes to fit and finish (what is? ), but they are good, solid guns. And they are a lot rarer to find. One in mint, near new condition, all matching, would be quite a prize.

Factory loaded ammo, milspec or otherwise, should be safe in the gun.

 

[indy1919a4]

I have shot a few 1893 7mm Spanish mausers & 7.62 converted mausers... have had no issues with either. Have not shoot commercial ammo in the 7mm but 7mm surplus. In the 7.62 converted mausers I have only used surplus ammo.

I would not have any issues buying more or shooting more..