Mauser 1914 questions

[6_gunner]

I looked at a Mauser 1914 at a gun shop today, and the weird little thing really spoke to me. It was in good condition and appeared to be nickeled, although it may have just been brightly polished in the white. I'm considering getting it if I can scrape up the money.

Is $300 a fair price?

Are magazines available for it? If so, what do they cost?

 

[Mad Magyar]

Is $300 a fair price?

Yes....If you purchase it, stay clear of after-market mags for those early Mausers....Originals are difficult to locate....

 

[Storm]

While there were original nickel finished guns produced, which are worth slightly more than standard blued finishes, most that you willl find are chrome finishes applied over blued finishes, which may well reduce value. I paid somewhere around $240 for the one showed below. Definitely a neat gun that I wouldn't sell.

 

[6_gunner]

Thanks for the responses.

The shortage of magazines is a little discouraging. I would want to have at least one spare. Has anybody had good experiences with aftermarket mags, or are they all bad?

I also have a question about the safety. Is it realiable? Although unusual, it seemed pretty positive. However, I know that the safeties on a lot of old pistols only blocked the trigger. Is that the case here? Is it advisable to carry one of these cocked and locked?

I know there are a lot of better carry options available, but if I get this, I'll probably want to carry it. Old guns like that just have a certain "feel" that modern guns usually lack.

 

[krs]

I guess I know how attractive the little suckers are, but I wouldn't buy one I couldn't try out for a couple of weeks for $300.

They should look like these:


All handbuilt, all glitchy today.

I got on a kick a while back and took them all and tried firing them. One worked good, the rest worked...sometimes.

I bought new spring kits for all four and cleaned them up with new springs. The one that worked worked better, one of the sometimes shooters got a little more reliable and the other two stayed about the same.

Two of them have worn safeties that key their operation but I haven't found a source for new ones. I don't think I really want to find any because I couldn't be sure that they'd work in these pistols. Hand fitting is like that.

Tell the truth, most people would think I was nuts to even try shooting them - they've achieved a status of collectible that only requires that they be interesting to look at and maybe talk about.

I still like them, but I only pull them out once in a while to make sure they're not rusting. I always kinda' marvel at them because they speak of perhaps better times and I've always liked mechanical novelties.

Pretty little things and you've gotten some enjoyment from looking at and handling one. Leave it at that and buy a gun that works.

 

[bannockburn]

6 Gunner

I would have to agree with krs in that these finely made pistols from a bygone era are best relegated to a collectible status, with occasional trips to the range just for fun. But not really a good choice for everyday carry. Relability, caliber, function, ergonomics, spare parts availability (magazines, striker assembly, and numerous flat springs), and the overall design, work against it as a CCW.

 

[Storm]

I would have to agree with krs in that these finely made pistols from a bygone era are best relegated to a collectible status, with occasional trips to the range just for fun. But not really a good choice for everyday carry.

Exactly. Well stated by both gentlemen.

 

[Claude Clay]

a very nice example of its time . along with colt 1903 and walther model 4's. fun to shoot and can be quite accurate. if you buy into the time period, careful that a 38 S&W cartrage gun does not get near your 32acp's. they can act like rabbits.

 

[6_gunner]

Thanks for the info. I want to get it, but you guys are probably right about the practicality issue. I really need to get a small-mid sized piece to bridge a major performance gap between my carry guns. I feel like I should get all the practical guns that I want before I spend money on novelties. For my purposes, I think I would be better served by a S&W model 36. I'm definitely intrigued by the odd little Mauser, but I think I had better put it on my "someday" list for now.