Should I? Spanish Mauser

[Mike J]

Okay, so I have an old Spanish Mauser a co-worker gave me after I helped him pull an engine back around '88. He knew I wanted to hunt but did not have a deer rifle. When he gave it to me it was wrapped in duct tape & spray painted black. I cleaned it up. cold blued it a put an oil finish on the stock. I didn't even know what it was. I took it to a gunsmith to I.D. it & bought ammunition from him. I quickly learned the sights were zeroed for 300 meters. The next year I bought a push feed model 70 & haven't really fooled with it since. It keeps nagging at me & from time to time I get the urge to do something with it.
Aftermarket options for these rifles seem to be drying up. I see I can still get a hardwood sporter style stock for a small ring Mauser from Boyd's. I know I can either get the bolt bent & the receiver drilled & tapped for a conventional scope mount or go with a scout type mount. The old 'smith I went to to learn what I had is still in business. I'm pretty sure he could take care of a conventional type mount pretty easily though it would be more expensive.
I haven't hunted for a while but I'm thinking it might be good to have this available for the kids to use if I can get sat up to do something again.
Any thought on a scout set up versus a conventional type of scope mount? Worth putting the money & time in or would I be better off just picking up a budget rifle?

 

[Mauser lover]

Have any of the parts been cut or damaged badly already?

If not, I would not sporterize it. Sell it to someone who wants it in its historical garb. Or keep it as-is. It will end up cheaper to buy yourself a Savage than try to make this into a scoped hunting rifle. Don't ask how I know.

If it is already sporterized/damaged: scout scopes are... not that great. And expensive. You probably will end up wanting a new barrel anyway.

 

[dh1633pm]

Lets see it.

 

[Mike J]

I had a pic but I couldn't find it so I took another (I need to redo the ramp to my shed). I called the gunsmith. He advised against doing anything with it. I guess I'll put it away. Maybe I should put it in a shadow box.

 

[Mauser lover]

Stock is already cut down, has your barrel been cut?

You won't save any money sporterizing it, that's for sure. Some might "restore" that rifle if the barrel hasn't been cut down. I suppose a few folks might restore it even if the barrel has been cut, simply because it hasn't been drilled and tapped. If you want to do that, you might want to get a new stock and hardware sooner rather than later.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Naw, leave it alone, especially if its still chambered in 7mm.

Much better modern hunting rifles like the Savage Axis or Ruger American can be had for a couple hundred bucks, already set up for a scope and chambered for much cheaper and more available ammo.

Id just keep that old Spaniard for light target duty, or sell it to someone who will appreciate it as a historical artifact. I suppose you could hide it away for a SHTF emergency backup rifle too......

 

[Mike J]

Stock is already cut down, has your barrel been cut?

You won't save any money sporterizing it, that's for sure. Some might "restore" that rifle if the barrel hasn't been cut down. I suppose a few folks might restore it even if the barrel has been cut, simply because it hasn't been drilled and tapped. If you want to do that, you might want to get a new stock and hardware sooner rather than later.

I believe the barrel may have been cut. It is 22" if I recall correctly. As I posted it was in really rough shape when I received it. Covered in duct tape & black spray paint. I took a bit more wood off the stock than I meant to but it had been beaten & gouged. It has always just nagged at me as I am not really a collector. I buy things to use. I always come to the conclusion that this isn't worth investing in but it bothers me having a firearm that isn't really suitable for any purpose for me. I mean if I had to I could compensate for the sights & use it for self defense or hunting but I have other tools much better suited for those jobs.

 

[Mauser lover]

It has always just nagged at me as I am not really a collector. I buy things to use. I always come to the conclusion that this isn't worth investing in but it bothers me having a firearm that isn't really suitable for any purpose for me.

Yeah, me too. I like to shoot them, but sometimes it's worth more to someone else as an artifact than to me as a shooter. Often, the trouble is just finding those folks and getting them to buy it.

The forend of the stock was chopped at some point, and there is probably supposed to be an upper handguard as well. I'm not talking about you refinishing the stock (which sometimes devalues it), I'm talking about missing length.

 

[Mike J]

Yeah, me too. I like to shoot them, but sometimes it's worth more to someone else as an artifact than to me as a shooter. Often, the trouble is just finding those folks and getting them to buy it.

The forend of the stock was chopped at some point, and there is probably supposed to be an upper handguard as well. I'm not talking about you refinishing the stock (which sometimes devalues it), I'm talking about missing length.

I always figured it had been someone's beater before I got it. The guy I got it from got it from the widow of a friend of his who had recently passed. No telling where he got it from. I tend to think it probably came in a multi gun deal. The friend was a collector I believe. Might be interesting to know where it went & what it did in between military service & when his friend got it.

 

[PonyKiller]

I have one as well, re-chambered to 308 by the state armory (m1916) that beyond that was untouched.
Had the gunsmith check it out and give it a good cleaning. Said it was in good shape, and all original, have at it but keep the pressures down. After realizing two things on the first range trip.... One that it shot well, and two the factory sights were wordless to me after 50 yds, I decided to scope it.
I asked the gunsmith What it would be worth to put the effort into a standard mount vs a scout mount. He recommended a scout mount or leave it as is, so I found one from s-k mounts and took a crack at putting it on. I could never get it to sit straight so ended up taking it back to him to install. Some epoxy, a shim or two and replacent rings for the scope I had later and it is good to go. It shoots about 2-2.5" with surplus ammo at 100 yds not to shabby. Next are reloads, goals are cut the group in half and give it life of ease.
I'm of the opinion, if its yours, and since it has no real historical or collector value, why not do what you please with it. I'm into mine for about 300 bucks all told.

Enjoy it

 

[Bcwitt]

Once upon a time, they were cheap & plentiful. That's not the case anymore. Better to leave it the way it is. There is nothing wrong with it. You can only lower its value if you alter it. They arent 3 for 100$ anymore.

 

[22250Rem]

I'm not crazy about the sporterizing, either. Although I like the idea of a scout scope and just keep the rest of the rifle the same and just clean it up some more and keep it as a hunting rifle. I've had two rifles that got the scout scope treatment and I like it. Both had no gunsmithing mounts from S+K mounts and I'm sorry to hear that Pony Killer had some difficulty with his. Both mine were flawless; had one on a K-98 Mauser from 2004 to 2017 when I removed it and there's no sign of that gun ever having a scope. Took the scout scope & rings and used them on another S+K mount on a Mod. 91-30 Mosin Nagant in July 2020. Still on there and problem free. Don't know if S&K have them for Spanish Mausers but if they do it would be nice to have that rifle scoped without drilling & tapping anything. I'm assuming that it's chambered in 7x57 (?), which would be a great deer harvester. Bet the kids would get a kick out of that.

 

[PonyKiller]

I found s&k 's no drill mount to be very well made. The problems lie within my rifle, the front pin in mine was badly bent. I managed to get it mounted with little issue. When I mounted the scope I couldn't get it Centered with a bore sighter. I fiddled with it here and there for a few weeks before giving in. The issues were with my old rifle mainly. One the rear aight dimensions were a bit off compared to what they" should be" and two the Rear sight Was slightly mis aligned for the last hundred years or so. When you look at the front sight you can see its significantly off to the side.
A little loving and she's a fine shooter, not in the one inch range yet but haven't started handloading for it yet. Don't sleep on the spanish mausers, good little rifles

 

[3Crows]

The rifle has already been hacked on. Yes, repair and finish sporterizing (not a word) the rifle to useful condition and as long as it is mechanically safe, put it to work.

 

[PonyKiller]

Here is mine with the s&k mount and 4× scope. Nothing fancy its a long eye relief simmons, no great shakes but it works for now. Beyond that it was cleaned and oiled.

 

[22250Rem]

Pony Killer; That's a great combo of a beautiful rifle made even more functional with no "Bubba" work required. Just the ticket for older eyes that don't get along with those military iron sights any more. Some day my Mosin - Nagant 91/30 will again look all original and unmolested but in the mean time I'm having fun working up a few hunting handloads and the scout scope gives me a lot more accuracy than I ever got with the same loads over the original sights. All for no more than the cost of the S&K mount. Had that scout scope & Leupold PRW rings sitting in a drawer doing nothing since I put my K-98 Mauser back to its original configuration. Carried the Mosin a couple times this past deer season but didn't get a chance to try it out on deer yet. So far the mount has been solid and there's been no zero problems since it was put on last July...I'm lovin' it.. .... ..

 

[Nature Boy]

There were millions of Mausers manufactured over many decades and we can't all be private museum curators. Let me take the contrary position.

It's already been altered, therefore, I'd sporterize the hell out of it. D&T for scope mounts. Clearance the bolt handle. Find a nice, used Fajen sporter stock with pretty wood. You'd have a deer rifle to be proud of.

With best regards,

Bubba