Well used 7mm Mauser

[Virg461]

Gents,

I have a couple of questions I thought I would run by the brain trust....

My father has what appears to be a spanish mauser in 7x57. It's pretty worn, but the rifling is fairly decent. Someone D&T'd it for a scope a while ago, and it appears to have been sporterized. The rear site is nowhere to be found. Dad had a scope on it for a while and claimed it wouldn't shoot.

I know it's worth little as a collector, but it's been sitting in a closet since I was a kid and I wanted to see if really was a hopeless case, or if it could be turned into a decent little deer rifle.

First question....what the heck is this thing? I have looked in my big honkin' Mauser book, and can find nothing like it. I always thought it was a 1916, but the rear sight base is wrong. Plus, there are no crests or names of any kind. The only markings are a six-pointed star and D4071 stamped on both barrel and receiver. The floorplate has 5901 stamped on it. Also....the stock.....if it was sporterized, someone did a great job.

Second question....I found the only box of 7X57 that he ever bought back when he declared it "wouldn't shoot". It's Remington 140gr core-lokt. If the rifling is worn, would a heavier (and therefore longer) 170 grain stabilize better?

I own and shoot plenty of mil-surps, but know little about 7mm mauser. Any information and advice would be appreciated.

 

[Mr_Pale_Horse]

It is an 1893 Spanish Mauser carbine. Their rear sight was pinned at the rear of the sight base. If it has a front sight, gunpartscorp.com may have a rear so you could shoot with open sights.

At most, see if it will stabilize factory 140 grain hunting ammo. If it keyholes at 25-50 yards, call it a wall hanger, and move on.

 

[Virg461]

Why no markings? Every spanish mauser I've ever seen (as well as pics) have had crests or at least "Mauser Espanol" or something to that effect? Some other variant? Also, the rear sight base is longer than what I have seen on spanish mausers.

I suppose there were many variations, but it's odd to me that there are no labels or crests.

 

[GCBurner]

The thumb cutout in the receiver ahead of the clip guide and the turned down bolt handle indicates that this was a 1916 Guardia Civil carbine, instead of a M93. That's a cut-down military stock with new sling swivel attachments. The Star of David marks, I believe, are indications of an arsenal rebuild and reproofing. The receiver ring should have had the crest for the Guardia Civil, but it may have been ground off to level the receiver for the scope mount.
http://www.surplusrifle.com/1916guardiacivil/index.asp

My Model 93 works a lot better with 160-175 gr. ammo, but it's not a real tack driver. It was used in the Spanish Civil War, and fired a lot with corrosive ammo, so though the rifling is still fairly deep, it's not as sharp as it was brand new. With iron sights and good handloads, about 6 inches is the best I can do from the bench at 100 yds.