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ID for a Mauser rifle

jptatum
Recently I acquired a rifle I need some information on. It was made by F. W. Heym in Germany. On the right side of the barrel it is marked 3006. The serial number is marked on the right side of the receiver below the stock. On the left side of the receiver it is marked St. Hubert Co. and below that Waseca, MINN. The butt plate is plastic and says Waseca Herters MINN. On the bottom of the receiver it is marked with a K and then below that J5. Was this rifle made for Herters by Heym? There is no model number that I can see. Any information would be very helpfull.

J. Patrick Tatum
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3 comments

Date Votes
  • rufe-snow
    I don't know if this is the same rifle or not? But Frank de Haas in his book, describes a Mauser rifle that Herters imported from Germany and sold in the mid 60's. It was sold as the "Mark XK3". It was a standard commercial version of the Mauser military rifle. The safety was a wing type mounted low on the bolt sleeve, so it would clear a low mounted scope. It also had a combination bolt stop and ejector.

    luger_4.jpg
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  • jptatum
    Good to hear from you rufe-snow. I'm pretty sure you are right. On page 309 of Bolt Action Rifles, 3rd Ed., by Frank de Haas there is a picture of the left side of a XK3 action and it looks exactly like that on this rifle.
    While I was inside, I got a good look at the parts and they are very carefully machined, something that is not common on the Herter rifles that de Haas discusses. The stock is not walnut but some kind of hardwood and it has no checkering.
    Apparently Heym has made guns and gun parts for other people. I have a Mauser 2000, which according to the Blue Book of Gun Values, was made by Heym. I also have a Krico rimfire bolt action rifle and
    some of the parts were made by Heym.
    Thanks.

    J. Patrick Tatum
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  • He Dog
    Herter's sold a couple of models of Mausers. If memory serves some were built in England and some in Czechoslovakia (most of the Herter's contracted firearms were European). The Blue book lists models U-9 and J-9. I have an (as yet) incomplete set of catalogs from the era, researching my own Herters rifle. The 1966 catalog which I pulled out shows the XK3 action as being made in Germany. It was sold as an action, a barreled action and as two grades of complete rifles. In '66, the barreled action sold for $54.50 or $55.95 depending upon caliber. The barreled action had an American made barrel added at $67.95, and the Supreme grade rifle sold for $101.00 while the Presentation grade went for a whopping $113.95. Calibers offered were more extensive in the actions than the other three configurations. I have been able to determine that a variety of stocks were actually sold (mine is a thumbhole). Herter's sold firearms between 1963 and 1979. It appears that Heym did build it for Herter's, and from the butt plate etc. it sounds as if it is original. While some Herter's sold rifles are relatively rare, there is little (except for you and me, of course) collector interests and they sell as shooters. From what I have seen, prices now range between about $300 and $400. Mine is a fine shooter despite the soon to be replaced stock, so enjoy it, it should make a fine hunting rifle.
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