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Mauser ID question

biscuiteater
I have an old mauser rifle chambered for 7mm mauser. I am wanting to use it for a project to build a heavy barreled .243 win varmint/deer rifle. I originally wanted to go with 25-06, but that is no longer an option because I seated a bullet in an empty .270 win case and it was too long to fit in the magazine. How do I know for sure what series it is? The front ring of the receiver measures 1.30". The distance between trigger gaurd screws is 7 5/8". The bolt is about 6 7/8" long. According to those measurements it should be a series II 93/94/95/96 small ring. But the kicker is that stamped on the front ring of the receiver is a crown and under it is "FABRICA DE ARMAS" "OVIEDO" "1898". Is this a small ring variation of the mauser 98? and if so, how hard will it be to find a barrel and stock to fit it? I don't want to remove the barrel until I know for sure what I have to determine an approximate cost of my "project".
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14 comments

Date Votes
  • biscuiteater
    a friend at work recently purchased a mauser chambered in 222 rem. i thought it was most likely a factory produced rifle and not a customized gun. i would like your help in id'ing the rifle and an appoximate value. here's what info he gave me


    serial number 02338 on both the action and barrel

    action marked

    "mauser- werke a b oberndorfan mod 4000 pat angem made in germany"

    barrel marked

    "mauser baver fraser mich"

    i have found a model 3000 here on gb but no 4000 are they the same only different action lenghts?

    thanks for all info
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  • Iroquois Scout
    Hello Biscuiteater,
    I have two thoughts on your project. 1.)You have partly answered your own question. The markings on your rifle show that it was made in the Royal Spanish Arsenal at Oviedo Spain in 1898. This rifle is a Spanish Model small ring Mauser. If the bolt has a small flat on the bottom where it pushes the cartridges from the magazine, it is a Model 1893. If the bottom of the bolt is round then it is a Model 1895. Neither of these models are nearly as strong as the Model 1898. Not only do these rifles have a smaller receiver ring and barrel shank,but, they do not have the third safety lug on the bolt that the Model 98 has. I don't feel that this action would be safe if it was converted to a cartridge like the 243 Winchester which develops pressures in excess of 50,000 psi. 2.)If this rifle is in any kind of shape at all it is worth more as a collector's peice then it would be as a shooter and I think that it would be a shame to cut it up.
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  • nononsense
    biscuiteater,

    See if this sounds right:

    Caliber: 7mm
    System of operation: Turn Bolt
    Length overall: 37 inches
    Barrel length: 17.56 inches
    Feed device: 5 round,staggered row, non-detachable, box magazine
    Sight:Front: Barley corn w/ears
    Sight:Rear: Leaf
    Weight: 7.5 lb
    Muzzle velocity: Approximately 2575 f.p.s.

    Made by Ludwig Loewe & Co., Berlin 1896-97 and by Fabrica Nacional de Armas, Oviedo 1896-1915. Adopted on 7th may 1895, this was simply a short Mod. 1893, stocked to the muzzle, with a small rear sight and the bolt handle turned down. A change was made in 1896 to the barrel band, which gained a sling ring on the left side, a sling bar was fixed in the left side of the butt in addition to the bar-and-ring assembly beneath the wrist. A half-depth cut in the left side of the receiver was added to facilitate charger-loading. (Rifles of the World, John Walther 1998)
    http://www.angelfire.com/nh/milarm/95carb.html
    ______________________________________________________________________

    Here is a forum for the Spanish Mausers:
    http://pub176.ezboard.com/fcurioandrelicfirearmsforumfrm7
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  • MIKE WISKEY
    this is a spanish m-93 (front of the bolt should not be round, should have a small flat spot). this is a small ring action and not a very good one. i would not barrel this to a .243 or similar.
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  • biscuiteater
    The bolt has the flat spot. I guess I'll have to stick with the old 7mm mauser which has ballistic characteristics approaching, yet not quite reaching, those of a brick thrown off a roof.[:(!]
    I guess I'll have to find a large ring mauser to build it from. Then I can go to the 25-06.
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  • Iroquois Scout
    I don't think that the 7MM Mauser is as big a dog as you seem to think. It is one of the best cartridges for deer sized animals. Also, remember that W.M.Bell killed over 1,000 elephants with the 7X57 and full jacketed military ammo.
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  • jakelin
    quote:Originally posted by biscuiteater
    The bolt has the flat spot. I guess I'll have to stick with the old 7mm mauser which has ballistic characteristics approaching, yet not quite reaching, those of a brick thrown off a roof.[:(!]
    I guess I'll have to find a large ring mauser to build it from. Then I can go to the 25-06.


    I don't know where you got this idea from, but it sure isn't accurate. The 7mm Mauser is a very fine cartridge for deer size game, I'd choose it over the .243 any day.

    JAK
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  • Tailgunner1954
    Would you consider the 7-08 to be a wimpy round also?
    The 7x57 and the 7-08Rem launch the same weight bullet at the same velocity, the 7x57 just does it at a lower chamber pressure.
    Keep it as a 7x57, and if the thin # of choices in factory ammo are a issue, learn to reload.

    Whittemore
    Some guys like a mag full of lead, I still prefer one round to the head.
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  • captkirk3@dslextreme.com
    You got some excellent advice Young Man...!

    Captain Kirk, Tech Staff
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  • jakelin
    quote:Originally posted by Tailgunner1954
    Would you consider the 7-08 to be a wimpy round also?
    The 7x57 and the 7-08Rem launch the same weight bullet at the same velocity, the 7x57 just does it at a lower chamber pressure.
    Keep it as a 7x57, and if the thin # of choices in factory ammo are a issue, learn to reload.

    Some guys like a mag full of lead, I still prefer one round to the head.


    I agree. Good grief, the 7mm Mauser is one of the finest rifle cartridges ever developed on this planet. Combat experience against it during the Spanish-American War led the US to quickly discard the .30/40 Krag and move to the .30-03 and later .30-06 rounds.
    The 7mm has knocked down one heck of a lot of game and fought a BUNCH of wars too boot.


    JAK
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  • biscuiteater
    I didn't mean to piss everyone off. But, I was really hoping to go to something that shoots a bit flatter. The 243 has always been my favorite cartridge. I have played around reloading and have a couple of loads for it that really sizzle. I have thought of the 257 Roberts, but the factory loads don't perform as good as the 7x57 and I don't know how safe it would be to experiment with loads on the 93. So I guess I'll keep it at 7mm. Does anyone know where I can get a heavy varmint type barrel for the 93 that is already threaded for the 93 and short chambered for 7x57?
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  • allen griggs
    "Prior to WW2 the 7mm Mauser enjoyed a modicum of popularity here [USA], no doubt due to its moderate recoil and its reasonably effective performance on US big game. The 175 grain factory load, which is the only one now loaded in the US, has been used for the taking of every game animal on the American continent, barring none. It is considered to have a maximum effective range of approximately 300 yards..."

    Mauser Rifles, NRA Book Service, 1980
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  • Iroquois Scout
    My friend until you get finished fooling around converting a military rifle into a sporter, you can go to your favorite gun store and buy a Remington, Winchester, Savage, Ruger ect. for less money then it will cost you to convert the '93. You will also have a better end product.

    I really don't anyone here is PO'ed at you. We were just trying to dissuade you from a course of action that we thought was unwise.

    Best
    Scout
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  • jakelin
    quote:Originally posted by Iroquois Scout
    My friend until you get finished fooling around converting a military rifle into a sporter, you can go to your favorite gun store and buy a Remington, Winchester, Savage, Ruger ect. for less money then it will cost you to convert the '93. You will also have a better end product.

    I really don't anyone here is PO'ed at you. We were just trying to dissuade you from a course of action that we thought was unwise.

    Best
    Scout




    Bingo.
    Unless you can do almost all the work yourself- it isn't worth it. The Spanish made action is not the one to use anyway either.
    I once had a Czech Mauser 98 (Vz-24) made into a sporter. The original barrel was kept as the bore was mint and it would shoot 3 shots into almost one hole at 100 yards from a rest.
    It got the full house treatment- maple thumbhole stock, reblue, new bolt handle, safety, Redfield scope mount and rings, Timney trigger, etc. etc. It cost me nearly $1000, and that doesn't count the running around finding the stock, shipping stuff back and forth to the gunsmith, or the scope. It's a beauty, but on a practical basis hardly worth it. The only reason I did it at all was the rifle was a gift from a dear friend of mine of many years and it shot so well I thought it deserved to be prettied up.

    John
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