What do I have?

[armedredneck]

I bought this rifle off of a guy in California for $75.00. (I figured any gun for $75 was a good deal). I don't know what it is other than it has a Mauser action and it's some kind of .30 cal. It has some markings on it. On the left hand side of the barrel, right in front of the receiver are stamped the numbers "44579" The numbers are not aligned very well, leading me to believe it was stamped by hand. On the top of the receiver, forward of the bolt, is stamped "Fabrica De Arma" in a U-Shape. Directly below that is stamped "0 Ledo"?? (I think). And directly below that is the numbers "1913". On the underside, the base plate is stamped with "7764" in two spots. One of them with the letter "I" above it.

It's got some wear in the bluing and a tiny bit of rust spots. The stock is pretty much garbage because someone tried their own x-acto checkering job and tried to modify it some, but it's still functional as a stock. If I knew what caliber it was I'm sure it would fire and function just fine. I've never fired it partially because I don't know what ammo to buy.

Can anyone tell me what this is and what it may possibly be worth? One of my buddies looked at it and although he couldn't tell me what it was, he suggested tearing it down and using the action to build another rifle of my choosing.

Any information you guys could give me would be appreciated. Thanks!

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[magnum]

It looks like a small ring mauser with a sporterized military stock. Check with the member usrifles. He is very knowledgable and a nice guy to deal with. He can probably provide you with better info than I.

 

[BillM]

1913 Spanish Mauser. The partly worn off word is OVIEDO. Originally
caliber was 7x57 mauser. Have it checked over by a gunsmith before
you try to fire it.

 

[armedredneck]

1913 Spanish Mauser. The partly worn off word is OVIEDO. Originally
caliber was 7x57 mauser. Have it checked over by a gunsmith before
you try to fire it.

Thanks for the info! Any idea if this is a WWI era military weapon? Looks like it's worth around $150 to $200. Roughly (according to gunbroker). Now I'm trying to decide what I should do with it. Fix it up and keep it? Turn it into a deer rifle? Discard the caliber and use the action to build something else? Sell it and buy another gun? What would you guys do?

 

[armedredneck]

Or leave it alone and keep it as a collectible?

 

[BillM]

Well--it's a "sporterized" spanish mauser. No real collector value. Looks like
it's been drilled and tapped for a scope base, and unless the picture is a
little weird the holes in the front ring are kind of off center. If the bore is
good it's worth at least what you paid for it. Gunbroker is a good resource for what guns are selling for---but you have to look at what guns actually
SOLD for. Some of the "asking" prices are a little over the top, and the auctions close with no sale.

Ever had any desire to do any refinishing/stock work/gunsmithing of any kind?
This is a good candidate. If you muck it up you haven't really lost anything.
Or keep it and use it for a beater truck gun. Or keep it around for the same
reason I usually have a turkish mauser or carcano in the rack somewhere--
when someone wants to borrow a rifle.

Again--have it checked out to verify the caliber and to make sure it's safe to
shoot. The steel in some of the spanish guns is a bit iffy, and grossly loose
headspace problems can happen.

 

[armedredneck]

Thanks again for all the info. I will have it checked out before I use it. I'm thinking that yes, this would be a good candidate for a little amateur stock work and paint job. As well as a truck gun. Yes, the scope holes are a little off center. I noticed that after I posted. Hadn't really looked at it too close. When I bought it I just threw it in with the stash and forgot about it. I've had it for about 2 years and I'm just now getting around to messing with it. Again, thanks for your help!

 

[Wenis]

I think that qualifies for a Nutnfancy duracoat tactical paint job

 

[Unka-Boo]

Have someone check the chamber, these were in 7mm originally, but a lot have been converted to 7.62x51 ( .308 ) both by the Spanish and here.....

 

[EMP9596]

I did not notice in your post if the rifle had a date stamp?
If you are really curious, start somewhere like here:

The Spanish, Central and South American Military Rifles Forum - Collectible Mauser Rifles - ParallaxBill's Curio & Relic and Military Surplus Firearms Forums - Message Board

Collecting and Shooting the Spanish Mauser Model 93 - HISTORY

Spanish Mauser

Mauser bolt action rifles

 

[armedredneck]

I did not notice in your post if the rifle had a date stamp?
If you are really curious, start somewhere like here:

The Spanish, Central and South American Military Rifles Forum - Collectible Mauser Rifles - ParallaxBill's Curio & Relic and Military Surplus Firearms Forums - Message Board

Collecting and Shooting the Spanish Mauser Model 93 - HISTORY

Spanish Mauser

Mauser bolt action rifles

Thankyou! I checked those out and now I'm getting all kinds of ideas for a "project". It's stamped with "1913". I'm assuming that's the manufacturing year?

 

[EMP9596]

Make sure you verify the Caliber and have the Headspace checked. It might have started out a 7x57 but 'Bubba' might have played with it.
Best rifle I ever had was a Swede Mauser carbine in 7x57 with set triggers and a stock military Diopter rear sight. The bore was not that good so I put a Douglas barrel on it. Flat shooter at 125yrds. Right now I hate to think of what the triggers are possibly worth.

 

[DeanMk]

I did not notice in your post if the rifle had a date stamp?
If you are really curious, start somewhere like here:

The Spanish, Central and South American Military Rifles Forum - Collectible Mauser Rifles - ParallaxBill's Curio & Relic and Military Surplus Firearms Forums - Message Board

Collecting and Shooting the Spanish Mauser Model 93 - HISTORY

Spanish Mauser

Mauser bolt action rifles

THANK YOU!
I've got a '95 Chiliean Mauser and I've been trying to figure out exactly when it was made, for years.
I'll check those links.


DeanMk