DWM 1908 Brazilian Short Rifle

A

Antique Shooter

New member
Hi all, this is my first post, and was wondering if you guys could help me out. I recently purchased a DWM 1908 Brazillian Short Rifle at an auction, with out a bolt. It is 7x57, (7mm). I would like to know any history, and where to purchase a bolt. Any help will be appreciated, Antique Shooter
 
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Hey Buddy,
Welcome to the club, I did some searching for you to help you find a Replacement bolt body.
I am not sure if the Brazilaian Mauser can swap parts with other Mausers.
What your gonna have to find first is a Bolt Body, for your rifle.
Numrich Gun Supply had some Mauser bolt bodies, and parts but Im not sure if they will fit your rifle.
You may need the assistance of a gunsmith to reserect your rifle.
Good luck from Texas.
 
Sarco has bolt bodies and parts for the Mauser 98K, I am not sure if these will fit your rifle, You will have to ask someone more experienced than me.
Wish I could be of more help.
 
I do have a k98 mauser, so I took the bolt out of it, and it does fit into the Brazilian short rifle, but I don't know if it would be safe to shoot or even work properly, do to the size of the shell.Going from an 8mm to a 7mm, the head space could be different. Thanks for the help.
 
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Antique Shooter,

I bet a Smith could check the headspace, It may be alright to use a 98K bolt.
Compare an 8x57 cartridge to a 7x57.
I bet the only difference is the diameter of the bullet.
I may be wrong, though. If the rifle will work with a Mauser k98 Bolt those are pretty easy to come by.
 
Your Welcome,
Good luck with your Rifle, I have been looking at a VZ 24 in 7x57 Mauser myself.
Southern Ohio Gun has them for $169.
I have a Yugo Mauser in 8x57 with a bent down bolt handle.
I put a tall front sight on it, and its a really good shooter.
Anyhow, I hope everything works out for you with your Mauser.
Rick
 
the 7mms Mausers have always intrigued me. I might wander over to SOG for gander. But as to your problem, with the missing bolt:
The condition of a lot of south american mausers is pretty good. Most that I've seen are decent shooters. For others, time and corrosive ammo and humidity have not been kind to the rifle. Depending upon how long you want to wait and watch, you will see parts guns and part lots surface occasionally at auction sites. I don't know if 7mm bolts are interchangeable between factories/nations/model years, I would expect not, but, you might be close enough to be able to have your local gunsmith adjust the headspace to make it good. Ultimately, science wins the day--no matter where you get your replacement bolt from, you will have to have a correct headspace or you are going to have a very unsatisfactory shooting experience.

I guess the first question I would ask myself is "why is my beautiful rifle missing a bolt?" My basic rule of keeping-two-thumbs-attached: if your rifle is older than you, you should have a g'smith check it out first.
 
The 1908 Brazilian short rifle is a M98 variant, so a M98 bolt should work fine. You will need to have someone check the headspace, but you should be good to go with just a new bolt. And congratulations on a fine rifle in a fine chambering, 7X57 is my favorite.
 
I did some research Doofus47, and found out that the Brazilians kept the bolts in different armories so that if a revolution occured, the rifles would be useless. What kind of a revolution would occur in South America!!!!! Just playin it safe I guess.
 
Antique Shooter

I have seen a few of these Brazillian Mausers on Gun Broker, missing the bolt.
I was wondering why, thanks for explaining that.
 
For a bolt, you will probably have to buy a straight handle type made for the rifle version.
Note that due to age and wear, and slight manufacturing differences, Mauser bolts may NOT interchange between similar models, even when made by the same maker.

For that reason, buy a Argentine M1908 bolt, not some other make.
BE SURE to have the bolt head spaced and checked by a competent gunsmith. Rifle bolts, even of the same make and model DO NOT interchange, especially on used rifles were the receiver and parts are worn.
Even if the bolt fits into the receiver, that's NO guarantee that the head space is correct and firing it could cause it to blow in your face.

One you have the bolt and the gunsmith says it fits or he can make it fit, you can have the handle bent like the carbine version of the 1908 had.

Here's some sources of Model 1908 bolts. These may be expensive due to lack of a supply of usable parts.

http://www.gunpartscorp.com/catalog/Products.aspx?catid=4189

http://ssporters.com/Parts Listing Page.htm
(Call, they used to carry a lot of 1908 parts).
 
One gun writer back in the 60's said that the reason most South American Mauser's had non-matching bolts is because the bolts were stored in one warehouse and the rifles in another.

This was to "Prevent unauthorized target practice at the Presidential Palace".
 
Antique Hunter

On the Buy now Option I have seen the Boltless Mausers go for 100 dollars or less.
Without the bolt they go alot cheaper than when complete.
Go to www.Gunbroker.Com type in Mauser in the search, and you will find a lot of Mausers in various conditions, and price range. Sometimes some in rough shape they call gunsmith specials.

Type in Gunsmith Special Mauser, they have a Brazilian 1908 Missing the bolt you can buy now for $69
 
Antique Hunter

If you go to WWW.Gunbroker.com Also type in Mauser parts, they have several parts including a few Mauser 98K bolts, and a Firing Pin, and Spring, even a Cocking piece, and extractor.
If you check with someone who knows, and knows how to check and adjust headspace, you may be able to asemble a bolt for your rifle and get it going again. Good luck, but please be carefull, and get a professional to help before you fire it.
 
Antique Shooter

You did well Its a shame they seperated the bolts from all those rifles.
Still it shouldnt be that hard to get it up and running.
 
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