Having some trouble here... Mauser ID help

W

winchester1917

New member
I am attempting to dispose of this Mauser, but I am not sure exactly what it is... Is it a 98? Obviously it's been sporterized, but is that a non-original barrel too? What are your thoughts?

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It looks like a sporting rifle built on what appears to be
a commercial Mauser action.

What is the caliber? I can't tell from the pictures---does
it have stripper clip guides?

Any other markings on it?
 
Could be a standard modell, what is written on the left side of the action?

It is interesting that the stock has the inletting for a turned down bolt, but the rifle has a straight bolt.
 
Just the serial number is on the side of the receiver. The bolt and receiver numbers don't match, so it may have had a turned down handle at some point.


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Oh... And I believe it's 8mm Mauser.
 
I think they call those express sights, it kind of has a African Safari rifle vibe about it.

Have you had it out of the stock? Is there a recoil lug under that wood patch?

What caliber is it?
 
The 12 pointed star is the mark of Nationalist China. Olson's Mauser book states that they were the same as the German 98k carbine and sold to China in the late 1930s, making it a fairly unusual action. After the war Germany was full of people handy at turning old 98s into sporters and that looks like what you have. There may be rust under the wood, and other Mauser authorities say it may not be safe to shoot if the pitting is very bad.
 
The 12 pointed star is the mark of Nationalist China.
Click to expand...

I dug out Ball's book, looks like China got both Standard Modells, and later (~1937-39) K98ks. The Standard Modell rifles had the factory marking on the receiver rail, where "MOD 98" would appear on a German rifle. The later K98k that was unmarked, so I believe yours is a German manufactured K98k made between 37 and 39.

Luckily, the pages you want to see are on Google Books:

https://books.google.com/books?id=p40IsLJv80AC&pg=PA98#v=onepage&q&f=false

It would have had a turned down bolt originally, and was originally 8x57.
 
Come to think of it, there isn't much chance that a Chinese rifle was sporterized in Germany, but it's very plausible that it would have fallen into the hands of the Chinese Communists and been brought to the US as a trophy of the Korean War. A purist collector won't be interested in it because of all the modifications, but I think it's really fascinating. Of course I've always been bug for Asian stuff.
 
As always, thanks for the input. I find it ironic that, with the endless amount of "information" on the internet, the answer still lies in a book somewhere...
 
It is a converted military rifle, not a commercial Mauser sporter. The installation of a rib, that type of sight, and that kind of forward sling attachment are indicative of German work. If the rifle was actually sent to China, it had an interesting journey. But there is another possibility; not all the rifles made for sale to China got there. After Japan and Germany became allies, the sales of German weapons to China (Japan's enemy) was stopped and any undelivered rifles were diverted to the German armed forces.

Jim
 
I would expect if it was delivered to the German armed forces or even a paramilitary unit, it would have a Nazi proof stamp.

I agree that it has a German sporter look to it, but it could have been done here.

Did you figure out what it is chambered in? Is it import marked?
 
No import marks. I'm pretty sure it's 8x57. But not positive. I chambered a cartridge with a tiny bit of tape on the neck/shoulder and the tape was clearly pressed hard against the brass on all surfaces.
 
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