Herter's Mausers?

F

FairWarning

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Saw an absolutely beautiful sporterized 8mm Mauser recently. It had very few markings other than WRG on the barrel. I've done some research and apparently this means it was a Herter's mauser----a company which starting sporterizing Mausers in the early '60s to late '70s (I was a wee lad at the end of the '70s, so this is all before my time). It has a B. Nickel Marburg side mount scope in very good condition with slightly faded finish where the leather scope caps are put on and removed (also probably early '60s based on my research) and a nice crisp double trigger (set trigger). The scope can easily be removed and then you have sporter style iron sights. Nicely checkered wood, jeweled receiver and a 24 inch barrel.

What kind of value do you think this gun should have? I'd say it's in the 85+ region cosmetically with a very nice bore and the action and "hunter" safety are great. I am an 8mm fanatic and would love to have it, but I have no idea what it should be worth. It would definitely be quite special to own and hunt with, something that you may never encounter being used by someone else at the range or hunting camp in your lifetime....also the type of gun you take out of the case every now and then just to stare at it....
 
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Well, sincy my blue book is on the other side of the world my SWAG would be between 300 and 550. Some of those parts you can't get anymore, but at the end of the day it is still just a sported milsurp. If you really like the rifle get it.

Jimro
 
It is worth what you are willing to pay and what the buyer is willing to accept.

Dad always said, "Don't be afraid to make an offer, all they can say is No".
 
FairWarning

I would recomend that you get it.
From what you said, it has a good bore, and is in nice condition, should make you a very good rifle that you will enjoy for years.
 
I never saw a Herter's as nice as what you describe, but maybe there was another Herter's than the Model Perfect company in Minnesonta of the 1950s and 1960s.
 
The seller is fishing in the $800+ pond (initially more!), which seems a bit rich. It is very desirable, and I want it, and it "looks" like an expensive custom rifle, which it is I suppose, but I'm trying not to let lust get in the way of good sense. I'm going to keep doing research. The seller was honest and admitted he hadn't shoot it and didn't know if the previous owner had shot it to assess the accuracy (at least he was honest!). But in my experience, mechanically sound Mausers with a good barrel are quite accurate. Any further comments appreciated.

If I felt confident I could get what I put into it back should I desire to sell it later, then it is worth that price. However, if I would struggle to get $500 later, that's a different story. I don't buy guns (especially unique/rare guns) to sell them, I buy them because I want them and want to shoot them, but I don't want to be taken. I think this gun was considerably improved after Herter's initial treatment by a skilled gunsmith, i.e. it is not a standard Herter's Mauser.

I could buy a very nice modern sporter in that price range, but 8mm is special to me and this is a distinctly "Euro" gun, defnitely not a tailgate special as I've seen at some gunshows with sloppy workmanship.
 
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I wouldn't pay 800. I listed 550 because that would be my squeal price for a rifle that I loved but know I would lose money on. If the barrel was a turned milsurp barrel you need to have the bore and chamber inspected, because that may give you a little more fuel for lowering the price. Know that even a frosted bore can produce tight groups, but for 800 bucks you are looking at new gun prices for a sported milsurp.

Jimro
 
^^^

Even considering the historical B. Nickel scope and double (set) trigger? The scope alone may be worth perhaps $100-150+.

The seller seemed honest but knew very little about the gun himself. If he would have claimed to have shot it would good results and seemed believable while doing so, I'd be more inclined to jump on it. But he was basically as clueless as me as to its origin and performance. He priced it based on what he thinks he could get based on features, obivously good quality of materials and appearance. And he may be right....but it's hard to say...
 
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Historical means "old as crap with cracked seals and no warrantee service."

If you want a nice Mauser there are plenty of them, like I said, unless you really want this one I wouldn't pay more than 550 for it, and I'm pretty sure that I couldn't get my money back out of it.

Jimro
 
I never saw a Herter's as nice as what you describe,
Click to expand...

After the war, especially in the 50's and 60' Herters sold a lot of surplus stuff and about everything else a hunter/shooter needed. Needed was the word and I don't recall much in the higher end. My guess is the double set triggers, scope and mount were added after the original rifle was purchased.

This may be one of those rifles that is worth it if you like it.
 
Ehh, just shot a match with my custom 98k today. New walnut stock, Timmney trigger, hump ground off, stripper clip thingys ground off, .270win barrel installed, MKII safety installed, drilled and tapped for scope, scope mounts custom machined to fit new receiver profile, , trigger guard re-profiled, bolt bent, etc., etc., etc.

This rifle was nearly $1000 in 1989 dollars, but I doubt I could get $500.00 for it today. I love it, I'd never give it up for anything, but you just don't get your money back out of sporterizing rifles.

I'd have a hard time paying more than $500.00 for a sporterized Mauser unless it was just a beautiful job or had some sort of history.
 
Many of the Herter's Mausers were commercial Mausers manufactured by Zastava in Yugoslavia (that was pre-Interarms days), some of them were military receivers. Herters also sold the Zastava Mausers with double set triggers in 7X57, I don't remember seeing any in 8X57. Point is it might not be a custom on a milsurp action. If it is on a commercial or military action, $500-ish is what I would expect to pay. Drilled and tapped for a side mount, no matter how nice that side mount is, will reduce the value and desirability.
 
Resale value on custom rifles made from mauser actions do not have much resale value unless of course it says Holland and Holland or something to that effect. There are a lot of nice custom rifles out there without the "name", so it is assumed it is a bubba and not worth much.

You can still get nice accesories to customize your mauser and some of them are quite expensive others are not. The majority of rifles that I own are customized mausers. Resale value on them is not worth what I put into them in parts but it is sure a pleasure to fire them and to have them admired when at the range. A good custom mauser from a good smith will cost you about $1500 to $2000 to have built. If you want some of the real special stuff (double set trigger, exhibition grade stock, etc) it will cost you more.

So there you are, $4000 invested in a custom rifle, that was well done by a good smith without a name, and its resale value is $400 to $500.

For me, the true value of the rifle is what you put on it, not what someone else does. I dont sell my rifles, so resale value to me is unimportant.
 
^^^^^

The rifle I saw in that form is quite rare, and it would take a fairly large sum for me to have a gunsmith do all those things to a surp donor rifle with a great bore. I've been researching over the past week, and you can find many sloppy sporterized Mausers or "Bubbas" as they are called. Those turn my stomach.

The ones that are highly desirable are easily well over $500, often well over $1000, which is more than I'm willing to spend on something I don't have to have right now. I already have a very nice sporterized Mauser, but I have a "thing" for them and the one I saw is a beaut and probably an Olde World Euro job.

Still debating.....:confused:
 
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