I found the coolest old shotgun!

K

kawasakifreak77

New member
I was walking out of the gunshow.. I had already made one killer deal & was basking in my score when this really nice hook & schnabel style stock caught my eye. It was around a large ring Mauser action when I noticed how big around the barrel was..

What the...

Side of the reciver says something in german & 16 gauge! :D

I'm a mauser geek (mostly for the Swedes) & a 16 gauge lover so I had to have it! I had heard of some shotguns built from enfields once upon a time but never saw one. Let alone a Mauser, in 16!

It's a beautiful gun. Deep rich bluing & the stock is very nice, minus a small repair. All numbers match & the conversion looks very professionally done. I'm very happy.

I measured the constriction in the barrel & came up with around .636" so it's very tightly choked. That bites cause about all I shoot are a few sporting clays & quail.

Was going to go shoot it today but didn't end up going. But I can't wait!
 
I STRONGLY suggest that a good gun smith look at the gun before you shoot it.
The shotgun you have is made from a converted mauser action, to have clearance for the shell the locking lugs have to be cut away, sometimes too much.

And please read the mauser shotgun post at www.shotgunworld.com under Shotgun ID & Value forum.
 
Forager? The link that drcook listed is very good background. That is a fancy made up name for a Geha :). After WWI the Germans were very limited on what type firearms they allowed to build. They were still allowed to build sporter type firearms, and one thing they did have plenty of was Model 98 rifles. They removed the barrel and bored out the receiver ring and collar, special bolt head fitted, new follower, shotgun barrel and a number of other various and sundry things ( complete details can be found in "Bolt action Rifles ). Built in the 1920's and 30's when times were very hard in Germany { and elsewhere because of the Great Depression ). They were made to sell very competitively and were sold by the bushel basket to farmers and ranchers across the US. They served the purpose of a utility farm gun, two shots in a well built package at a very cheap price. Forager, that is Madison Avenue at work, a fancy name for an old well known gun. They make it sound as if the German Military used them for foragering when in fact the military had nothing to do with them other than sell their now surplus rifles to the gun makers:)
 
RJay beat me to it!

I inherited one of those exact guns from my grandfather. I shot it a couple of times, but since it didn't have any sentimental value to me and definitely wasn't practical, I let it go at a gun show to someone that wanted the action.
 
The peace trtaty for ending WWI...

eliminate all rifles in Germany.

The simple expedient of re boring to shotshell use, complied with the treaty and precluded reuse as a rifle.
 
The Versailles Treaty was complex and very possibly sowed the very seeds of WW II, But the treaty did not forbid weapons, Germany was allowed to have a army and navy but no air force. They were restricted on the type and quantity, caliber of weapons and even the number of men in uniform ( Military uniform ) there were no restrictions on " Sporting weapons ". That is one reason there were so many sporting rifles built on Mauser actions between 1918 and the start of WWII. Germany was short of every thing but rifles, those they had plenty of.
 
Fascinating. We had many bolt shotguns made in america through the last century, and I have always been able to see the purpose but not had any desire whatsoever for them. It's neat to see that they were made in volume from old military "scrap," so to speak.

Which company was it that bought enormous loads of old military, stockpiled the bad actions, and eventually used the actions that failed inspection as supplement to the rebar when they poured a new floor?
 
Could be. Navy arms was coming to mind, but heck, I had brain surgery last spring, and after being drugged and nailed down on a table, a veterinarian used a hammer and chisel to open my head up and a moto tool to clean out any parts that he thought looked stupid. Three times on the table took out a few pieces of memory.
 
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