Mauser model 1895...need some advice

Hi everyone, Im new in here and I would appreciate any advice on this:

My grandfather gave me a mauser, after looking trough the web, I finaly knew that the model of the rifle was an 1895 Mauser made in Oviedo, Spain for the Mexican Federal Army

The serial number, and some other markings are almost gone, but I remember that someone told me long ago that there are ways to make them come out again.

Is this possible?...any one knows if there is any chemical or technic to repair this?...Im also trying to do the same to a 1894 winchester made in 1910.

Thanks

I don't know of any way to restore stampings. Be particularly careful with the winchester. Old guns are supposed to look old so don't go stripping or sanding or anything radical. I'd clean up the metal with some 0000 steel wool and kroil and call it good.

Post some pics if you can. I love old guns.

Weagle

There

are ways of etching with acid to see what was there origianlly (forensics use that for filed off S/N and that sort of thing). If they are just barely there, that won't work very well to make them appear more distinct. There are several people specializing in re-engraving old stuff like the Winny and Mauser. Not cheap though, if interested let me know. I will have to go dig up the info. Don't have it in this computer yet.

If you want to save the rifles as the are, like the man said, a good scrubbing with plenty of light oil (remove the stock first). Make sure the steel wool doesn't remove the bluing. It might have been redone over the years and is not as tough as the original.

Take care,
Chris

Thanks guys, well, the winchester its very bad...Dad bought this one from an old farmer whos father was a rebel in the Mexican Civil war.

And the mauser...it was modiffied by my grandfather...but it works fine. Its rusty but in some parts it has its original blueing...dont know what to do...except that I want to put them in the best shape possible to store them.

I´ll post some pics later so youll see what I am talking about.

Thanks

try rubbing it with chalk. if there's any stamping left that'll show it.

gw

Hi
Here are some pics of the winchester 30-30, its in realy bad shape, but inside everything its ok, no rust, pits or anything.

I think the best in this case is to try to make it look as better as possible, or what do you think guys?...shlould I leave it as it is to keep its historical value?....

I'd leave it alone. What's the point of restoring it? IMO a gun in that condition is much more of a conversation piece.

Besides as pitted as it is, a decent blueing/polishing job is going to cost a fortune.

Preservation vs restoration

There is a difference. I do almost as much preservation as restoration when handed some of these old rifles. Preservation just stops any more deterioration, nothing more is done to it. Then there is a thin line between preservation and restoration. Cleaning it to remove all the dirt and gunk can be a minimum restoration since you changed the appearance. Hard to draw the line sometimes.

The outside can be cleaned and some of the pits/dents/scratches removed -to a point. If not done with just a little forethought, it starts looking obvious that something was done. I am talking about someone using a stiff wire wheel to knock the rust off. It gives the metal a frosted uniform grey appearance. The frosted look comes from all the pits left behind. Destroys the rifle's value for sure, and in my opinion it is okay to consider bending force studies trying to see if the barrel will wrap around their neck! just my opinion though..... hmmm where was I....

ya, to the inside - the inside should be gone over so the parts will not deteriorate any more. That means a very thorough cleaning, removing any signs of rust and killing any that might be there, and then liberal applications of something like RIG. No need to change anything, just preserve it for a few more generations.

The outside can be "brought back life". Certainly cleaning and stopping any more corrosion, then some filing, polishing, and even bluing. Some re-engraving (back to original is too obvious) is perfectly acceptable and takes away some of the worn down appearance. This makes the rifle at first glance appear to be original and have been very carefully kept. Ethics?

That is always a question. It is your firearm, so you have the last word. I have removed the nickel plating from several Civil war era SA revolvers. That was not a nice thing to do to them. However, it is not up to me to dictate one way or another....only shed a few tears. National heritage and all that should be considered....in my opinion (not everyone would agree), so that may carry some weight. The ethics really comes in when you try to pass it off as being totally original. Restoration is of course from barely above preservation to something better then what came out of the factory. This kind of work carefully done on a rifle with little to no "pedigree" will not hurt the value. It shows someone cared enough to take care of it and if the work was done carefully, it will add value. Granted things like "Road Show" on PBS and others of there ilk decry any attempts to change something...even cleaning. They are doing us a great disfavor. They are afraid Joe or Jane Citizen will make things worse rather then better if they even try to just clean it. rrrrrrrrr!!!!!! Something like the wire wheel stunt mentioned above. A little forethought makes this not true. Cleaning and doing something like rubbing oil into old leather will insure it will still be here in 20 years. If you don't, it will be dust and you have lost another small part of history.

If you are still reading this and your eyes have not glazed over... Check into the value of the rifle. There is one caveat though, sentimental value. There is no monetary value that sentiment can be easily translated to. You can fix it up and hang it on the wall until your children inherit that old wonderful rifle on the wall...or you can not fix it up and hang it on the wall until your children inherit that old rusty thing on the wall and argue who is going to get stuck with it.

Maybe more then what you want to read through, this is my take on old weapons. Just about all are worth taking some care of and at least insureing they get no worse.

Take care,
Chris

Ok, thanks for your help....

In the case of the 30-30...I decided to clean it, try to get rid of most of the pits and reblu it. This winchester came to me as a gift of my father, he bought this few years ago. It doesnt have any personal value.

All inside parts look very good...must have been due to lubrication and not to much use. So, Ill try to fix it for my sons and grandsons as an old gun preserved by his grandfather.

In the case of the mauser...thats different, it does has personal and historical value, and has must of its original blue, Ill post some pics later. First Ill finish the winchester and come back with photos of it.
Thanks