ditchdoc24
Senior Member
I don’t know about y’all, but I dearly love rummaging through pawn shops in search of good deals, particularly on guns. Recently, I stopped at a pawn shop on the way back from my hunting club. I have a thing for hunting with sporterized Mauser rifles and have a small ring custom in .308 as well as a 96 Swede in 6.5x55. I’ve been wanting one in 7x57 but haven’t been able to find a deal on one. I’ve been watching gun broker and found a stripped Mauser action for $150 but everything else is close to $1500 or more.
So I walked into this pawn shop and start looking at the rifle racks. I immediately spot an old rifle sitting on the rack that looks to be a Mauser. I ask to see it and this thing is UGLY. It looks like it’s been spray painted at some point. I think the stock is original but I’m not sure if it’s been cut down. The price tag on the gun was marked as being a “7mm” so I’m guessing that it’s a 7x57.
The bore is bright and I don’t see any signs of pitting. The receiver is stamped as being made in Oviedo in 1928 so I think it’s a 93 Mauser in 7x57.
I don’t think there’s any collector value in this gun and it’s the action and caliber I’ve been wanting. I have a set of go/no-go gauges on the way to check the headspace and then the plan is to shoot it to see how it does if the headspace checks out.
The question I’m seeking advice on is what direction to go with this build. I’ve got several precision bolt guns so I really don’t have any need for a super high end rifle. I was thinking about either a scout type rifle with a long eye relief scope or a safari type rifle with a low power scope on the receiver.
My plans so far are to:
1) Clean the paint off the barrel and action. I’m thinking about having it cerakoted but still undecided.
2) Install a new trigger since the trigger it has is ugly. The safety it has seems to be frozen up and isn’t functioning so I need to tear the bolt apart and see if I can figure out what’s wrong.
3) Decide to do about the stock. I honestly don’t hate the stock it has now. I normally prefer a stock with more curve in the wrist but this one doesn’t feel bad when I shoulder it. I’m considering just checkering the wrist and forend for better grip and rocking on with it.
So I walked into this pawn shop and start looking at the rifle racks. I immediately spot an old rifle sitting on the rack that looks to be a Mauser. I ask to see it and this thing is UGLY. It looks like it’s been spray painted at some point. I think the stock is original but I’m not sure if it’s been cut down. The price tag on the gun was marked as being a “7mm” so I’m guessing that it’s a 7x57.
The bore is bright and I don’t see any signs of pitting. The receiver is stamped as being made in Oviedo in 1928 so I think it’s a 93 Mauser in 7x57.
I don’t think there’s any collector value in this gun and it’s the action and caliber I’ve been wanting. I have a set of go/no-go gauges on the way to check the headspace and then the plan is to shoot it to see how it does if the headspace checks out.
The question I’m seeking advice on is what direction to go with this build. I’ve got several precision bolt guns so I really don’t have any need for a super high end rifle. I was thinking about either a scout type rifle with a long eye relief scope or a safari type rifle with a low power scope on the receiver.
My plans so far are to:
1) Clean the paint off the barrel and action. I’m thinking about having it cerakoted but still undecided.
2) Install a new trigger since the trigger it has is ugly. The safety it has seems to be frozen up and isn’t functioning so I need to tear the bolt apart and see if I can figure out what’s wrong.
3) Decide to do about the stock. I honestly don’t hate the stock it has now. I normally prefer a stock with more curve in the wrist but this one doesn’t feel bad when I shoulder it. I’m considering just checkering the wrist and forend for better grip and rocking on with it.
