Mauser 98 questions...

[SFV_Dealer]

Hi,
Anyone here know more about these Mausers I have on consignment ? The seller inherited them and doesn't know anything about them...
Mauser 30-06 Womack barrelled:

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?item=54358468

Mauser 98 GEW .284 Winchester:

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?item=54357637

If anyone can help with the reason or desireability of a rechambered Mauser, please reply. Also, the approximate age of these guns would be nice to know...

Thanks C&R team!

[Fate]

A lot of these Mauser sporters were built in the 50s and 60s. My grandfather has a few that I cry over. I don't know a lot about the market for these, but they aren't really collectible from what I've seen. Personally, I think your auction price is very high.

[Mssr. Eleganté]

A few of the Dealers I dealt with on GunBroker and AuctionArms who specialize in C&R firearms often listed really nice sporterized milsurps just like those two rifles you have listed. They rarely sell unless the price is REALLY low, like BUY IT NOW = $350. Often people only buy them because of the rare or expensive scope that is mounted on them, but not advertised by name in the listing title.

Collectors won't buy them because they have been altered.

Hunters won't buy them cause "their old".

Their main market is bargain hunters, who want to pick up a nice, functional old rifle for less than a new Savage. They are starting to gain "nostalgia" value for guys who want to hunt with a rifle like dad or grandpa used.

[icormba]

I am no expert, but the Mauser 98 (Gewehr 98) was probably made well before WWII and then rebuilt during WWII by the Nazis... you can kinda see the the eagle w/ swastica acceptance mark to the left of the serial number?
In original form, this would be worth something... but now?

Both rifles are probably USGI WWII bring backs, but there is no way to confirm that because the original 8mm barrels are gone.

and ditto to what the posters ahead said.

oh yeah, any dates might be under the scope mounts.


Now that I think about it... that 1st one could be a pre-war German commercial Mauser? you might want to search some Mauser forums for more info? Not that it would effect the price in a possitive way? I have no idea.

[SFV_Dealer]

Thanks guys!

[tankerman]

I still don't understand why it bugs people sooo much when one of these guns is sporterized. Some of the best gun makers in the U.S. used surplus M98's to create some of the best guns ever made, this includes Griffin and Howe, and Townsend Whelen. The 1892/93 Mannlicher was the same way, ALL the major gun bulder in U.K. and Europe built sports from surplus actions. These are beautiful firearms, not junk, and many sell for much more than they would be worth in original condition.THEY USED SURPLUS. Saving some bent barrel moldy stocked hunk of junk or creating a good hunting rifle, hmmm. Mausers actions have features that are still better than what is offered on many modern firearms such as Remington, like a decent extractor. Please don't reply that Remington now "makes" a Mauser type action. They don't, they bought the right to stamp their name on what used to be Charles Daly Mausers made in Zataslavia. They effort you put in determines the end result.

[Fate]

I still don't understand why it bugs people sooo much when one of these guns is sporterized.

Because they aren't making them anymore. However, each one that gets "sporterized" reduces the population and makes those still in original condition, just that more valuable. Do what you want with your property. Just don't expect an "atta-boy" from everyone.

[DutchXpatriot]

Lester Womack built custom Mausers. He wrote a book about commercial Mauser actions in 1980. I don't know where he lived/worked and wasn't able to find out more in the time I spent searching....but.... its a bona fide custom rifle and is quite pretty overall.

Both these rifles are built on Gewehr 1898 actions that date from 1914 to 1918. The scope is installed incorrectly on the .284. It needs to be indexed to the right 90 degrees (looks like). I'd say the .284 isn't anywhere near the same quality as the .30-06. The barrel shank on the .284 is rather smallish and is probably a generic pre-contoured commercial barrel. The Womack rifle is twice the rifle as the .284.

The Mauser Oberndorf rifle will have the date of manufacture under the scope mount on the receiver ring. My Gewehr 98 is also a Mauser Oberndorf and is dated 1917 and has a V suffix to the serial number. Mauser serial numbers run in series of 9,999 with the first series having no letter suffix and the second 9,999 having an 'A' as in 9999A or 0001B. Some contract rifles like the Brazilian 1908 have double letter suffix like Aa.

No offense but I first thought you had the Womack rifle priced way too high but after perusing some information I think you're underpricing it and I hate saying that to an auction selling 01 ffl. The .284 is worth probably $350 or whatever you can get but the Womack is a nice piece, a premium piece. You should hold onto it until you can research it's worth more thoroughly.

There was another custom rifle maker not far from where you are.. Pfieffer built rifles and made barrels before and during WW2 down San Fernando Road in Sun Valley. Highly respected, too. I came across a Winchester Hi-wall in a bizaar .22 caliber at an estate auction here in Indiana that was built by Pfieffer.

Dutchman
Reseda HS Class of 69

https://www.rebooty.com/~dutchman

1894 & 1896 Swedish Mausers

[ivanimal]

I enjoy a rare caliber gun as long as the balistics support the effort. As a hunter I like it when a sporterized weapon has improved on the original chambering. IE the 8MM/06 versus 8MM, 35 Whelen versus 30-06. If it is done right I will buy it, since there is a sort of snobbery about sporteizing these rifles, I can usually pick em up cheaply. I reload so there is no ammo issue as long as you pick a caliber with a common parent casing. Some hunters will only shoot modern ammo and chambering, saying the newer stuff is improved therfore better. Hogwash. I also collect milsurps. So I guess as usual I dont fit in with either crowd.

[tankerman]

Because they aren't making them anymore. However, each one that gets "sporterized" reduces the population and makes those still in original condition, just that more valuable. Do what you want with your property. Just don't expect an "atta-boy" from everyone.

I don't remember asking for an "Atta Boy" maybe you just like the way that rolls of you lips.
"Because they don't make them anymore" also a weak arguement, that still doesn't make a beat up piece of poorly stored milsurplus into a collectors item. It does afford a person of moderate income an oppportunity to build a semi custom rifle in calibers that are not available in factory guns. I am not talking about rechambering an 8mm barrel.
You can go ahead a waste all of your money SAVING every milsurp piece of junk that comes along, I will give you a big atta-boy to make you feel good.
Get over it, what are you going to do create a collectors code that you can brow beat everyone with?
I have a mint 1909 Argentine action, I'm just getting ready to rebarrel it, can't decide if I want 358 Norma or or some 9.3 chambering.

[icormba]

I don't remember asking for an "Atta Boy" maybe you just like the way that rolls of you lips.
"Because they don't make them anymore" also a weak arguement, that still doesn't make a beat up piece of poorly stored milsurplus into a collectors item. It does afford a person of moderate income an oppportunity to build a semi custom rifle in calibers that are not available in factory guns. I am not talking about rechambering an 8mm barrel.
You can go ahead a waste all of your money SAVING every milsurp piece of junk that comes along, I will give you a big atta-boy to make you feel good.
Get over it, what are you going to do create a collectors code that you can brow beat everyone with?
I have a mint 1909 Argentine action, I'm just getting ready to rebarrel it, can't decide if I want 358 Norma or or some 9.3 chambering.

I think the point was... these particular Mausers look to be converted around 1950 or so. Which would mean that they are probably WW II Vet bring backs and depending on the vintage and what have you... could or would be worth possibly 3-5 times in original configuration.

"But I say "it's your rifle, do what you want". I've done it before... on a Finn Mosin-Nagant I bought back in the 90's for about $120. I drilled and tapped it for a scope mount... Today, in original config that same rifle would have been worth between $300-400. Now it's not even worth $80.

p.s. Take a look at this $3700.00 piece of junk rifle selling at Empirearms

[ivanimal]

That is a nice piece of history and a real collectors piece.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://images.gunsamerica.com/upload/976444214-1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.gunsamerica.com/guns/976444214.htm&h=338&w=450&sz=8&hl=en&start=6&tbnid=O7K8T2kq6EwFmM:&tbnh=95&tbnw=127&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dgriffin%2Band%2Bhowe%2B%26svnum%3D50%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26safe%3Doff%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official_s%26sa%3DG

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...ial_s%26sa%3DG

And here are a few Griffin and Howe sporters made from 30 dollar actions in the fifties.

Call me Bubba?

I would like to have either, but the tool from Griffin and Howe would accompany me into the field.

The other you posted looks nice and punches nice holes in paper.