advise requested about a 1924 Mexican Mauser

[bluerider]

I have a 1924 mexican mauser cavelry rifle with a chamber that is so shot out that I cant even get it on paper past 25 yards out. Is there any way to re-line the barrel and how much would it affect its value to a collector? The barrel is just a fraction over 16" so cutting a new chamber on the existing barrel is not an option.

I am not into collecting C&R's so I would like to be able to shoot any rifle I own and this one is just a big flame throwing noise maker in its present condition. At the same time I do respect that it is an unusual gun desirable to many collecters so I don't what to do anything to ruin it.

[InFamous20]

I wouldn't do anything to it, especially if it is in original condition. However..you can wait until more knowledgeable members chime in.

[Army GI]

Thankfully for you, Mexicans Mausers are just that: built on a Mauser action. You have many options open to you if you want to rebarrel your rifle which is what I recommend.

Mexican Mausers, while rare, aren't terribly valuable. If and when I see them for sale here on calguns, they go for less than Russian-captured German Mausers with shot-out bores and no eagle stampings.

Rebarrel your Mex-Mauser, keep the old barrel safely stored away, and enjoy your rifle with a brand new barrel and shoot it the way its supposed to be shot

[Mike A]

If you just want a shooter, either sell that carbine and buy a shooter or just keep it and buy a shooter.

I also have an FN-actioned 1924. They are very scarce and have some value if you can find a collector of Mausers or a collector of Mexican military arms, so you should be able to sell it if you shop around a little (try www.gunboards.com/forums and look specifically for threads relating to Mexican Mausers). But a K98 or VZ24/47 shooter will cost you less than a rebarrel job, anyway.

My '24 is in excellent shape (bought it from a retired Federal bank guard back in the 1960s). Guess what, they never were great shooters with any factory 7x57 Mauser load I ever found. Lots of "sound and fury, signifying nothing"! Great fireball at night, wonderful ear-splitting crack, fairly sad ballistics. A great gun for a cop to carry among a disarmed populace. REALLY would hurt if he hits you with it....

[skywarp1978]

If you just want a shooter, either sell that carbine and buy a shooter or just keep it and buy a shooter.

I also have an FN-actioned 1924. They are very scarce and have some value if you can find a collector of Mausers or a collector of Mexican military arms, so you should be able to sell it if you shop around a little (try www.gunboards.com/forums

I vote that you do what this poster has suggested. While you may find the longer Mausers for 200-400 dollars, the 1924 is much rarer, especially if it's in good condition. Trade it or sell it and buy a Yugo Mauser to mess around with, or a Spanish Mauser in 7mm if you don't want to change calibers.

[Army GI]

Well that's the thing, his barrel is garbage anyway. He might as well rebarrel it, and keep the old barrel in the safe. It won't hurt the "value" of the rifle any plus he will be able to shoot it. This option means he doesn't have to get rid of his Mexican Mauser.

[dangerranger]

If you just want a shooter, either sell that carbine and buy a shooter or just keep it and buy a shooter.

I also have an FN-actioned 1924. They are very scarce and have some value if you can find a collector of Mausers or a collector of Mexican military arms, so you should be able to sell it if you shop around a little (try www.gunboards.com/forums and look specifically for threads relating to Mexican Mausers). But a K98 or VZ24/47 shooter will cost you less than a rebarrel job, anyway.

My '24 is in excellent shape (bought it from a retired Federal bank guard back in the 1960s). Guess what, they never were great shooters with any factory 7x57 Mauser load I ever found. Lots of "sound and fury, signifying nothing"! Great fireball at night, wonderful ear-splitting crack, fairly sad ballistics. A great gun for a cop to carry among a disarmed populace. REALLY would hurt if he hits you with it....

I had the same problem till I read that they had a twist rate that needed longer[ heavy ] bullits. so with 175gr bullits it shot OK. went from 6 to 8" groups at 50yds to 2.5 to 3". DR

[Mike A]

It's true that the Mexican 7x57 ctgs. of the period this carbine was made for are the old "Spanish" loading, which used a very long 175 gr. bullet. Lighter bullets may not stabilize and be accurate. But I think the main problem is that these FN police carbines were meant to be "carried a lot and fired little." I've fired the European equivalent too (Dutch-issue FN police carbine in 8x57). Same problems--fireball, broken ear drums, busted shoulder.... (maybe not THAT bad, but NOT a fun gun to shoot).

If as the original poster says, he's not into C&R, the easiest thing to do would be to find somebody who is and turn the carbine into cash, then buy whatever he IS into. Saves a collector's item from bubbulization and gets him where he wants to be. A re-barreled police carbine will still have to have the barrel fitted, blued, new sights, etc. Already it is costing what you can get an entry level Savage bolt action for now. And when that carefully preserved old barrel gets lost in a move, all that's left is another frankenMauser "sporter." The carbine stock isn't much of a sporting rifle stock, either.

[bluerider]

I have tried several loads and several bullets all with poor results. Without pulling a casting of the throat my best guestameasurement is that the lands are about 5/8" out from a properly seated 175gr bullet.

When I say that I am not into C&R I mean that I am not in to the collecting part. I very much appriciate old firearms and I don't want to do something to ruin my Mexican Mauser in the pursuit of making it a better shooter, not that I expect it to perform like a target rifle. If I could locate a nos barrel I would consider a rebarrel but short of that I would rather keep the original. I was just wondering if a barel liner is an option or if a partial liner for the chamber would be a possibility.

The rifle was given to me so I don't mind putting a couple hundred into it if I could make it a shooter, but becasue it was given to me I don't feel comfortable selling it.

[Mike A]

There have been 7x57 carbine barrels for 1898 actions for sale by Sarco and GunPartsCorp. in the past. The ones I have seen were for a different carbine with a 19" barrel and were unmarked as to maker. Presumably they could be "made" to work in your 1924 if you can still find one. If I were you and trying to get this rifle to be a shooter, I'd pull the stock and all hardware and have a decent 1898 barrel, stock, and hardware fitted to it, a South American VZ-24 in 7mm if you want to keep it in 7mm, or any large ring 98 short or long rifle if you can live with 8x57. Key here is to keep the action pristine and fit different stuff to it. Key to that is DON'T remove any metal from the action to fit it to the replacement barrel, stock and hardware. That way it could be refitted to the original stuff when you want to. The longer barrel will be much more pleasant to shoot, IMO.

As to a reline, I have never found a reline outfit willing to do a 7x57 or similar high pressured ctg. I have had 6-7 rifles relined, but they were all to lower-pressured rimmed ctgs. That said, I know that gunsmiths who reline will reline .30-30s and .22 Hornets, so a 7x57 is perhaps possible. Worth asking.

There is a reline shop in Central Oregon that advertises in the "Gun Digest" that replaced "Shotgun News". Available in Barnes and Noble. I have used Mark Beinke of Beinke and Beinke in Klamath Falls, OR. Excellent workmanship if he is still in biz.

Good luck with your project! (I also don't sell gift guns, even if they aren't quite what I want in my collection. But I release my kids from any associated curse, so they can be free to get what THEY want.....)

Mike Armstrong

[Army GI]

Just rebarrel. Much simpler.

[gun toting monkeyboy]

I wouldn't bother rebarreling. You are throwing good money away, and destroying any collector's value. Slug the barrel, and make a cast of the chamber. Or have a gunsmith do the same. You might have a worn/erroded bore or chamber. If that is the case, you could reload it with some slightly oversized cast lead bullets, and just use it for a plinker. If that doesn't work, just sell it off rather than destroying it by playing frankengunsmith with it. That is the surest way to spend $300 turning a $200 gun into a $50 gun. If you want another rifle that shoots 7mm mauser, just hit gunbroker. They have them on there fairly cheap all the time. A Spanish Model 1916 carbine can usually be had in good condition for under $200. That is less than the cost of rebarreling, and significantly less than relining your current gun.

-Mb

[Army GI]

I don't understand how it's destroying the collectors value. He can keep the barrel and put it back on if he decides to sell it.