Siamese Mausers??

[Flyin Brian]

Anyone in here interested in Thai rifles? I found a pair of Siamese Mausers recently, and while they seemed overpriced the first time I saw them, the seller got back in touch with me and offered me a price that is proving difficult to ignore.

I don't have any pics of the rifles, but they are in good shape. One is complete, the other is missing the buttplate. I don't know if they are 8X50 or 8X52, etc. What should I be looking for on these, and are they worth anything?

FB

[Mad-B-Man]

I am by no means an expert, as I only started looking at Siamese Mausers for a little over a year. The one I bought I did so when I didn't know as much on them.

Price wise, decent, unmolested by civilian hands, ones with complete (sans cleaning rod, as that is a common missing part), mismatch parts usually go for 300-400 (GB listing are sometimes higher, but they don't sell. Some very nice nice that are 400+do sometimes sell at other places though). You sometimes see them go for cheaper, but I've never seen one go for under 200, regardless of condition, from the time I've been looking into them.

Sometimes other parts are missing as well. A few parts can be taken from other japanese rifles, slight modding needed some time (magazine components or cleaning rod for instance), while other are proprietary. I believe the butplate is proprietary. I have seen some listed on GB and Ebay before though.

One way to determine if one is original 8x50 or rearsenaled 8x52 is to look at the rear sight. If the sight has been grounded down like the image below, it's 8x52.



I don't know what amount you've been offered, but do keep in mind that these are not easy guns to resell. It's mostly becuase of ammo being unavailable unless you handload or buy someone's very expensive handloads. Dies are expensive though, and I think only RCBS (8x52r) and CH4D (8x50r) makes them. Brass is either 8x56 or 7.62x54r.

If you're no longer interested, mind telling me what the price is? Maybe I'll pick them up instead (although my fun budget is just about gone now)

[Flyin Brian]

I am by no means an expert, as I only started looking at Siamese Mausers for a little over a year. The one I bought I did so when I didn't know as much on them.

Price wise, decent, unmolested by civilian hands, ones with complete (sans cleaning rod, as that is a common missing part), mismatch parts usually go for 300-400 (GB listing are sometimes higher, but they don't sell. Some very nice nice that are 400+do sometimes sell at other places though). You sometimes see them go for cheaper, but I've never seen one go for under 200, regardless of condition, from the time I've been looking into them.

Sometimes other parts are missing as well. A few parts can be taken from other japanese rifles, slight modding needed some time (magazine components or cleaning rod for instance), while other are proprietary. I believe the butplate is proprietary. I have seen some listed on GB and Ebay before though.

One way to determine if one is original 8x50 or rearsenaled 8x52 is to look at the rear sight. If the sight has been grounded down like the image below, it's 8x52.



I don't know what amount you've been offered, but do keep in mind that these are not easy guns to resell. It's mostly becuase of ammo being unavailable unless you handload or buy someone's very expensive handloads. Dies are expensive though, and I think only RCBS (8x52r) and CH4D (8x50r) makes them. Brass is either 8x56 or 7.62x54r.

If you're no longer interested, mind telling me what the price is? Maybe I'll pick them up instead (although my fun budget is just about gone now)

Thanks, that was exactly what I was looking for. I will have to check on the rear sight base to see if they are shaped like that, as I only remember there being no numbers on the ladder, just strange hash marks for each distance.

I do remember one of the rifles has a typical Japanese horizontal butt stock splice and the other does not. I don't know if that means anything. I didn't pay attention to the presence of a cleaning rod or not.

When I first looked at them, they were asking $900 for the pair. The price is now $375 and I haven't submitted my counter-offer yet

The rifle that has the buttplate on it has a receipt inside of the cleaning kit stash area that says something in Japanese. The seller said someone looked at it and said it was a receipt for when the rifle was converted to 45-70, but there is no way it is anything larger than 8mm based on the muzzle diameter, so I think they somehow got mixed up on that info.

[gun toting monkeyboy]

They converted a bunch of these to .45-70 decades ago. The Japanese stocks shouldn't surprise you, as the Japanese made them for the Thai government. $375 isn't a horrible price for them both.

-Mb

[Mad-B-Man]

Well, those technically are numbers, just in Thai. I have seen some with a stock splice, but I don't think it is common. Could just be a repair. And there should be no conversion to 45-70 done by either the Japanese or Thai. That's an American thing done because ammo wasn't available. It could be for something else though, a member here selling a Siamese mauser also has a repair receipt in Thai. I could translate it if it is in Thai.

900 to 375 is quite the price drop. Get it down a bit more and that'll be a good deal, provided they are in at least decent to good condition. Be sure the dust covers are there too.

[knucklehead0202]

buy 'em, you won't regret it.

[TRAP55]

They converted a bunch of these to .45-70 decades ago. The Japanese stocks shouldn't surprise you, as the Japanese made them for the Thai government. $375 isn't a horrible price for them both.

-Mb

Like Mex Mausers, so many were used to make 45/70 sporters, that one in original clean military config is rare to find anymore. That makes parts hard to come by too. You could part one out for $375 easy.

[SVT-40]

They can be found in very nice condition... But due to the weird chamberings have never garnered the following other Mauser's have...

Even excellent original matching rifles go for under $400

[KenG]

Excellent rifles. Have one in 8x50r and 8x52r. Handloads push a 195gr sp at a very respectible velocity. Be warned parts are very hard to come by. Broken extractor on one of them took about a year or so to hunt down.

[Emdawg]

I have seen lots of these floating around in recent days.


Just wonder where any surplus might be...

[6mmintl]

I have one that I shoot, make brass and bullets for.

Bores are typically .328-.330" so are not std., I use Lee (Steyr M95 .329 cast bullets) cast bullets and Buffalo arms .330 jacketed handloads.

They shoot well if they have a decent bore (most do) and you tune up trigger and firing pin.

Dies are expensive.

Well made and unique to say the least.

[gun toting monkeyboy]

Like Mex Mausers, so many were used to make 45/70 sporters, that one in original clean military config is rare to find anymore. That makes parts hard to come by too. You could part one out for $375 easy.

Tell me about it. I have the remains of one that somebody butchered long ago. I got it because I figured I could restore it. No such luck. So the odds are it will end up being turned into a .348 Winchester sporter some day. I hate doing that to a gun I could salvage, but there is just too much missing from mine, with 0% chance of finding the parts I need without scraping another one.

-Mb