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I recently picked up what I initially believed to be a sporterized military mauser (the owner inherited the rifle and knew nothing about it) The rifle came equipped with a scope that I expected to find some markings under, there were none. The only markings on this rifle are below the wood and only states that it is an FN made in Belgium with the date code and a serial number (receiver, barrel and stock all match) No designation for caliber size. I brought it home expecting a big bore mauser caliber but i'm finding its something different. The only bullet I could find that was close to fitting in the muzzle end without sinking to the neck was a.375 H&H but the.375 H&H looks to be too long. The only caliber I can think off hand that is close to this diameter would be a 9.3x62mm which is a pretty hefty dangerous game caliber and not one you see too often. Does anyone have any info on commercial FN Sporters sold around this vintage(1951)? My local smith has about a two week back-log right now for a chamber cast to be certain and i'm curious what the history is on this old rifle.
Are there any other standard action rifle calibers that are close to a.375' diameter that i'm unaware of? Any help is much appreciated!
I'll try and get some pictures up as I don't have any at my disposal on this computer. The likelihood that it's a 9.3x62 is actually pretty good. They were very popular in S.Africa and other places where civilians were not allowed to own military cartridges.
A fellow on another forum revived a thread that I began last year on an FN-M1930 Mauser with Chinese markings that I found in a rural Maine.
Especially when/where they may have had dangerous game to deal with, so a number of Mauser builders built them, especially FN. Can you get a pair of calipers on the grooves at the muzzle to get a more accurate bore measurement?
I have seen a small wad of Aluminum foil compressed into a bore, (with a dowel) and then pushed out the muzzle to check bore size too. After it's out, it can be mic'd to give a fairly accurate measurement of the bore. Also, if you have any brass with a.473 case head, like.'
06,.308,.270 etc, you might see if the bolt face/extractor is sized for it, and if the extractor engages properly. That should at least tell you whether or not it has a magnum bolt.
And if the bolt will close on an '06 or.270 casing, you will know it's not chambered for.358Win or one of the shorter cartridges like a.308 or 57mm variant. These are not recommendations to shoot the thing before a smith looks it over and gives you a definitive answer, but only to help you satisfy your curiosity until you can have the chamber cast. Good luck and keep us posted! Click to expand.Got any.338 Win Mag brass?
The.338 WM brass is shorter than the.300WM, at 2.5', so it would be worth noting whether or not it will chamber, and if it won't, whether or not it is hanging up on the cartridge belt. A big bore.338 variant would be cool. But given it's age, it's probably a 9.3x64 Brenneke, which is a non-belted cartridge, but is considered serious medicine for most African game. Standard Loadings for the Brenneke approach 4,500 ft/lbs of energy, which is adequate for any game on the planet. Finding brass may be a bit of a challenge.
Loaded ammo, if you can find it is $pendy too. After reading up on the Brenneke it sounded very similar to the.375 H&H. I decided to dust off the.375 H&H ammo again and give it a test fit. The overall length of the round loaded is greater than the receivers opening but inserting at an angle I was surprised to find it seated up perfectly in the magazine and chambered and extracted beautifully. In my haste initially, I just grabbed the round and went to insert it in the magazine with it being longer than the receiver opening I immediately ruled it out.
I have the opportunity to buy an FN Mauser from a co-worker at my new job. The rifle is just purely beautiful, but I think it's been sporterized (Kind of short stock+scope rings). I have several questions.
1) Is there any way to tell exactly what model FN Mauser it is from the serial number? 2) Is there any way to tell the date of manufacture from the serial number? 3) There is no caliber stamped on the rifle. There is no chamber cut that I can tell that would give it away as being a.30-06 or something so I'm assuming it's an 8MM but I definitely would love to know if I'm anywhere close with that assumption.
If I buy it I'll take it to my favorite gunsmith and have them check it out for me, but I'd appreciate any help y'all could give me ahead of time. If it will help, I can post the serial number.
There were a lot of FN Mausers that made their way to Israel in the late 1940's-early 50's. Many made their way to the U.S. About twenty years ago on the surplus market. They were for the most part, rebarreled and rechambered by the Israeli's in 7.62x51 NATO. Look for Israeli markings or markings that could shed some light on what your friend has.
Look particularly on the left side of the receiver wall. There were Mauser 98 and 98-type actions made by FN if Belgium, BRNO of Czechoslovakia, Steyr Works of Austria, DWM of Germany, Poland, Yugoslavia, etc., and smaller ring Mauser 96’s made in Sweden. Look to for indications of South American, Siamese, Chinese, and Spanish markings. Calibers were many and may include 7mm, 7.92x57mm, 7.65mm Argentine, 6.5mm Swedish, etc.
If the rifle is in original military configuration, it will be worth more than if it was sporterized. However, even a sporter can be expensive depending on the quality of fine craftsmanship that was put into it. Ok, picked it up today. Here's everything that is written on it. 'Buehler' is stamped on the back of the saftey. Unlike Mark's mauser and most of the others I've played with, this safety does not flip all the way over to hold it. Also, when I release the safety, the bolt releases (As if I've pulled the trigger).
On the left side of the receiver wall is stamped, 'Fab. D'Armes de Guehre (or Guerre. It's as if the first r wasn't stamped all the way) Herstal - Belgique' Then forward, on the chamber wall, it says, '7.0 M (And then an R with a line underneath it)' then below that, B.
There is a coat of arms stamped on the top of the reciever as well, but I don't know to what country it belongs however. Any ideas as to caliber or other info? FN Mauser I have an FN mauser that my dad bought at a K-mart back in the late 1960's (and paid all of $20 for it). It has the FN crest on the receiver, along with a date of 1953. It is 8mm (it better be, that's what I shot through it, and besides, 30-06 is too long for the bolt to close), and looks for all the world like a WWII rifle (has all the furniture, even takes the bayonet). Dad bought it with the intention of bending the bolt down (propane torch, hammer, vise) and mounting a scope to use it for hunting - thank God he never got around to it. Currently resides in my gun safe, safe and sound.
Yep, take it to a smith and find out what it is chambered for. I'm kind of baffled and more than a little concerned about your comments reguarding the safety. It does not seem to work and what really scares me is your statement that when you release the safety the bolt releases as if you fired it. This is wrong!
Have you taken it apart? Here's a link about Mauser bolt takedown - it is for a K98 but basically a mauser bolt is a mauser bolt (unless you have a really early design). The safety lever is on a rod that has a small arc of metal on the end. That arc is supposed to slide into a slot preventing the bolt from functioning.
FS00008 wrote:'Buehler' is stamped on the back of the saftey. Bohica1962 wrote ' Buehler is an after market safety made for the K98 when a scope is mounted because the original Mauser safety won't clear the bottom of the scope. I'd take this rifle to a gunsmith before I ever put a round in the chamber. It may also have an aftermarket trigger or the original may have been 'worked' on. Ok, I know jack about a Buehler safety, but Bohica's comment echoes a thought I had about whether or not the trigger has been messed with. Was wondering if the sear was ground down enough that the firing pin spring tension is enough to release the pin when the safety is released - when cocked, safety off, how heavy is the trigger? Will a good knock release it?
Trying to separate the possibles here. First, the Buehler safety works in ways you and I don't know, causing the bolt to release. Second, the Buehler safety is working fine but the trigger is the problem. Third, Bubba messed up both of them.