Proof of the end of an era

[Pistolero]

I just got an email from a distributor touting Mauser rifles for sale.

I checked, even though I already have more than I really need. They had about a dozen rifles listed,
each described. All K98k rifles in 7mm caliber.
Examples of the description: stock: cracked, action: pitted, barrel: pitted bolt: pitted
another one:
Rear sight: missing front sling attach: missing action: pitted.

And on and on. All broken, missing parts and heavily corroded. IMO, junk.

And you can purchase one of these magnificent specimens of the rifle maker's art for ONLY

$185. C&R eligable.


Clearly they are scraping the bottoms of the barrel, cleaning out all the junk left in the warehouses. I bought
my first centerfire rifle, a Mauser 95 Chilean in essentially new, likely never issued, condition for $35. Many
more followed, including some nice Swedes, and many other. Not all that long ago I picked through a
shipping case full of Mosin-Nagant 91/30 to find a never issued gun, mint bbl for $89 out the door, no tax.
Maybe a dozen years ago.

The end of an era. All the newer stuff was select fire or even if semi-auto, banned from import.

Bill

 

[Ian]

It may be the end of an era but not cause for despair. Affordable, well-made bolt-action rifles from half a dozen manufacturers abound in every gun store in the USA.

 

[Ben]

Yes, the day of an " inexpensive " Mauser went the same way as .25 cent gasoline. Not to be seen again.

I am fortunate to own a few very nice Mausers.
I count myself lucky.

Ben

 

[462]

My main interest in ex-military rifles -- their historical significance notwithstanding -- was being able to use my C&R license and have them shipped directly to my house. Did that about 10 or 11 times, and have kept three and sold the rest for hefty profits. I was introduced to the niceties of Mauser rifles and some rather effective cartridges that I may not have been by other means.

However, the hey-day of low priced, quality ex-military rifles have been over for many years, so I've been buying rifles at the local gun store. There are a lot of spiffy cartridges that I'd like to try that were never of military issue.

 

[JonB]

When I stepped into the foreign mil surp collecting pool (about 1995?), I bought several Turk Mausers priced $29 each (cracked stock catagory)...they also had a non-cracked stock category for $10 more...and "Hand picked" for $20 more. I'd order 3 and keep the best one (often times a crack was minimal) and offer the others to my friends...I believe I did that three or four times?

In that same time frame, while visiting my parents in Texas, I hit a gunshow in San Antonio and bought a sweet, original, matching #s, M96 Swede with micrometer rear site...The metal and bluing was flawless, the blond wood was just average, but excellent condition. I paid $125...which seemed like plenty, but all the foreign mil surps I bought up to that point were war torn. This Swede was a prize.

 

[Pistolero]

Yes, I know that the real hey day has been over for 30 years or more, but sometimes there were still some
intersting guns coming up. I was, and am, not much of a fan of the MN91 or 91/30, but I have a few. Frankly
the Finns were right when they captured them. They tossed the bbl, the stock, the sights, the trigger and made
them into REALLY accurate rifles. I have a Finn M39 that has shot multiple legit 1" five shot groups at 100 yds, although
I wonder if my eyes are up to it any more. Probably not.

Sic semper ocului. Or something pretty close to that. Latin class was a long time ago.

Bill

 

[smokeywolf]

I remember going into Martin B. Retting, one of the bigger gun shops in SoCal, with my father back in the late '50s and seeing barrels full of milsurps priced at I think about $14-18.00. Even as a small child I could recognize Krags, '03 Springfields, Garands and most all the Winchesters. These milsurps were none of those.

 

[Pistolero]

Probably lots of Mausers. At that time the world was literally awash with Mausers.

Bill

 

[Bret4207]

I bought a new, never issued 48 Yugo Mauser ( I forget the specific descriptors) for about $135 and knew I was getting screwed!. It's never had anything but cast through it. I paid, IIRC, $89 plus shipping and FLL fees for my K31 Swiss. Got a $39. Turkish Mauser here too. And my partner and I bought Yugo SKS's for "social work" for $139 each, in near new condition. OTOH, I paid almost $600 for my 1903 Springfield north of $400 for my Krag Carbine cutdown and I think close to $250 for my '96 Swede and those were all a decade or more ago. What steams me is the as issued US Enfields, Arisakas, Swedish Krags and Argentine Mausers I passed up for $20-40 or the Rolling Blocks and Trapdoors I ignored! Who knows, maybe someday a Hi Point will be worth big bucks...