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Posted: 1/18/2011 10:17:35 AM EDT
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My dad has an old sporterized mauser that he bought when he was younger. He bought it all done, and I am trying to identify it.
The person who did the sporterizing got rid of all the stampings on the metal except the serial numbers on the bolt, barrel and reciever. Judging from the rifle and pics I have seen, it looks to be a 1893 or 1895 Spanish Mauser. It is 7mm Mauser (7x57). We have shoot it in the past and it is a great rifle. The reason I am asking, is because I need to get a new sear for it. It is pretty worn, and it doesnt push the firing pin far enough back to engage the safety. It does bring it back far enough to get enough power to ignite the primer though. If anybody can help my identify it, it would be greatly apreciated. I can take more pictures of the action etc if needed. Thanks allot 
ETA: I took more photos of the receiver. I am pretty sure it is a 1893, due to the cutout on the left side of the receiver by the stripper clip area, as seen in photo 2 
This is the Sear I was talking about. I tried to screw in the firing pin assembly as suggested, but it was all the way in. I only need about 10 to 15 thou to get the safety engaged. I had to pull the firing pin assembly out by hand in order to set it. 
This was one marking on the bolt handle. It looks like a bomb with a lit fuse, inside of a circle. Could also be a number "8" as well 
This was a mark on the bolt stop assembly. It looks like the letter "V" inside of a circle. 
This is the top of the barrel between the rear sight assembly and the front of the receiver. there is some kind of mark, which is why I wasn't sure if it had a marking thereto start with or not. |
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I have never seen a sear that was worn out on a mauser, but I did see one that the cocking piece was not screwed inti the bolt far enough and that caused a problem. I'll take a few more pics of the sear tomorrow when I get home from work. Dutch 51, As to the no markings, I am not sure if it was not marked to begin with, or if they were sanded off when it was sporterized, so I cannot be sure if what you said was true. |
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Yep, what you have there is a sporterized 1916 Spanish Mauser. It started as an 1893 Mauser and was rearsonaled at Oviedo, Spain around 1916. The gun was originally in 7 X 57 Mauser, but many have been converted to .308 and other calibers. The sporterizing looks pretty good, but the action looks like it's well worn. It should be checked out and headspaced by a qualified gunsmith.
I have one that is in it's original condition. Look familiar? 
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I own 2 M16 Spaniards.
One is/was a twinky to the OP's bubbized rifle. I bought a stock set online(ebay), and some bands from Numerich gunparts corp..and got me a slick 7mm Spanish short rifle. Just bought a cool..battered..rusty M16 rifle made in Oviedo in 1932. These originaly were equipped with a long sword bayonet..of which I own 1 of... 
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It actually looks allot worse then it is. I started to tear it down tonight after reading quite abit about the rifle. Allof of the stuff you see is just dirt. It looks like it hasn't been cleaned since it was new. My father bought it in it's current state (it was already sporterized), and we have shot many rounds through it since. Not one malfunction, split case, misfire etc. There is actually a serial number on the barrel that matches the serial on the reciever, so I would say it's the factory barrel.
Snakdriver, that's a nice rifle you have there. Very pretty. I'm kinda curious, why don't you see too many of these Spanish Mausers? Are they just not too common like the 8mm mausers? ETA: Bladeswitcher, I am just going to clean it up (for once in it's life) and doing it for my father. He loves it as it is, but doesn't really care for the "military surplus rifle" look. I am taking off the old cracked sling, putting a new Turner Comp sling on it with new swivels, tearing it down, cleaning and rebuilding the rifle, and I got some stripper clips and ammo to go with it. I am not going to re-blue it, as it has a really nice blue-brown patiena to it that I really like. I am just gonna do my best to get all that dirt and grime off. And yes, the metal is bassically untouched. Sights are original and there are no holes or anything in the reciever. Looks to be pretty solid as it is. |
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I bought my Spanish Mauser for around $17 out of the Montgomery Wards catalog. Thousands were available for similar prices by the barrel full in hardware and department stores around the country. Many people feel that the two-lug bolt of the 1893 action is inferior to the later 3-lug 1898 Mausers. In addition, many people consider the Spanish Mausers made under license in Spain to be constructed of inferior grade steel subject to rupture. My guess is that thought is the result of improper caliber conversion. The guns work perfectly using the original 7 X 57 round, but may be overstressed by the more powerful rounds that many were converted to.
As you say, I too have shot many, many 7 X 57 rounds through mine over the years and it remains accurate and tight as the day it was made. Most rifles like yours were sporterized after acquisition as that was the big craze back in the 50's & 60's addressing all the inexpensive military surplus guns on the market at the time. Finding one in its original condition today is somewhat rare. The original "short" rifle was issued with the longer sword bayonet, as stated, to make up for its short length when compared to the other longer rifles of the day. The one I have in my picture above is actually the standard bayonet for the standard rifle. Good shooting!!! 
ETA: Here's a link to the authority on Spanish Mausers for you to read-up on. It's got tons of interesting and useful information. Yours, as is mine, is known as an "Unmarked Spanish 1916" as it was scrubbed of all previous markings except the serial numbers. http://masterton.us/Spanmauhome |
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Wow, thanks for that info. My dad bought this gun in about 75 I would say, so after the "sporterize" craze. He paid 75 bucks for it as it sits now, and then bought a Lee clasic loader kit and use to reload his own rounds.
Like I said, it has probably seen a few hundred rounds since my dad had it, and god only knows how many total. The accuracy is not that great with it, but I am hoping that it is due to the amout of grime and dirt in it. It is nice and tight though still, no play in it and the bolt-to-reciever fit is nice and tight with very little play at all. I measured the barrel for haha's last night, 21 1/2", and IIRC, that was the length of the "short" style rifle. I am a little confused though as to the dates. It's called a 1893 Spanish Mauser, but it is also refered to as a "unmarked 1916"? So when was the rifle made? 1916 based on the 1893 action? |
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What they did was gather up a bunch of the old 1893 Models and took them to the arsenal in Oviedo for modification to create the Model 1916. They did things like shorten the the barre length, added the thumb notch and oval pressure relief hole on the receivers, bent the straight bolts down and installed the roller coaster sights. A good number were converted to .308 at this time, but not the .308 Win. that we know today. More like the 7.62 NATO pressure than the stronger .308 Win.. That's where many people go wrong by shooting modern .308 Win. in their old converted 1916's.
The ATF regards the 1916's as Curios & Relics since most were originally made in 1893. There were also some guns manufactured new at this time in Oviedo from 1916 to the 1930's. Be sure to see the "Odds & Ends" section at Spanhome website. It appears that you may have a commercially sporterized version of the rifle. That's why it looks so good.
ETA: Look at line 47 of the Oviedo 1893 Serial Numbers. If I read your serial number right it says your gun was manufactured in Oviedo "sporterized" in 1904. That's way cool! |
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Thanks again for the info. I will deffinitly be reading that tonight.
One thing to note about my serial numbers, is that the barrel & reciever have the same number, but the bolt has a different number stamped on it. I will check the number tonight and try to see what I can find. I almost forgot, I still dont know whats wrong with the rifle about the safety. I thought it was the sear, but from the pics and all, it looks like everything is right. When I push the bolt into the reciever, the fireing pin will go back, but I am about 10 to 20 thou short, and I cannot engage the safetly unless I pull back on the cocking piece (which is a royal pain in the ass). I might order a new sear and cocking piece to see if its either, or both parts. But they dont look worn at all, which is puzzling. |
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Thanks again for the info. I will deffinitly be reading that tonight. One thing to note about my serial numbers, is that the barrel & reciever have the same number, but the bolt has a different number stamped on it. I will check the number tonight and try to see what I can find. I almost forgot, I still dont know whats wrong with the rifle about the safety. I thought it was the sear, but from the pics and all, it looks like everything is right. When I push the bolt into the reciever, the fireing pin will go back, but I am about 10 to 20 thou short, and I cannot engage the safetly unless I pull back on the cocking piece (which is a royal pain in the ass). I might order a new sear and cocking piece to see if its either, or both parts. But they dont look worn at all, which is puzzling. Go to Mausercentral.com for any help you might need on this, but it sounds like you need to disassemble the bolt and clean out any gunk & grime in there. It comes apart by screwing the back piece counter-clockwise. Inspect the firing pin to see if it's bent or broken. Also inspect the other internal parts while you're at it. Note, your specific problem seems to be quite common and it can all be reassembled wrong and that may be what's causing yours to not work right. Here's a link that explains the correct way to put it all back together and make it work. Hopefully, that's what's wrong with yours. http://www.surplusrifleforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=119&t=26426 |
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Thanks again for the info. I will deffinitly be reading that tonight. One thing to note about my serial numbers, is that the barrel & reciever have the same number, but the bolt has a different number stamped on it. I will check the number tonight and try to see what I can find. I almost forgot, I still dont know whats wrong with the rifle about the safety. I thought it was the sear, but from the pics and all, it looks like everything is right. When I push the bolt into the reciever, the fireing pin will go back, but I am about 10 to 20 thou short, and I cannot engage the safetly unless I pull back on the cocking piece (which is a royal pain in the ass). I might order a new sear and cocking piece to see if its either, or both parts. But they dont look worn at all, which is puzzling. Go to Mausercentral.com for any help you might need on this, but it sounds like you need to disassemble the bolt and clean out any gunk & grime in there. It comes apart by screwing the back piece counter-clockwise. Inspect the firing pin to see if it's bent or broken. Also inspect the other internal parts while you're at it. Note, your specific problem seems to be quite common and it can all be reassembled wrong and that may be what's causing yours to not work right. Here's a link that explains the correct way to put it all back together and make it work. Hopefully, that's what's wrong with yours. http://www.surplusrifleforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=119&t=26426 I already pulled the whole bolt apart last night and broke it down. I will inspect all the parts tonight, clean it, and reasamble correctly. It looked like it was assembled correctly before, but I did not do it and there is a chance something was off. Again, thanks for all the help and all the info. It is truely amazing the history of this rifle that I had no idea of. |
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The condition where you can't get the safety on a Mauser to engage is common and is caused by worn or mis-matched parts.
What's happening is that the worn or mis-matched parts are allowing the cocking piece to sit too far forward. With the cocking piece forward, the safety is unable to enter the gap between the cocking piece and the bolt shroud. The problem is caused by the wear or miss-match of the cocking piece and/or the sear. The "fix" is to replace either/or both the cocking piece or the sear "box" in the receiver. DO NOT attempt to stone or grind the safety or the cocking piece top where the safety contacts it and cams it back when the safety is applied. While this may work if the miss-fit is not too bad, these parts have a very thin glass-hard case hardened surface that if stoned is broken through. Then the parts will wear very quickly and the safety will get extremely sticky, then so sticky it can't be applied at all. I'd first consider replacing the sear "box". This is the actual trigger assembly sear inside the receiver. Check it for bent or worn pins, which can caused miss-fit. The trouble is, all Mauser parts are used, surplus, and they too will have at least some wear and difference in tolerances. A different sear may also cause a miss-fit of parts, so sometimes you have to just keep ordering and trying parts until you get a proper fit. Check the front face of the cocking piece where it engages the sear for signs of excess wear or alteration/stoning. If the situation is bad enough, you may have to replace both the sear box and the cocking piece. When the safety is working properly, when it's engaged the cocking piece is cammed to the rear slightly and off the sear. If the trigger is pulled with the safety engaged, nothing happens and the trigger resets. If the parts are worn, you may have a condition where the trigger will fail to reset, and the rifle may fire when the safety is switched off. |
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The condition where you can't get the safety on a Mauser to engage is common and is caused by worn or mis-matched parts. What's happening is that the worn or mis-matched parts are allowing the cocking piece to sit too far forward. With the cocking piece forward, the safety is unable to enter the gap between the cocking piece and the bolt shroud. The problem is caused by the wear or miss-match of the cocking piece and/or the sear. The "fix" is to replace either/or both the cocking piece or the sear "box" in the receiver. DO NOT attempt to stone or grind the safety or the cocking piece top where the safety contacts it and cams it back when the safety is applied. While this may work if the miss-fit is not too bad, these parts have a very thin glass-hard case hardened surface that if stoned is broken through. Then the parts will wear very quickly and the safety will get extremely sticky, then so sticky it can't be applied at all. I'd first consider replacing the sear "box". This is the actual trigger assembly sear inside the receiver. Check it for bent or worn pins, which can caused miss-fit. The trouble is, all Mauser parts are used, surplus, and they too will have at least some wear and difference in tolerances. A different sear may also cause a miss-fit of parts, so sometimes you have to just keep ordering and trying parts until you get a proper fit. Check the front face of the cocking piece where it engages the sear for signs of excess wear or alteration/stoning. If the situation is bad enough, you may have to replace both the sear box and the cocking piece. When the safety is working properly, when it's engaged the cocking piece is cammed to the rear slightly and off the sear. If the trigger is pulled with the safety engaged, nothing happens and the trigger resets. If the parts are worn, you may have a condition where the trigger will fail to reset, and the rifle may fire when the safety is switched off. Thanks allot for the info. Stoning the sear face and the cocking piece didnt make sense to me, as I would need them to be longer in order to work. I actually was thinking about replacing both the sear AND the cocking piece. At 12 bucks for both parts, and readily available, I should be able to make it work. I also kinda figured there was a mis-match, as the bolt has a different serial number then the reciever & barrel. I know I am probably going to get hammered for saying this, but I don't even use the safety. This is a range-only rifle, and the rifle is either loaded and shooting, or open, empty and on the bench. I never have a situation where I need the safety on with a round in the chamber. I NEVER load unless I am about to shoot. That being said, If i cannot get it to work, no big loss. I was just trying to get it to work, as it would be cool to have, as that was the inital intention & design of the rifle & parts. |
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Snake_Driver,
could you please take some photos of how the stripper clips load the rifle? I have some clips that I just got, but I cannot figure out how to get the rounds off the clips and into the mag. And the number on the rifle is L3515, and the bolt is numbered L3277 |
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Snake_Driver, could you please take some photos of how the stripper clips load the rifle? I have some clips that I just got, but I cannot figure out how to get the rounds off the clips and into the mag. And the number on the rifle is L3515, and the bolt is numbered L3277 
Loading rounds from a stripper clip takes some practice whether it's for a detachable box magazine or an internal magazine such as the Mausers. With the bolt open place a loaded stripper clip in the slot provided in the receiver. Once the stripper clip containing the rounds is put into place in the slot take your thumb and place it on top of the stack of bullets just in front of the stripper clip, roughly in-line with the thumb-slot cut into the receiver, and press down firmly in one fluid motion. The rounds should come right off the clip and into the magazine. Yep, L3515 is the serial number I saw and the list of numbers says that rifle was made sporterized at the factory at Oviedo in 1904. It's a crying shame the bolt doesn't have a matching number. You would really have you something then.
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I agree, it would be pretty cool if it had a matching bolt. I do think it is really cool that it was "sporterized" at the factory, rather then some factory mass sporterizing them, or worse, bubba-fied.
I tried doing that with the stripper clip. I get the first 3, sometimes 4 rounds in, but the last one doesnt pop off the clip. the last round & clip press into the mag. Do I have to do it really fast and hard? It doesnt look like there is anything inside to "catch" the clip to prevent it from going into the internal magazine. |
| Yes, loading with the stripper clips is done in a hard and fast motion. Try using your left thumb pressing down on the stack of bullets at about the point of the first knuckle. That's why they added the thumb cutout in the receiver to aid in getting that last bullet in the magazine. Don't worry, the stripper clip won't go down into the magazine, it's too wide. Keep practicing, you'll get it! |
| I was doing some thinking about my mis-matched numbers on the bolt & reciever. Do you think it's possible that when they made the rifle, instead of building a bolt for it, they just took a already made an stamped bolt from a box and threw it in? That would explain the lower serial number on the bolt. Do you think that would be possible? I kinda find it hard to believe that the bolt was ruined or lost along the way, and a replacement was found with that close of a number, & with the same letter prefix. |
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I was doing some thinking about my mis-matched numbers on the bolt & reciever. Do you think it's possible that when they made the rifle, instead of building a bolt for it, they just took a already made an stamped bolt from a box and threw it in? That would explain the lower serial number on the bolt. Do you think that would be possible? I kinda find it hard to believe that the bolt was ruined or lost along the way, and a replacement was found with that close of a number, & with the same letter prefix. I suppose anything is possible. Like you say, it is interesting that your bolt's serial number is so close and actually precedes the rifle's, but not by much. I guess we'll never know. 
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I was doing some thinking about my mis-matched numbers on the bolt & reciever. Do you think it's possible that when they made the rifle, instead of building a bolt for it, they just took a already made an stamped bolt from a box and threw it in? That would explain the lower serial number on the bolt. Do you think that would be possible? I kinda find it hard to believe that the bolt was ruined or lost along the way, and a replacement was found with that close of a number, & with the same letter prefix. I suppose anything is possible. Like you say, it is interesting that your bolt's serial number is so close and actually precedes the rifle's, but not by much. I guess we'll never know.
It's too bad we wont know 
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