Here's a description of an interesting old Mauser I haven't seen in person but am interested in buying: 8x57 with 23" part round, part octogonal barrel with integral full length rib, express sights,one fixed blade, one folding; stock has small schnabel forend; oval on left side of ring with markings 2,75gGBP/N St.mG. Serial number on bolt is 1***, matching numbers on other parts. Barrel band sling swivel. Sounds like a neat gun, maybe a "guild gun" rather than an original Mauser sporter. Can any of you Mauser experts help? Thanks. Bob

Sounds like one of the fine old Guild guns to me....Take the metal out of the stock and see how its marked underneath....

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Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com

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Alf,
My J.P. Saur has no such marks, maybe because it is 9.3x62. It is identical to my Mauser A, 10.75x68 in every way other than one being marked JP Sauer & sons etc. Do you know what thoes figures stand for on his gun and how can you tell one from the other? Why is mine marked JP Sauer and his is not? both of mine are c-ring Mausers.

Give me a lesson in Mauser commercials 101, it is confusing...then we have guild guns!!

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Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com

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I was always told that these were guns built up by individual (guild?) gunsmiths on actions bought from Mauser, etc and were pretty much custom work. I have seen several such rifles in the past, had a couple come across the bench and I have also seen this same quetion appear. In facr, I was able to find the following question, asked January, 1998:

"A friend at work was telling me about a rifle he has and it made me curious to find out just what he has. The rifle is a bolt action, the barrel starts out round but once it goes past the stock it is octagon. There is a rib on the barrel and goes up at the muzzle where there are 3 front sights that popup when pressed. The Markings on the barrel are O.G. Hamnel-Suhl. Germany BOHLERSTAHL 2.75 9 GBP ST. m G The bolt has this on it: 52 (then it has a star on it) then a H (then it has a mark between the H and N that looks like a, c laying on its back with a protrusion sticking up from the middle of the c, then the letter N follows. It also has double set triggers. 8mm cal. "

So there is that 'St. m G' again and I too would like to know exactly what it means.
BTW, IMHO these rifles show some of the best workmanship of any Mausers that I personally have ever seen. I would loved to have known some of the gunsmiths that made them.
Best regards,

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'Trapper'

The 2,75gGBP/N St m G is part of the proof marking system used in Germany from 1891 to 1912 (actually this mark was first used in July of 1893). It indicates 2.75 grams of Gewehr Blattchenpulver (a special military flake type powder), and a steel jacketed bullet (that is the St m G part) in a rifled barrel, although the marking was usually applied to the side of the front receiver ring. This is a smokeless powder proof. By inference you can say that at least the action was made before 1913.

I hope that this will be of some help to you.
Sounds like a very nice old rifle!!

Jim

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One thing I've been made aware of is the M underneath and behind the recoil indicates its a commercial Mauser, not a military...Many think all commercial mausers do not have a thumb slot, but in fact many Obendorf Mauser have a thumb slot and are commercial, not military....

I sure like these old guns with their skinny stocks and light weight with long barrels..Amazingly enough handle recoil as well as our so called recoil reducing designs that wear about 3 pounds to much wood.....

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Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com

I totally agree with you here, Ray. Too bad there weren't more of them. I don't think we are likely to see many of them built anymore due to the factors of cost and just not enough people left that are capable of doing this sort of work. I saw an article some time back about the gunmakers of Italy and the trouble they have trying to find kids willing to undergo the apprentice program to become stock makers or engravers.
Seems to be too much time, too much work and too little pay.
'Shoot straight, shoot safe and shoot a lot!'
Regards,

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'Trapper'

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Ray, Alf, Trapper,
Mauser Sporters are a somewhat confusing subject for me as well as the people "who wrote the books". I have been interested in them for years, and still find out new information about them all the time.I will attach a photo of a few Mauser sporters from my collection if I can get the link to work. They are all older rifles,except the two on the left. The first on the left is only marked Forest, and appears to be made after the 50's. The next is a nicely done Argentine '09 by Frank Wood. The others are all done by German smiths and one Austrian smith. They are in left to right order; Krueger, Greifelt Otto Bock, and Borovnik. The last rifle on the right is an original Mauser Type M in the somewhat unusual caliber of 30-06. This is the only one that bears the small M that Ray is talking about, although some of the others are apparently commercial actions as well.

Jim

[This message has been edited by mbogo375 (edited 10-16-2001).]

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Many thanks for the picture. Some of the wood in the stocks here is just too much for words! Now, how hard would it be to get you do a photo spread on ech of those rifles and post it up for us? I speak only for myself but I could look at and admire such pieces for hours and hours, not to mention handling and firing them!
Again, thanks!
"Shoot straight, shoot safe and shoot a lot!"
Regards,

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'Trapper'

I would be interested to see some more detail of these rifles as well.
Could you please start with the Otto Bock one..

MK

I allways knew my Mauser by G.E.Fulton was ugly, but after seeing this fine collection, I feel ashamed to take it out of the locker.

Trapper and zasgar,

I will be glad to try more photos if you will let me know what type of shots you are interested in (action closeups, full length, right or left, etc.).

Jim

mBogo375:
Details, details, details - I would like to see a series of shots of teach of these fine old rifles. Top of receiver, actions, side and bottom of receiver. Also any outstanding or unusual features that they might have. I am always intrigued to see how different builders go about solving problems and making things fit and work together.
Most kind of you to offer to post them up, and thanks.
Regards,

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'Trapper'

Trapper,

I will see what I can do about the photos. As for firing them, since you are in north Georgia maybe you would like to come down to my area sometime and try a few groups .

Jim

Well, i would like to hear some history as well; individual Rifle and the Maker.

As far as the shooting goes, I unfortunately am nowhere near Georgia. But I could book a point on Century at Bisley( or any other range there) if you would like to take them to Europe. I think the other UK people here would be interested as well.

MK

zasgar,
As per your request I am posting additional photos of the rifle you were interested in. It was mislabeled in the original post, as I did not have the photo before me and was going from memory as to which order the rifles were in. The Otto Bock and the Greifelt were switched (I have edited the original post).

The Greifelt has a case colored receiver, full length integral rib, shotgun type trigger guard,stalking safety, minor engraving, lever floor plate release, and Kahles 4X scope with claw mounts. The full stock in divided by a horn spacer in the fore end which alleviates some of the problems inherent with full length stocks. Caliber is 6.5x57 and accuracy is excellent. All in all it is a very nice old rifle.

If these photos turn out OK I will be glad to post photos of some of the other rifles if anyone is interested.Let me know what you would like to see.

Jim

Mbogo,
Nice collection of very nice guns, envey is my middle name as of this moment....

Alf,
Jack Belk, last years president of the Custom Gun Guild and Mauser freak, told me the small m indicated a commercial action obendorf, that is what I was going by. I don't know much about these old guns except they are Mausers and I love them....I have a 9.3x62 20" carbine and a soon to be 404 Jefferys ( my 10.75x68 is about to be circumsized )....and of course my 8x57 and 7x57 Brnos M-21 and 22 that resemble the guild guns but show a little more quality...

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Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com

Mbogo375

Please post some close up pics of the lever floorplate release; I am building a Mauser, which will probably be a 7x57, with a lever release. It's already installed, and works great (looks great too, if I may say), but I want to make sure to shape the end of the lever the way they did on the originals.

If you don't mind...

Thanks
Todd

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I have a Mauser thar I'd like to know more about.Markings as follows.
WAFFENBRIK
MAUSER A/G
OBERNDORF A/N
1914
93***
8x57N
Hinged floorplate with lever release.
Hooded ramp front sight.Single nonfolding rear sight.
Barrelband sling swivel.
very thin stock walnut?? steel butplate no schnable forend.
Any ideas as to whether this was a sporting rifle or is it a "customized" military.Thanks,Mark

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