quote:

Originally posted by ALF:
z1r

I have acquired many an old Mauser butchered by unthinking owners and hack gunsmiths, sent them off for a bit of refurbishing and now I have very good, workable guns.

I have too. But most of those I acquired at a price that justified the cost of the fixes.

IMO, this one does not. If you believe it does, then that is your prerogative. In the end, if the new owner is happy, it doesn't really matter how much he/she spent. I have certainly been guilty of paying more than I knew something was worth just because I wanted it and didn't want to have to shop for the next two or three years to find a better price. In the long run, time is worth much more than a little money.

We will just have to agree to disagree on this one.

z1r and Alf,

I don't think the holes are out of alignment, and all you need to do is grind a small portion of the corner of the scope base itself, so it won't over hang and stop the bolt upthrow..Anyone can do that in 5 minutes..so I don't really understand the problem. I have had to do that on some factory guns with certain bases..

OR am I missing something?

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
z1r and Alf,

I don't think the holes are out of alignment, and all you need to do is grind a small portion of the corner of the scope base itself, so it won't over hang and stop the bolt upthrow..Anyone can do that in 5 minutes..so I don't really understand the problem. I have had to do that on some factory guns with certain bases..

OR am I missing something?

It's simple, if I buy a rifle, I prefer it not to be buggered up. If the smith can't get the hole placement correct, what else did he mess up?

If it doesn't bother you, then fine. Knowing that the holes are improperly located, no matter how easy it is to alter a scope base, would bother me.

Different strokes as they say.

But on the whole, I just don't consider it a well put together rifle.

As you guys already know, I agree with Mike McCabe.

I might be able to live with the ill-done screw holes. I have often bought and restored (or had restored) rifles which were good, sound rifles initially and then later suffered some sort of abuse, even severe abuse once in a while. (Not for a G first ante, though) >

But looking time after time at the wood of this rifle, I am not at all certain this rifle's stock was EVER sound, or that it is sound now.

Looking at the area behind the bolt handle, I notice the repair seems to flow with the grain of The wood. That possibly indicates a split that flowed along a major grain demarkation and was repaired.

Then, looking at the left side of the forend, starting right where the unusual clearance from the barrel begins, I note that the opening up of the stock's barrel clearance very closely parallels another major grain line of the stock. Again, that makes me nervous that there MAY have been two such grain lines running closely together...and perhaps another split.

IF I was able to separate the stock and the barreled action to examine the inside of the stock, I could reach a guesstimate of what that unusual stock conformation represents, and why it is there.

But without that opportunity, my common sense just tells me "Why pay $1,000 for a pig in a poke?".

I see better guns every time I go out shopping for them. Some are Mausers, some are other makes. But, there are tons of visibly and certainly sound rifles for sale these days at good prices. So why pay for a good rifle if one is not sure that's what they will very likely be getting?

I know it is easy to spend other people's money for them. There is absolutely no personal risk involved. But asked if I would buy this particular rifle for that price, using my own money?, I'd still have to say

"No thanks. Without taking it apart and knowing a lot more about it, I'll pass."

So those who want it are welcome to my shot at it.

Enjoy.

Well I understand that, but its just a working rifle, and the modified base would not mean much to me..If it was a custom rifle I was buying it would..This rifle seems to be something I would put in the gunrack and shoot PG with, and if a big old bull buffalo showed up then it would do for him..

Guess its all in what you intend to do with it..I am wondering if the barrel is too short to suit me, as I believe one needs a 26 inch barrel in a 9.3x62 if he intends to shoot 300 and 320 gr. bullets in it..every bit of extra velocity counts with these big bullets in the 9.3x62 IMO....Ganyana brought this to my attention, I did some testing and he was correct IMO..

Ray,

Did you get your Ruger 9.3x62 back or a replacement back yet. How do you like it?

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
Well I understand that, but its just a working rifle, and the modified base would not mean much to me..If it was a custom rifle I was buying it would..This rifle seems to be something I would put in the gunrack and shoot PG with, and if a big old bull buffalo showed up then it would do for him..

Guess its all in what you intend to do with it..I am wondering if the barrel is too short to suit me, as I believe one needs a 26 inch barrel in a 9.3x62 if he intends to shoot 300 and 320 gr. bullets in it..every bit of extra velocity counts with these big bullets in the 9.3x62 IMO....Ganyana brought this to my attention, I did some testing and he was correct IMO..

Ray, I understand exactly what you are saying. It is just that I would approach that all-purpose 9.3 Mauser for rambling African plains a little differently.

Somewhere else on this medium-bore forum, I have just posted a thread about a .30-06 Model 51 J. C. Higgins rifle (FN Mauser) in 96-98% condition currently for sale at a local gun shop for an asking price of $349.50.

If I wanted another Mauser in 9.3x62, I'd bet I could walk out the door with that Model 51 for $325, tax included. Then I could get an excellent quality barrel for just under $300 retail and install it myself, or pay some competent barreler $500 (including the barrel's cost) to do it for me.

Either way, I'd end up with a very reliable 96-98% condition FN Mauser in 9.3x62 for no more than $850, and it'd have a brand new barrel from a maker of my choice. And that's if I did none of the work myself.

Since I would do all the work myself, I could have what amounts to an almost new commercial Mauser (not a surplus one) and do that for under $650. And this model 51 is properly drilled and tapped for a scope. It has one on it, so I can see that for a fact.

Its just a different way of looking at the same "want" and how to get there, but that's how I see it.

There is a decent looking Husqvarna 9.3X62 in the upcoming Rock Island auction (lot #504).
Could be a viable auction not to mention the three other guns included in the lot.

Is this gun worth $1,000? To me NO! There are any number of M-98 mausers that have been nicely sporterized in the $200-350 price range. Some of these have as nice or even nicer wood that fits and hasn't been repaired. Many already have a scope mounted (perhaps not one you would want) So, ask yourself how much will it cost to re-barrel and rework the $200 rifle to 9.3X62?

Sporterized mausers are plentiful and cheap, just look for one that was done well.