Not certain that this right location, but a lot of the writers seem to know a lot about Mausers.

I picked up three pre-war of World War II Mausers from an old-timer that is starting to liquidate his things. He has had for over fifty years and hasn't shot any of them.

The one in question is a Oberndorf built in 1940 with matching numbers. The stock is well made, European Walnut and the typical German stock with a schnabel.
Since, I'm not a collector, nor do I need the gun, I will probably sell it down the line, but don't know what the caliber is. It has a half octagon/half round barrel with a full length rib. On the side of the barrel it says:

Polio anticoroo.

Further towards the receiver it says;

S.t.m.G
10gr

On the bottom of the barrel it has three crowns with B U and G below the crowns,

Below that it says:

7mm

63 1/2

5/25

WK

I really don't know if this is a 7 x57 or 7x64, or I've even heard of a 7 x 63.

I think I'm probably going to have the barrel slugged--is that the best way or the only way to determine the caliber, but prefer to not get a bunch of money wrapped up in this gun.

Any insights will be appreciated.

Go to Mauser Central and post pictures. Someone there should be able to identify what you have.
http://mausercentral.com/forum/index.php

Thanks, Hogfarmer I will take your advice.

Most likely a 7x57 regulated for a 156grs bullet..

M

Metric, thank you. I was just baffled by the 7mm, then 63 1/2. I'm going to have it slugged.

With the 7 and 63 1/2 marks I'd call it a 7x64. A chamber cast would be the best idea. The 5/25 mark shows a May 1925 proof date. St.m.G is "Stahl mantel Geschoss" which literally means 'steel jacketed bullet', but really just means it is intended to fire jacketed bullets. 10gr(ams) is about 156 grains. Poldi Anticorro was an early corrosion resistant steel patented, I believe, in 1910 in the Czech part of what was then Austria.

bpesteve, well, I also thought that might me a possibility. I took an uncharged 270 bullet and with medium pressure could close the bolt. So, its not 7 x 57. I understand that you ca n't put a 270 into a 7 x 64. So, that leaves it a 280. Well, most probably. What the hell is it a 280 for? These guns have long histories. I find it all kind of interesting. Wished they could talk. After Hogfarmer turned onto Mauser Central, I went to Nitro. Amazing the amount of info on the internet and more amazing all the permutations and markings for Mausers. I wasted a weekend. Well, I guess, thats a matter of how you look at it.

quote:

I understand that you ca n't put a 270 into a 7 x 64.

Yep the 270 is too wide at the shoulder base

7x63.5 Jurgens???
http://www.municion.org/Dwm/Dwm572.htm

I'm far to lazy and haven't had enough wine to convert all the dimensions. Quick look at the shoulder still doesn't look like a 270 would fit. But at least the dimensions are right in the name.

Haha, Ramrod, wouldn't that be something. I kinda like unusual stuff--but that unusual?
I'll post next week when i find out definitively.

Ooo, being a 7x63 Jurgens Mauser would make it both easy to load for and very rare! Here's what Dixon has to say about the 7x63 in "European Sporting Cartridges", p 169:

"This caliber was produced by DWM (case #572) in 1929 for Dr Charles Jurgens and it appears that only one lot of cartridges were produced (all have 'R R' date codes). A specimen believed to be a prototype is known based on a US .30-06 case."

That would make it basically a 7mm-06 rather than the longer-bodied and later .280 Remington.

Please do keep us posted!

SC- there are a dozen or so guys over on Mauser Central that have the skinny on everything Paul Mauser dreamed up.. also a wealth of archival info on markings, and different country crests....quite a few of us that participate here on AR also frequent the MC site.

Suggest you head there and post- a couple folks are pretty quick to reply.