Gents,

My dad just gave me this rifle (8x57, of course) and I would appreciate help with country of manufacture, etc.

Also, would this receiver handle high pressure calibers without re-heat treating being advised or necessary?

Thanks!

Well it's clearly German and 1941.

I wouldn't worry, subject to inspection by a competent gunsmith, if it hasn't been otherwise altered about any nonsense you read on this Forum about its strength with cartridges in it's designed pressure range.

No country supplies its soldiers with rifles that "blow apart" when they use them despite what some silly individuals would have you believe.

I think that this a Sauer and Son of Suhl made Mauser. The script letters being a capital letter C and a capital letter E in "old German".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%BCtterlin

Does the bolt have the same serial number? If so I would maybe get a "Russian Capture" "bits" or "parts" gun to customise!

Old Mausers were very common when I was you age Sir...but not now!

I keep maybe as is...Hitler certainly isn't making them anymore!

Here in "Yurrup" the 8x57 has always been a "hot" cartridge in terms of performance. The loading that the Germans took into the 1914-18 War fired a 154 grain bullet at nearly 2,900 fps (from a 29" barrel) and YOUR Mauser from the 1939-45 fired a 196 grain bullet at 2.490 fps from the same 23.5" barrel your rifle has.

Overall loaded length of ALL German 8mm Mauser cartridges regardless of bullet type was 80.5mm or in our inches 3.17".

It will do anything and everything that the 30-06 does I promise you in proper, SAFE, European specification loadings!

Here's something I stole from the internet...

quote:

Weapon industry

The metal processing of Suhl naturally led, during the Renaissance, to other major local industries, including gunsmithing and armoring. Suhl was a major producer of cannons throughout the seventeenth and subsequent centuries, and Suhl cannons were used by many European powers. A major arms company that was located in Suhl for almost 200 years was J.P. Sauer und Sohn GmbH, producer of hunting rifles, shotguns, and pistols, such as the Sauer 38H, until moving operations to Eckernförde at the end of WWII. Other prominent firearms manufacturers in Suhl included Simson, (also known as BSW under Nazi rule and Ernst Thälmann Suhl under Communist rule), and C.G. Haenel. The largest manufacturer producing firearms currently in Suhl is Merkel, who make both rifles and shotguns.

During the Cold War, the East German national shooting arena was located at Suhl, and hosted many top-level competitions, including the 1986 ISSF World Championships. Although surpassed in this respect in the unified Germany by the Olympic shooting centre at Munich, Suhl remains an important place to the sport. It hosts Germany's only school for armorers, and a well equipped museum of weapons.

Suhl became famous after division for building the Schwalbe moped.

So Sauer and Sohn aren't and weren't just "tractor makers" pressed into gunmaking! They are as famous as maybe Remington or Savage in the USA...

Definitely a J.P. Sauer, made in 1941 with the correct WaffenAmpt (Weapons Office) #37 acceptance marks. Oh, and these are among the strongest 98 Mausers made anywhere, anytime.

Thanks for the most informative reply, Mr. Spares!

No other SN's match the receiver and barrel.

It does not appear to have been modified at all.

I plan to keep it as-is for now (have other guns that suit my current hunting needs), and the caliber is a fine one, no argument.

FYI, I'm old enough to be over the "need for speed," at least with rifle cartridges!

I am inquiring so that I'll have some knowledge upon which to base future decisions.

By the way, he also gave me an Enfield - one with the red stripe . I'll probably get around to some questions about it, too, in a separate post.

And thank you too, dpcd!

Many thanks and Happy Holidays!

Yes!

The "red stripe" meaning "Not Standard Calibre" so it's a Model of 1917 in 30-06 that was brought into Britain in 1940 to equip the Home Guard?

The "red stripe" being so that the Home Guard didn't try to use 303 ammunition in it that fitted the British chambered Pattern '14.

If you read Churchill's Volume 1 of his "The Second World War" you can read about these and their arrival in the UK..

Exciting stuff with a "urgency" spring at the reader from the page..

Of trains standing by at the docks awaiting the ship carrying them, of Home Guard men waiting in drill halls and church halls for the trains to arrive at their destinations.

The men staying up all night and even until the early hours of the first light of the morning for the "precious cargo" to arrive and be issued to them!