Do we have any Mauser owners in the Nuts? I have a line on a sportized rifle in very good condition. Just waiting for the pics to arrive and I will post when they do. Meanwhile, it is a dot 1944 (BRNO Chekoslovakia). Bolt, safety lever and receiver have the same serial numbers. It has all the original markings with a bright bore and solid action. It doesn't specify calibre but, from what I have read, they were all 7.92X57 (8mm Mauser). The original sights have been replaced when it was sportized including a sporter stock. The only mark I haven't been able to track down is it has on the barrel collar/ring two circles with the letter "s" or "S" in each circle. Getting all exited as I will pick it up when I go to Ontario in June.

The 8mm Mauser can be a bit tricky. There are two bullet diameters that were used. One is designated with a J, ad the other with an S. One is .318 caliber, ad the other is a .323. I'm not remembering for sure which is which. It is also quite common for liberated or war trophy rifles to have been rechambered to use the full length 30-06 case necked to 8mm. It is never a bad idea to have a chamber cast made, and the bore slugged to be sure what you have.

its a Bruno..it should be great...whats the worst that could happen..you need to rebarrel it to say...30/06 and then you will have a great weapon...the actions are famous for reliability and accuracy.

I have a few Mausers and a book on Serbian and Yugoslav rifles. There is nothing in the book that indicates what the circle S is about, but I found a chart in the book that says the receiver ring top contains the coat of arms, the left side of the ring has repair/workshop's marks, countries name, smokeless powder proof marks and an inspection mark. The right side of the ring has full serial number. The left side of the receiver itself has a pattern mark.

In 1904 the Germans introduced the "spitzer" shaped bullet and (could be where the S came from because they stamped the rear sight with an S to indicate it was calibrated for the new spitzer bullet. The new bullet had much better long-range ballistic, so all sights were regraduated for the new ammunition. The barrel was also stamped S because the new rear sight had to be positioned correctly on the barrel. It's a guess but I bet that's the significance of the circle S stamps.

Does the rifle say it's a mod 98 or vz24 or gew98, kar98k? When you get it in your hands maybe you can better identify it. The original barrel will be stepped in contour, the sporterizing may have turned down the steps or replaced it with a new barrel. The original should be regular ole .323 but it's best to check the dia. I just found in my book that they called the caliber 7.92x57 mm sS Model 1924 cartridge. More "S's" to shake your stick at!

Just for kicks in August 1970 a 7.92x57mm Mauser of any model fetched $62.30 each. During the Cold War and after, the central storage depot at Mostar in Bosnia and Hercegovina distributed Mausers to museums, movie companies and sold many to dealers in Canada and the US.

Suz

I have a few Mausers. If the rifle is still the original caliber it is a 7.92x57mm. Good catch. All the best...
Gil

Okay some pics. Obviously my definition of very good condition is not the sellers but I still am pretty sure I will buy the rifle.

You can see the S's in a circle in the pic of the rear sight.

Well I'd say since the ss's are in the area of the rear sight then it's there to identify that the sight is regulated for the spitzer bullet, but why 2 of them? If there was an S on the receiver that would signify a mod 88 (not 98) receiver that has been modified to shoot the spitzer bullet (better metal used). Never seen a rear sight like that one on a military rifle, but this one folds down and is adjustable for windage at least. Looks like a great find!

So you've got the original barrel and it's got some nice clear markings, really nice Nazi eagle, (some people pay big bucks for that) don't know what the shield with the numbers signifies. The symbol between the dot and 1944 appears to be a crown which would be an inspector's mark. Probably has more markings under the wood on the receiver and barrel. Really nice checkering and stock, looks like the trigger guard got thinned and shaped nicely.

There's a wonderful after-market trigger you can get if that one doesn't work out made by Boyds, called a Bold trigger. It's inexpensive and adjustable, works on two of my Mausers. Another thing I found out a product that really takes care of rust. It's called Evapo-Rust, no acids or fumes, safe on skin, removes rust to bare metal, water soluble, ph neutral, reusable, biodegradable, non-toxic, non-corrosive. I've used it on guns I want to refinish or just rusty parts I want to preserve and it's amazing stuff. I thought of it when I saw your rear sight, because it would remove that brownish patina and for that matter you could do the entire barrel because it will remove any rust in pitted areas and stop the corrosion (once you refinish). I like sprucing things up, you may like to leave stuff alone. A lot times under the wood or just at the wood line there's pitting but it's easy to take care of with this stuff.

Mod 98 refers to the improvements incorporated from earlier models and is by far the most successful of the Mauser designs. The third lug on the bolt body, improved ruptured case gas venting, larger receiver ring dimensions and better metallurgy.

DOT is the factory code for Waffen Werke Brunn where the rifle was made. That's gonna be fun to shoot. I have a Mauser receiver that I put a new barrel on in 8mm Mauser and a Bold trigger, in a thumbhole laminated stock. Very accurate and fun to shoot. Don't know why (except for the popularity of 30-06's) that 8mm isn't a more popular caliber.

Suz