WW1 Veteran Finds a Home

tallball · April 30, 2016, 11:52 AM

The other day I stupidly wandered into THAT pawnshop with my wallet and credit card. They had "some old 32" automatic that they didn't know much about. I walked out the door with it for $300 total. It is a Mauser Model 1914 32acp. I got a good but not outstanding deal. It is in pretty good shape. Today I did a field strip and cleaning, as well as replacing the recoil and striker springs. The poor old veteran was bone-dry and the barrel seems to be slightly pitted. The serial number indicates it was made in 1916, and it has an imperial acceptance stamp that shows it was accepted into the Kaiser's army.

I plan on taking it to the range next weekend. I will post a range report then. It has some wear, but not a lot. I don't think it has been shot very much.

mavracer · April 30, 2016, 12:36 PM

Nice find

lamarw · April 30, 2016, 02:06 PM

Congrats, The kind of deal all of us enjoy stumbling into.

K_Mac · April 30, 2016, 02:13 PM

Nice old pistol. Good find!

KyJim · April 30, 2016, 08:48 PM

Nice find. That pistol has some nice lines.

gyvel · May 1, 2016, 03:16 AM

Check the front of the trigger guard and see if it has a Prussian Eagle acceptance mark as well.

Rich_357 · May 1, 2016, 12:02 PM

That is purdy!!!! NOICE!!!

Big Shrek · May 1, 2016, 12:58 PM

Nice

Great find!

James K · May 1, 2016, 04:46 PM

In another thread on the same gun, I made some comments I will repeat here because they need to reach a wide audience.

Disassembly beyond field stripping is NOT recommended.

Do not ever dry fire one of those guns without snap caps; the firing pins are very fragile and both the tips and the tails (the cocking indicator) break all too often.

The flat springs, likewise, are prone to breakage, especially the trigger spring and the trigger bar spring. (FWIW, the diagram in the Gun Parts Corp. catalog I have has the part names and numbers all mixed up!)

They also have an odd loading system which was also used on the later HSc. When the slide is retracted on an empty magazine or no magazine, it can be closed only by insertion of a magazine, loaded or empty. I have seen several Mauser pistols badly damaged by users trying to force the slide closed when all they needed to do was replace the magazine.

Jim

TailGator · May 1, 2016, 06:06 PM

It is older than me, and in a lot better shape. Nice find.

Remington74 · May 1, 2016, 06:10 PM

Love it when an old gun finds a good home.

April 30, 2016, 11:52 AM	#1
tallball Senior Member Join Date: October 17, 2014 Posts: 2,444	WW1 Veteran Finds a Home The other day I stupidly wandered into THAT pawnshop with my wallet and credit card. They had "some old 32" automatic that they didn't know much about. I walked out the door with it for $300 total. It is a Mauser Model 1914 32acp. I got a good but not outstanding deal. It is in pretty good shape. Today I did a field strip and cleaning, as well as replacing the recoil and striker springs. The poor old veteran was bone-dry and the barrel seems to be slightly pitted. The serial number indicates it was made in 1916, and it has an imperial acceptance stamp that shows it was accepted into the Kaiser's army. I plan on taking it to the range next weekend. I will post a range report then. It has some wear, but not a lot. I don't think it has been shot very much. Last edited by tallball; April 30, 2016 at 11:57 AM.

April 30, 2016, 02:13 PM	#4
K_Mac Senior Member Join Date: September 15, 2010 Posts: 1,850	Nice old pistol. Good find! __________________ "Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do." Benjamin Franklin

May 1, 2016, 03:16 AM	#6
gyvel Senior Member Join Date: August 30, 2009 Location: Northern AZ Posts: 7,172	Check the front of the trigger guard and see if it has a Prussian Eagle acceptance mark as well. __________________ As always, YMMV. __________________________________________ MIIAA SIFE

May 1, 2016, 12:58 PM	#8
Big Shrek Senior Member Join Date: August 6, 2009 Location: NorthWest Florida Posts: 1,358	Nice Great find! __________________ Marlin Specialist Calico Specialist A gun should be a tool in the hands of a deadly weapon, not a deadly weapon in the hands of a tool.

April 30, 2016, 02:06 PM	#3
lamarw Senior Member Join Date: April 12, 2010 Location: Lake Martin, AL Posts: 3,311	Congrats, The kind of deal all of us enjoy stumbling into.

April 30, 2016, 08:48 PM	#5
KyJim Senior Member Join Date: July 26, 2005 Location: The Bluegrass Posts: 9,142	Nice find. That pistol has some nice lines.

May 1, 2016, 12:02 PM	#7
Rich_357 Senior Member Join Date: February 28, 2016 Posts: 268	That is purdy!!!! NOICE!!!

May 1, 2016, 04:46 PM	#9
James K Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 17, 1999 Posts: 24,383	In another thread on the same gun, I made some comments I will repeat here because they need to reach a wide audience. Disassembly beyond field stripping is NOT recommended. Do not ever dry fire one of those guns without snap caps; the firing pins are very fragile and both the tips and the tails (the cocking indicator) break all too often. The flat springs, likewise, are prone to breakage, especially the trigger spring and the trigger bar spring. (FWIW, the diagram in the Gun Parts Corp. catalog I have has the part names and numbers all mixed up!) They also have an odd loading system which was also used on the later HSc. When the slide is retracted on an empty magazine or no magazine, it can be closed only by insertion of a magazine, loaded or empty. I have seen several Mauser pistols badly damaged by users trying to force the slide closed when all they needed to do was replace the magazine. Jim

May 1, 2016, 06:06 PM	#10
TailGator Senior Member Join Date: May 8, 2009 Location: Florida Posts: 3,787	It is older than me, and in a lot better shape. Nice find.

May 1, 2016, 06:10 PM	#11
Remington74 Senior Member Join Date: August 5, 2012 Location: Carthage, NY Posts: 231	Love it when an old gun finds a good home.