Brazilian 1908 Mauser basics?

carguychris · October 9, 2008, 10:44 AM

At the risk of prompting TFL members to snap all of them up before I get there, J&G is currently offering surplus 1908 Brazilian Mausers.

I've reached the conclusion that I must, simply must, have a Mauser.

I've been leaning towards a Swede because of their build quality and the lovely 6.5x55 cartridge, and I've considered a Yugo because of the low price, but I'm trying to consider other Mausers too. The array of different Mauser rifles is so broad that it's daunting to a Mauser n00b such as myself.

So... educate a Mauser n00b about the Brazilian Mauser. How do they compare to the ones used by other countries? Also, were these rifles solely a DWM product, or was their production partially (or wholly) licensed to other countries like the Swedish or Czech guns?

BTW I like to shoot all the guns I own. I'm philosophically opposed to safe queens.

Consequently, I'm not only interested in how it looks, but also how it functions, and how much work one might typically require before it can be fired safely.

Thanks!

Jim Watson · October 9, 2008, 02:29 PM

I don't know the historical and technical side of it but from the J&G ad

"dark bores"
"fair condition"
"good condition"

don't seem likely to predict a good shooter.

carguychris · October 9, 2008, 03:38 PM

I guess I should have mentioned that I'm not necessarily thinking of buying one of the J&G guns... I'm just curious about the Brazilian Mausers in general.

Darren007 · October 9, 2008, 04:16 PM

Brazilian Mausers are nice...but extremely difficult and expensive to find in excellent condition. An even better option would be an Argentine Mauser. Both 1891 and 1909 Argentine Mausers can be found online on the auction sites. Most of these were imported in 2002 and was the last (supposedly) batch the Argentine Gov. had. The really amazing part is most of these are in "unissued" condition. I have several of both but my newest are both a 91 and a 09 Argentine Mauser in unissued condition. The condition of these rifles is almost factory new, with the exception of some very minor dents and dings on the stock. All serials match including the cleaning rod. The 91s may have the crest ground off, but most of the 09s still had theirs. Heck...You can even still see the machining marks in the grooves from when they cut the rifling.

Think about it....a Mauser, 100-117 years old, still in like new condition with probably less than 50 rnds fired through it for between $500-$700.

milsurpcollector · April 2, 2011, 06:33 AM

old thread but worth reviving. I had an Argentine Mauser 1909 and the quality is very high. The lockup and weight of the action/barrel is heavier than the later K98's. Actually it was a bit too heavy ! I'm into milsurp sporters and this one had a cut stock, and rechambered to 30-06 from 7.65 x 53. So it would require a light chamber ream to make it a true 31-06 and be accurate shooting .312" bullets. Being it needed that work and was heavy too, I pulled the vintage Redfield scope off it, and sold the gun for $285, to someone who was going to rebarrel it. If I had it to do again, I'd have kept it.

Yesterday I just picked up a 1908 Mauser made in Berlin. Same high quality as the Argentine. Actually you could say they are the same gun just stamped differently. Again, very heavy action. Either the steel is more dense, or it is thicker somewhere in the action and bolt. This one was rebarreled to 25-06, and a custom black synthetic stock put on, the bolt handle cut off, rewelded on and turned down, and d/t for scope. Whoever did it, did a very nice job. Also a new trigger and safety Mark II. Getting this gun made me wish I still had the first one back !

the guns must have a very high nickel content in them. This gun had some rust pit issues below the stock line, where you can't see them once the action is in the stock. But I wanted that taken care of. Yesterday I took it apart, taped it off with high quality duct tape, and glass beaded the rusty pit areas, which I will then blue with cold blue and a Q tip, or a blueing stick. Anyway, while grit blasting it, there were sparks flying off the action.

Whenever you see sparks flying that usually means very hard metal with a very high nickel content, I've seen that phenom before on 1950's made in USA engine parts and blocks from GM. The rods, cranks, blocks had so much nickel in them, they'd spark if you were working on them and accidentally nicked the block or part with a drift or hammer.

really amazing metallurgy in those early steels, considering what they had to work with.

zbones6 · July 3, 2014, 03:33 PM

I know this thread is old, but why not. I recently picked up a 1908 Brazilian Mauser from my LGS. All matching mumbers, even on the bolt. Immaculate metal with only light handling marks on the wood. Still in the original chambering, 7mm Mauser. Bright, shiny bore, a real gem. And at $500, I consider it a deal. Came with a repro sling and non-matching bayonet and muzzle protector. Funny enough, I have yet to find the import mark, but i haven't looked very hard.

kilimanjaro · July 3, 2014, 04:12 PM

The classic Mausers are wonderfully made. Brazilian is right up there with the Argentine and Persian.

Saw a minty Argentine with matching bayonet at a local shop this spring, for $650. A week later it was gone.

gyvel · July 4, 2014, 02:28 PM

Argentine 1909s are way more accurate than the law allows. At a couple of our desert shoots, I was regularly picking off containers of Tannerite with mine at around 150-175 yards, an amazing feat considering no scope and my bad eyes. I was using up a supply of Argentine FMMAP factory loaded soft point ammo, and that may have had something to do with it.

An interesting sidebar about the Brazilian 08s is that some of them were sold to the Dominican Republic during the Trujillo regime, scrubbed of any Brazilian markings and reblued and reissued in the original 7mm. The few that I have seen seem to be in very nice condition, but I can only imagine what the ones that were used in the jungles look like.

gyvel · July 4, 2014, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Saw a minty Argentine with matching bayonet at a local shop this spring, for $650. A week later it was gone.

Should have grabbed it.

kilimanjaro · July 4, 2014, 09:58 PM

Oh, I knew that I should have bought it, just wasn't feeling like spending $650 that morning !

You'd think I would learn the lesson, I've also missed out on an $800 M1D Garand and a $200 SVT, really nice ones, for no reason but not feeling like buying another rifle that week.

When I win the Lotto, the gloves come off.

October 9, 2008, 10:44 AM	#1
carguychris Senior Member Join Date: October 20, 2007 Location: Richardson, TX Posts: 7,523	Brazilian 1908 Mauser basics? At the risk of prompting TFL members to snap all of them up before I get there, J&G is currently offering surplus 1908 Brazilian Mausers. I've reached the conclusion that I must, simply must, have a Mauser. I've been leaning towards a Swede because of their build quality and the lovely 6.5x55 cartridge, and I've considered a Yugo because of the low price, but I'm trying to consider other Mausers too. The array of different Mauser rifles is so broad that it's daunting to a Mauser n00b such as myself. So... educate a Mauser n00b about the Brazilian Mauser. How do they compare to the ones used by other countries? Also, were these rifles solely a DWM product, or was their production partially (or wholly) licensed to other countries like the Swedish or Czech guns? BTW I like to shoot all the guns I own. I'm philosophically opposed to safe queens. Consequently, I'm not only interested in how it looks, but also how it functions, and how much work one might typically require before it can be fired safely. Thanks! __________________ "Smokey, this is not 'Nam. This is bowling. There are rules... MARK IT ZERO!!" - Walter Sobchak

October 9, 2008, 03:38 PM	#3
carguychris Senior Member Join Date: October 20, 2007 Location: Richardson, TX Posts: 7,523	I guess I should have mentioned that I'm not necessarily thinking of buying one of the J&G guns... I'm just curious about the Brazilian Mausers in general. __________________ "Smokey, this is not 'Nam. This is bowling. There are rules... MARK IT ZERO!!" - Walter Sobchak

July 3, 2014, 03:33 PM	#6
zbones6 Member Join Date: December 29, 2011 Posts: 91	1908 Brazilian Mauser I know this thread is old, but why not. I recently picked up a 1908 Brazilian Mauser from my LGS. All matching mumbers, even on the bolt. Immaculate metal with only light handling marks on the wood. Still in the original chambering, 7mm Mauser. Bright, shiny bore, a real gem. And at $500, I consider it a deal. Came with a repro sling and non-matching bayonet and muzzle protector. Funny enough, I have yet to find the import mark, but i haven't looked very hard.

October 9, 2008, 02:29 PM	#2
Jim Watson Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2001 Location: Alabama Posts: 18,543	I don't know the historical and technical side of it but from the J&G ad "dark bores" "fair condition" "good condition" don't seem likely to predict a good shooter.

October 9, 2008, 04:16 PM	#4
Darren007 Senior Member Join Date: November 18, 2007 Location: Colorado Posts: 1,053	Brazilian Mausers are nice...but extremely difficult and expensive to find in excellent condition. An even better option would be an Argentine Mauser. Both 1891 and 1909 Argentine Mausers can be found online on the auction sites. Most of these were imported in 2002 and was the last (supposedly) batch the Argentine Gov. had. The really amazing part is most of these are in "unissued" condition. I have several of both but my newest are both a 91 and a 09 Argentine Mauser in unissued condition. The condition of these rifles is almost factory new, with the exception of some very minor dents and dings on the stock. All serials match including the cleaning rod. The 91s may have the crest ground off, but most of the 09s still had theirs. Heck...You can even still see the machining marks in the grooves from when they cut the rifling. Think about it....a Mauser, 100-117 years old, still in like new condition with probably less than 50 rnds fired through it for between $500-$700.

April 2, 2011, 06:33 AM	#5
milsurpcollector Junior Member Join Date: September 29, 2010 Posts: 11	old thread but worth reviving. I had an Argentine Mauser 1909 and the quality is very high. The lockup and weight of the action/barrel is heavier than the later K98's. Actually it was a bit too heavy ! I'm into milsurp sporters and this one had a cut stock, and rechambered to 30-06 from 7.65 x 53. So it would require a light chamber ream to make it a true 31-06 and be accurate shooting .312" bullets. Being it needed that work and was heavy too, I pulled the vintage Redfield scope off it, and sold the gun for $285, to someone who was going to rebarrel it. If I had it to do again, I'd have kept it. Yesterday I just picked up a 1908 Mauser made in Berlin. Same high quality as the Argentine. Actually you could say they are the same gun just stamped differently. Again, very heavy action. Either the steel is more dense, or it is thicker somewhere in the action and bolt. This one was rebarreled to 25-06, and a custom black synthetic stock put on, the bolt handle cut off, rewelded on and turned down, and d/t for scope. Whoever did it, did a very nice job. Also a new trigger and safety Mark II. Getting this gun made me wish I still had the first one back ! the guns must have a very high nickel content in them. This gun had some rust pit issues below the stock line, where you can't see them once the action is in the stock. But I wanted that taken care of. Yesterday I took it apart, taped it off with high quality duct tape, and glass beaded the rusty pit areas, which I will then blue with cold blue and a Q tip, or a blueing stick. Anyway, while grit blasting it, there were sparks flying off the action. Whenever you see sparks flying that usually means very hard metal with a very high nickel content, I've seen that phenom before on 1950's made in USA engine parts and blocks from GM. The rods, cranks, blocks had so much nickel in them, they'd spark if you were working on them and accidentally nicked the block or part with a drift or hammer. really amazing metallurgy in those early steels, considering what they had to work with.

July 3, 2014, 04:12 PM	#7
kilimanjaro Senior Member Join Date: November 23, 2009 Posts: 3,963	The classic Mausers are wonderfully made. Brazilian is right up there with the Argentine and Persian. Saw a minty Argentine with matching bayonet at a local shop this spring, for $650. A week later it was gone.

July 4, 2014, 02:28 PM	#8
gyvel Senior Member Join Date: August 30, 2009 Location: Northern AZ Posts: 7,172	Argentine 1909s are way more accurate than the law allows. At a couple of our desert shoots, I was regularly picking off containers of Tannerite with mine at around 150-175 yards, an amazing feat considering no scope and my bad eyes. I was using up a supply of Argentine FMMAP factory loaded soft point ammo, and that may have had something to do with it. An interesting sidebar about the Brazilian 08s is that some of them were sold to the Dominican Republic during the Trujillo regime, scrubbed of any Brazilian markings and reblued and reissued in the original 7mm. The few that I have seen seem to be in very nice condition, but I can only imagine what the ones that were used in the jungles look like.

July 4, 2014, 09:58 PM	#10
kilimanjaro Senior Member Join Date: November 23, 2009 Posts: 3,963	Oh, I knew that I should have bought it, just wasn't feeling like spending $650 that morning ! You'd think I would learn the lesson, I've also missed out on an $800 M1D Garand and a $200 SVT, really nice ones, for no reason but not feeling like buying another rifle that week. When I win the Lotto, the gloves come off.