The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The Skunkworks > The Harley Nolden Memorial Institute for Firearms Research

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old May 8, 2014, 06:38 PM   #1
Cald
Junior Member
 
Join Date: May 8, 2014
Posts: 4
Old .22 Rifle

Hello all,

I've recently acquired a couple of old rifles that my dad inherited when my grandmother passed away. They have been sitting in a box in his basement in Missouri for the last 18 years and one looks to be in pretty bad condition (rust everywhere). Since I know virtually nada about guns (but have a strong desire to change that), I was hoping to learn more about the workings and maintenance of firearms by cleaning and attempting to restore the rifles. However, I'm having difficulties identifying the make and model of one of them. I'd really appreciate any help at all in figuring it out.





The serial "B2940" is inscribed twice along the barrel on the left side, while "6625" is inscribed twice in front of the trigger guard on the bottom of the rifle. I will provide pictures in a following post.

I also have a nice 30-06 Remington rifle that was with this one and it seems to be almost completely rust free and is in very good condition. I was hoping to learn more with the .22 before tinkering with the 30-06.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg leftside.jpg (236.6 KB, 381 views)
File Type: jpg rightsidesm.jpg (183.9 KB, 391 views)
File Type: jpg top.jpg (224.9 KB, 387 views)
Cald is offline  
Old May 8, 2014, 06:41 PM   #2
Cald
Junior Member
 
Join Date: May 8, 2014
Posts: 4
Serial Images

Here are a few images of the serial numbers found on the rifle.





Sorry for some of the text, I thought the numbers would be harder to read.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg underserials.jpg (184.5 KB, 400 views)
File Type: jpg leftserials.jpg (242.6 KB, 380 views)
File Type: jpg markii.jpg (84.7 KB, 384 views)

Last edited by Cald; May 8, 2014 at 06:46 PM.
Cald is offline  
Old May 8, 2014, 06:48 PM   #3
Microgunner
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 6, 2006
Location: Central Florida
Posts: 3,324
Looks like a sporterized Mauser 22 trainer.
__________________
Proud NRA Benefactor Member
Microgunner is offline  
Old May 8, 2014, 07:35 PM   #4
Scorch
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 13, 2006
Location: Washington state
Posts: 15,248
Sporterized Spanish 1916 M93 pattern Oviedo Mauser. I am not sure why you think it is a 22 rifle. Would a 22 trainer have a rifle sized action and magazine box?
__________________
Never try to educate someone who resists knowledge at all costs.
But what do I know?
Summit Arms Services
Scorch is offline  
Old May 9, 2014, 01:27 PM   #5
Pahoo
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 16, 2006
Location: IOWA
Posts: 8,783
I am seeing a trainer !!!

Quote:
Would a 22 trainer have a rifle sized action and magazine box?
It sure would or could. I have a WW-II German and French trainer that have these characteristics and mass. I'm often asked what caliber they are. I too am seeing a lot of military features, in this rifle. .....

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/Vie...Item=414770174

Be Safe !!!
__________________
'Fundamental truths' are easy to recognize because they are verified daily through simple observation and thus, require no testing.

Last edited by Pahoo; May 9, 2014 at 01:38 PM.
Pahoo is offline  
Old May 9, 2014, 02:25 PM   #6
Microgunner
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 6, 2006
Location: Central Florida
Posts: 3,324
Pahoo,
That's beautiful rifle on Gunbroker.
__________________
Proud NRA Benefactor Member
Microgunner is offline  
Old May 9, 2014, 03:48 PM   #7
SDC
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 23, 2001
Location: People's Republic of Kanada
Posts: 1,652
I'd want to make sure of the chambering on this one before anything else; it has all the characteristics of a Spanish Mauser (with an aftermarket safety), and the fact that it's had work done on it means the rifle could easily have been rebarreled/rechambered; the original manufacturer and date would now be under the scope mount. If you take the bolt out (lift the handle, then pull the little lever on the left side out, and pull the bolt all the way to the rear), a shot of the bolt face will definitely tell you if this rifle is centrefire or rimfire.
__________________
Gun control in Canada: making the streets safer for rapists, muggers, and other violent criminals since 1936.
SDC is offline  
Old May 9, 2014, 04:31 PM   #8
Jim Watson
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 25, 2001
Location: Alabama
Posts: 18,486
You show a 1916 Spanish Mauser military surplus rifle that has been inexpensively sporterized with scope bases, scope clearance safety, bent bolt handle, and cut down military stock. (A NICE sporterizing job would have removed the GI sights and fitted a real sporting stock.)

It was originally 7mm Mauser (7x57 in European terms.)
And I suspect it still is.
What leads you to think it is a .22?

It would be a huge gunsmithing job to convert one to .22 and I would have to see pictures of the muzzle, chamber, and bolt face to be convinced it had been.
Jim Watson is online now  
Old May 9, 2014, 06:23 PM   #9
natman
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 24, 2008
Posts: 2,604
As far as the rust goes, some gentle rubbing with 0000 (4 zero) steel wool and some light oil will improve things greatly. Go slow and apply fresh oil frequently.

As far as the rifle itself goes, it sure looks like a centerfire Mauser. The floorplate and the trigger guard match each other, but not the receiver and barrel. The Mark II is the model of the aftermarket safety.

Pictures of the muzzle, chamber and bolt face would help.
natman is offline  
Old May 9, 2014, 06:46 PM   #10
Lakota
Member
 
Join Date: March 14, 2012
Location: South Florida
Posts: 58
Boy I don't know the third picture in the first post looks to big to be a .22.
Looks more like 7 or 8 mm.
Lakota is offline  
Old May 9, 2014, 06:51 PM   #11
Pahoo
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 16, 2006
Location: IOWA
Posts: 8,783
You should see the Germans

Quote:
That's beautiful rifle on Gunbroker.
They surely are and your should see some of the German trainers. A few years back, Davidson's was selling a bunch of these and as they say; New-In-box. They great shooters and well made. ....

Be Safe !!!
__________________
'Fundamental truths' are easy to recognize because they are verified daily through simple observation and thus, require no testing.
Pahoo is offline  
Old May 14, 2014, 07:52 PM   #12
Cald
Junior Member
 
Join Date: May 8, 2014
Posts: 4
Thanks for all the responses, guys. The reason I assumed (that being the key word) that it was a .22 is because that is what I was told when I received the rifles, and, as I said before, I'm currently starting to learn about firearms. My follow up question is would it be possible (without heavy financial investment) to restore this rifle to a point where I can safely shoot with it? I'll follow up with some more detailed pictures. I realize that my best bet would be to physically take it to someone knowledgeable and have them give it a look over.
Cald is offline  
Old May 14, 2014, 08:11 PM   #13
James K
Member In Memoriam
 
Join Date: March 17, 1999
Posts: 24,383
I see nothing that would make the rifle unsafe to shoot as it is. I would clean the barrel, using a cleaning rod and patches, available at any gun shop or sporting goods store. If there is any question about the caliber, have the gun checked by a gunsmith but, like Jim Watson, I suspect it still is in 7mm Mauser. Ammunition might be hard to get today, but it can be found.

Jim
James K is offline  
Old May 14, 2014, 08:48 PM   #14
Jim Watson
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 25, 2001
Location: Alabama
Posts: 18,486
Agreed.
There is nothing visibly wrong with it.
Clean and enjoy.

Ammunition may be a problem.
You need 7mm Mauser, also known as 7x57. You do NOT need 7mm Magnum or any of half a dozen other cartridges with 7mm bullets.

Grafs.com shows Federal brand in stock but it is still over a dollar and a half a shot, $32.99 a box of 20. Ouch.

Midwayusa.com only has one brand, Nosler, the most expensive, in stock. $52 a box. BAD Ouch.

When they get some Privi Partizan back in, it is "only" $16 a box.

There will be noticeable recoil. It isn't like a .22. This is, or was, a military rifle meant to put an enemy down as far as you could see him. It is a very good medium game gun, suitable for about any animal in North America except the big bears.
Jim Watson is online now  
Old May 15, 2014, 12:17 AM   #15
FrankenMauser
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 25, 2008
Location: In the valley above the plain
Posts: 13,402
Before you buy any ammunition, you need to verify the chambering. If it isn't engraved on the barrel, I'd recommend having a gunsmith do a chamber cast to get the dimensions. It isn't a bad idea, anyway. Regardless of what it should be, it could have been rechambered or modified in any number of ways that won't be apparent to anyone on the internet.
And, while you're at it, the gunsmith can give the rifle a once-over to make sure it's still serviceable.
__________________
Don't even try it. It's even worse than the internet would lead you to believe.
FrankenMauser is offline  
Old May 15, 2014, 09:06 AM   #16
4V50 Gary
Staff
 
Join Date: November 2, 1998
Location: Colorado
Posts: 21,824
Mauser made some full size 22 LR 98s for training guns.

Open the bolt and show us the chamber and the boltface.
__________________
Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt. Molon Labe!
4V50 Gary is offline  
Old May 15, 2014, 10:42 AM   #17
Pahoo
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 16, 2006
Location: IOWA
Posts: 8,783
They sure did !!!

Quote:
Mauser made some full size 22 LR 98s for training guns.
They sure did and right down to many details, like a false cleaning rod and rain-caps. They are real beauties. .....

Be Safe !!!
__________________
'Fundamental truths' are easy to recognize because they are verified daily through simple observation and thus, require no testing.
Pahoo is offline  
Old May 15, 2014, 11:15 AM   #18
Cald
Junior Member
 
Join Date: May 8, 2014
Posts: 4
Bolt face and chamber pictures



Attached Images
File Type: jpg boltface.jpg (99.8 KB, 255 views)
File Type: jpg chamber1.jpg (243.4 KB, 246 views)
File Type: jpg chamber2.jpg (222.4 KB, 247 views)
Cald is offline  
Old May 15, 2014, 11:28 AM   #19
Microgunner
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 6, 2006
Location: Central Florida
Posts: 3,324
That's definitely center fire.
__________________
Proud NRA Benefactor Member
Microgunner is offline  
Old May 15, 2014, 03:36 PM   #20
Pahoo
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 16, 2006
Location: IOWA
Posts: 8,783
Not so fast !!

Quote:
That's definitely center fire.
That may be so but the jury is still out on this. You may have fallen into a common trap. The German .22 Trainers that I have seen were deliberately made this way; again, to match the actual 98's. If you have never seen one, you will be impressed when you do. ......

Be Safe !!!
__________________
'Fundamental truths' are easy to recognize because they are verified daily through simple observation and thus, require no testing.
Pahoo is offline  
Old May 15, 2014, 04:13 PM   #21
Jim Watson
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 25, 2001
Location: Alabama
Posts: 18,486
Main thing I see is rust in the extractor track and chamber mouth.
Gun needs a major cleanup just to evaluate.
Jim Watson is online now  
Old May 16, 2014, 10:32 AM   #22
natman
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 24, 2008
Posts: 2,604
The primer erosion on the bolt face rules out rimfire, as does the magazine configuration. A picture of the muzzle (the other end of the barrel) would cinch it.
natman is offline  
Old May 16, 2014, 07:43 PM   #23
mete
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 14, 2004
Location: NY State
Posts: 6,575
As a new shooter I think you should get a book or other source and take apart the gun completely. Then you'll learn things .Clean and inspect the gun then have it's chamber checked .That chamber check might be done by a gunsmith and he can check the whole gun.
__________________
And Watson , bring your revolver !
mete is offline  
Old May 16, 2014, 08:14 PM   #24
James K
Member In Memoriam
 
Join Date: March 17, 1999
Posts: 24,383
I hate to argue with an expert, but there is no way that rifle is a German KK training rifle. Period.

Jim
James K is offline  
Old May 16, 2014, 10:25 PM   #25
Jim Watson
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 25, 2001
Location: Alabama
Posts: 18,486
Scorch said it and i said it, a Spanish Mauser.
The 1916 upgrade to an 1893, to be exact.
Jim Watson is online now  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 07:23 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.10493 seconds with 11 queries