8 mm Mauser

[Jeff S]

Well, I’m sitting in the deer blind with my daughter McKenzie. She uses a Ruger M77 .270. I loaned my prized M77 30.06 to my son-in-law so that leaves me with my “sporterized” 1936 8 mm Mauser. I think after WWII these were everywhere in the deer woods of Michigan, but now they’ve gone the way if the dodo bird. I’ve heard they’re deadly at the 50-75 yard range. Please pardon the obligatory raccoon poop on the floor of our blind.

[Silvers]

Excellent rifles. And yes they and sporterized Arisakas were pretty common in the deer woods when I was a kid. Still pretty effective if you get out in the woods for some still or makeshift stand hunting. So many today at least here in PA and able bodied are sitting on padded chairs in elevated/enclosed/heated deer blinds that seem to be everywhere. Also doing the sniper bit with the latest Magnum and topped by a high power rangefinding scope. Not my thing but to each his own.

Jeff I assume that's your Dad's rifle he brought back from Europe after WW2? Adds to the pics of his other pieces you txted to me. If so, a nice tribute. frank

[ROMAC]

Krags were pretty common too. Very slick action.

I regret having passed on a beautifully engraved hex action mosin nagant 91/30 for cheap money a long time ago.

I agree with Frank. I’ve killed over 50 deer and only one was over 80 yards. 110 with a sabot across a cut corn field.

[44whiskey]

my first was sporterized enfield 303.there were 2 whiskey barrels full of rifles in local hardware store, 303s your choice 30 dollars, mausers your choice 35 dollars

[Silvers]

Thanks Roger, I forgot about Krags, also very common and effective. 1903 and 03/A3 Springfields and Argentine 1891's too.

Some nostalgia on 8mm Mausers ..... the norm for younger guys back in the day was to save up and buy a used "deer rifle" for our bear, buck and doe deer seasons - no Sunday hunting and about 15 days total - and then flip the rifle afterwards at a $ loss to one of many small gun shops. I was in college and one year I'd saved enough to buy a WW2 bringback Sauer custom rifle, 8mm "JS" with spoon bolt handle, double triggers, engraved action and a ribbed barrel with flip up Express sights. Way cool and $65. At the time, big money. I was checking sighting with some Norma ammo and taped a target onto a discarded TV that was at our town garbage dump. The bullet went right though the TV endwise and then through a refrigerator and then an oil drum standing behind. "Wow" said my buddy. I did get a buck that year and a week or so later sold that Mauser to another gun shop for $85. One of the few early gun buys I made money on. I needed the scratch for snow tires for my Ford. I often think about those times and that Mauser. frank

[Jeff S]

Frank, actually I purchased this Mauser from another WWII vet, my great uncle George Geisendorfer for $150 back in ‘84. I wanted his 12ga. SxS and he would only sell as a “package” with a .22 pistol. All three guns for $400.

[Researcher]

My uncle Harley, my father's youngest brother, joined up in 1940, and was eventually in the fight with Patton's 3rd Army for the Battle of the Bulge. He mailed a Gewehr 43 8mm to my father, at some point during the war. Harley came from Minnesota out to Washington State in the fall of 1951 or 2 and used the Gewehr 43 deer and elk hunting with my father and his buddies. As far as I know that was the only use it ever saw and I don't remember us ever shooting it. After I retired and cleaned out the house in Seattle I took the Gewehr 43 to Minnesota and gave it to one of Harley's grandsons and my father's Model 94 Carbine .32 WS to the other.

[jolly bill]

Below are some pictures I took from a Stoeger's 1939 catalog, the year of the World's Fair in NYC. Sorry the pictures aren't very sharp and crisp but you get the idea.

It shows the various surplus rifles and what it cost to buy a sporterized model.

Jeff: here's your Mauser. The 8mm Mauser cost $27.50. Another $2.50 if it needed a firing pin.

The .30 - 40 Krag was $24.00. You can see in the fine print you could buy one thru the NRA CMP for $1.50.

If you wanted to buy a sporterized 1917 Enfield, that would be $27.50. $7.50 if you wanted to buy an original one thru the NRA CMP.

Then there is the Russian 7.62 to get the sporterized version for $24.00.

I'm sure there were a lot of them out there and used as Frank recalls back in the old days.

[Jeff S]

$27.50!!!! My uncle hosed me.

[jolly bill]

$27.50!!!! My uncle hosed me.

Ya need better underwear!

[Jeff S]

Remember the good old days when everybody engraved their social security number on their guns for positive identification in case of theft.

[Mike of the Mountain]

Below are some pictures I took from a Stoeger's 1939 catalog, the year of the World's Fair in NYC. Sorry the pictures aren't very sharp and crisp but you get the idea.

It shows the various surplus rifles and what it cost to buy a sporterized model.

Jeff: here's your Mauser. The 8mm Mauser cost $27.50. Another $2.50 if it needed a firing pin.

IMG_5194-10.jpg


The .30 - 40 Krag was $24.00. You can see in the fine print you could buy one thru the NRA CMP for $1.50.

IMG_5196-10.jpg


If you wanted to buy a sporterized 1917 Enfield, that would be $27.50. $7.50 if you wanted to buy an original one thru the NRA CMP.

IMG_5197-10.jpg


Then there is the Russian 7.62 to get the sporterized version for $24.00.

IMG_5198-15.jpg

I'm sure there were a lot of them out there and used as Frank recalls back in the old days.

Bill, did they give to catalogs to you when you attended the World's Fair? Asking for a friend.

[Mike of the Mountain]

my first was sporterized enfield 303.there were 2 whiskey barrels full of rifles in local hardware store, 303s your choice 30 dollars, mausers your choice 35 dollars

I remember a local gun shop in Breinigsville, PA, Eagle Arms, used to have Swedish Mausers by the barrel full (back in the 1970s)! $25 for a full stock Swedish Mauser!! They had beautiful wood. I had no interest in the Mausers so I passed on them. Eagle Arms is still in the same building, but they no longer have "barrels full of Mausers".

[sparky]

Memories American Auto barrel of 303 jungle edition enfields a long with the purchase ot 1903 spring fields for 15 dollars from NRA CMP. Leading to addition of customing spring fields with semi Bishop stocks & local gun machinest altering bolts becoming our deer hunting rifle to surpass winchester 94 30 /30 . Leading to long path of classic customs by those publised such as jack oconnor
-

[44whiskey]

mike, at the time i purchased my 303, i think a mark 4 ,i had never seen a jungle carbine. once i had i longed for the jungle carbine,but alas i never aquired one.it was sold at a handsome profit and those funds plus went towards the purchase of remington 700 bdl 30 06. i was in tall cotton with the remington.good memories ps good thread Jeff double ps my second hand 700 had a silver dollar not too expertly inlayed on right side of buttstock which made it stand out from all the other 700 bdls,i guess you would call it a touch of elegance