Mauser Trainer

[Quadguy]

I am a Garand guy and know very little about the mauser rifles. I fellow club member showed up at a .22 steel shoot my club was running with what I will call a Mauser trainer. The rifle had the look of a Mauser but was chambered for .22 LF it was single shot and looked very good. He said he picked it up at a local gun shop for 175.00 and wasn'y sure if he paid too much or too little. I was banging a steel target 6" by 6" at 200 yards with it as long as I could see that front aperature clearly. Is this rifle worth what he paid or did he get taken? I suspect the gunshop didn't know what they had. As I do know the 1922 trainers I see are worth much more.

[dave]

It may not be a "trainer" at all. Many .22 single shot rifles were made before the war. They were all commercial and made for sale to the general public. Two rifles usually refered to as 'trainers' are the KKW, (Kleinkaliber Wehrsportgewehr;= Small Bore Service Sport Rifle) and the DSM 34, (Dueutsches Sportmodel 34). Altho limited amounts for these were used to train youth groups and were also purchased by the SA for training they were not official 'training' rifles of the military services. Some did, however, make there way into and were used by the Army and other services. Both of these are stocked full length like the service K98k and look like one, the KKW being almost an exact copy. There were several or more others stocked like conventional sporters. If in any kind of good condition at all 175 is a steal. A KKW will sell up of a 1000, A DSM34 maybe 800 and most of the others will be 4-600. Would need the exact model to know any more.

[Quadguy]

Thank you dave. The next time I see that rifle , I will take note of the model ( look for all markings ) .

[n64atlas]

did it have open sights like a Mauser or apperature sights? As Dave said, was it full stocked like this pic:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0603/n64atlas/Trainers/trainer4.jpg

[Quadguy]

Yes to both questions. From a few feet away it looked like a K98 ....

[LukeTheDrifter]

I sure would love to see pictures (hint, hint), but there's no way that he got taken. If for anything else, you already know its a great little accurate rifle!! But my suspicions are that it's probably worth at least twice what he paid. I could be wrong, of course. It's hard to tell without, ahem, pictures!!! :)

[dave]

Twice what he paid? $350? You got to be kidding! I'll buy them all day long for that and double my money---like in one door , right out the other! The two KKW's pictured above could go over grand each! I am assuming, like all I've ever seen, good to VG condition.

[LukeTheDrifter]

Dave, relax, man!! :) I said "at least", didn't I? Since the OP isn't familiar with Mausers at all, I had to play it safe that it's not some Romanian .22 trainer or something. :) Oh man, I can't wait to find out what it is!! I really love the old German trainers. Maybe it's one of those beautiful JGA trainers?? Can't wait!! :)

[dave]

Sorry I upset you but no one has mentioned any romanian trainer, the OP is not so dumb (unfamilar) to know what a K98 looks like and he ID gun to 'look like a K98'. A KKW is the likely canidate with the DSM 34 a close secound.