Mexican Mauser

[Griff Murphey]

I was in a small-town Texas gunshop Saturday and looking at the milsurps. There was a Mexican Mauser dated 1921. I have always been intrigued with the whole Mexican-revolution-civil war thing and naturally visions of the WILD BUNCH shootout at the General's HQ come to mind as I reached for my wallet. However, it just looked too clean. The wood reminded me of Swedish wood, and the rear sight tangent was so crisp and clean it was "too good to be true." The shop owner agreed it had been refinished. Only the buttplate displayed some pitting. My question for someone who knows these guns is: Did someone like Miltech or Mitchell's make up a batch of "restored" Mexican 7X57's? I wasn't serious enough about it to punch out the bore, which was very dark, but the shop owner averred that I "might be looking at cosmoline..."
$300.

Thoughts? Photos? I have a lot of old AMERICAN RIFLEMAN issues from the late 50's early 60's and Ye Old Hunter's Lodge etc. sold lots of these but they were always in Fair or Poor condition.

[dave]

Might be looking at cosmoline? Ya, right! why the heck doesen't he swab the bore? afraid the pits will show up?

[randy langford]

Most of them were rode hard and put up wet but you never know. Did the metal look polished was the crest sharp or did it look worn? A lot of them I have seen have had stocks where the wood does look like the Swedish Mausers $300 wouldn't be totally out of line even for a refinished one and I bet you could get it cheaper than that.

[jon_norstog]

Griff,

The Mexican Army pretty much hangs on to their long guns unless they are shot out. But you never know. My baby brother got a real nice one when he was 12 or 13, back in the early '60s. He had it rebarrled by CC Johnson, and still has it. A great rifle.

I have one with a Douglas barrell in 6.5x55. It's a Mexican Swede. I dropped it into a swede military stock with just a tiny bit of knife work inletting the receiver, and swede stock hardware.

The Mexican Mauser is right up there with the best of them. I like the small ring, you don't see many '98s in that configuration. Jim Bedaux, the Albuquerque gunsmith, told me the Mexican Government bought steel from Winchester for some of the rifles, at least.

As for the price, with a surplused Mexican, you're buying the action. Good luck!

jn

[Griff Murphey]

Jon:
Well, that's kind of what I'm afraid of... how correct is it? Having never actually seen one... The only reason I WOULD buy one is if it was original military, and a shooter.

[jon_norstog]

retread, who posted here about the 1936 Mexicans, has a line on two rifles w/ bayonet that sound like the real deal. If they pan out, I would guess $750 and up might be a reasonable price - about what you would pay for a similarly decent Krag. The gun you are looking at could be junk. But those are great actions for building a rifle, easliy worth $150 if there is no pitting and the numbers match.

Good luck!

jn

[Griff Murphey]

Well, trying to research these, prices are all over the board. They are quite rare. This rifle is a restoration; probably a fake, however at the core it is a real receiver. I am wishing I had punched out that barrel. If nothing else it could fill the bill of being able to say I have one, even if it's somewhat of a replica. I have no interest in making up any more 1960's sporterized military rifles! That is "so - OVER!" I don't even know if it is authentic enough to qualify as a CMP vintage comp rifle.