DOU 45 Israeli Mauser - School Me Please

Brookwood

Brookwood

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Hello everyone

I stumbled across a DOU 45 Israeli Mauser. I have heard about them, passed over them a time or two at a gun show but was never really interested in them. I picked this one up out of the rack and had a good look at it. Hmmm...interesting I thought and then put it back. After I settled in at home, I propped my feet up, hit the books and the interweb.......and promptly fell down the rabbit hole about the fascinating history behind these rifles.

What I can tell you about this one (from memory)-

- DOU 45, peened eagles
- Israeli stock, winter trigger, riveted sight
- 7.62 marked barrel and stock
- Matching bolt to barrel

My main field of interest/research/collecting has always been primarily WW2 German and Soviet firearms - this Israeli Mauser is a completely new avenue for me. I would appreciate guidance from some of the more knowledgeable members on a few questions I have -

What is fair market value for one of these rifles? Is there anything I should specifically look for (in terms of an 'A' being more historic than a 'B')? How common are these in Canada?

Thank you in advance,

Brookwood
 
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I've got the same DOU 45, mismatch bolt though. The barrel on mine, as most of them, was brand new, basically unfired. Without a doubt it's the most accurate milsurp I will ever own. I really wasn't expecting much from it but with Norinco surplus the first three rounds went into one ragged hole. Two more only made the hole slightly larger and five more left a ten shot group sub 1 1/4 in size. I was shocked and it's been repeated several times over. A keeper for sure.
 
I have at least two. They are generally decent rifles. The big plus is the availability of Chinese "surplus" ammo. I have used a fair bit of the ammo in one of these rifles. Very pleasant to shoot.

Edit: One here is a DOU45, one a CZ, and one is an FN, all nice rifles. The one I've shot a bit isn't here at the moment. So, I guess I have at least four. :)

Another edit: My go to is also a DOU45. It is a nice one and shoots like a dream.
 
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Brookwood said:
- DOU 45, peened eagles
- Israeli stock, winter trigger, riveted sight
- 7.62 marked barrel and stock
- Matching bolt to barrel

What is fair market value for one of these rifles? Is there anything I should specifically look for (in terms of an 'A' being more historic than a 'B')? How common are these in Canada?

Thank you in advance,

Brookwood
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DOU 45 would make it an end of the war Czech built rifle, serial number and letter block will tell you where in the year. Not as well traveled as a rifle from Germany but just as serviceable.

$5-600 depending on condition. Folks will pay more for things like rare codes, milled bits, hardwood stocks and of course the elusive IDF k98 in the original 7.92mm. Peening or scoring markings is a 50/50 chance from what I’ve seen. One of the books says it was a personal choice or maybe done at the unit level but apparently there was no formal attempt to denazify the rifles.

They’re fairly common, think there were three on the EE when I looked last.

Pics are good!

(Also, it’s a stamped trigger, winter triggers are an external device so the rifle could be fired without having to insert a finger in the trigger guard. The Czechs and Israelis both made their own as supplies of milled parts ran out). ;)
 
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When Israel was searching for weapons, after independence. Czechoslovakia was one of the few sources available to them. Lots of K98Ks were purchased, with every possible manufacturer. CZ made '45 dated rifles may well have been assembled NOS. In the 50s, brand new K98K style rifles were purchased from FN, IDF crest on the receiver ring. After Israel adopted the FN FAL series, many Mausers were altered to 7.62x51. At least two different systems of magazine blocking were used. The 7.62 rifles were second line issue, the remaining 7.92 rifles probably retained in kibbutz armories, etc. The 7.62s were well marked for caliber. 7.92s had grooves filed in their bolt handles, so they could be identified by touch. The 7.62 barrels were made by FN. Apparently a good sized batch (10k?) of 7.62 rifles were sold to Guatemala. Don't know what happened to these.
There are also the .22 training conversions.
 
f780 said:
I've got the same DOU 45, mismatch bolt though. The barrel on mine, as most of them, was brand new, basically unfired. Without a doubt it's the most accurate milsurp I will ever own. I really wasn't expecting much from it but with Norinco surplus the first three rounds went into one ragged hole. Two more only made the hole slightly larger and five more left a ten shot group sub 1 1/4 in size. I was shocked and it's been repeated several times over. A keeper for sure.
Click to expand...

I had similar results
 
Deltasilver said:
DOU 45 would make it an end of the war Czech built rifle, serial number and letter block will tell you where in the year. Not as well traveled as a rifle from Germany but just as serviceable.

$5-600 depending on condition. Folks will pay more for things like rare codes, milled bits, hardwood stocks and of course the elusive IDF k98 in the original 7.92mm. Peening or scoring markings is a 50/50 chance from what I’ve seen. One of the books says it was a personal choice or maybe done at the unit level but apparently there was no formal attempt to denazify the rifles.

They’re fairly common, think there were three on the EE when I looked last.

Pics are good!

(Also, it’s a stamped trigger, winter triggers are an external device so the rifle could be fired without having to insert a finger in the trigger guard. The Czechs and Israelis both made their own as supplies of milled parts ran out). ;)
Click to expand...

I think he may mean the enlarged trigger guard loop.
 
CanadianAR said:
I think he may mean the enlarged trigger guard loop.
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And that’s what I meant too. Gun boards and Wehrmacht-awards share a couple neat write ups on what parts changed when at what factory. One of the things they both mention is that “Winter” trigger guard is American retailer speak much like “Sneak” is to M39s. Something the folks at Interarms and Mitchell’s used to upsell post war guns.

The Kurgan said:
DOT=Brno, Czech
DOU=Bystrica, Slovakia

No difference in quality, but just thought I'd point out the difference.
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Good catch, I’ve typed DOU into my phone often enough that it autocorrects for it!
 
Yes I meant enlarged trigger guard. Again, this is a rifle I previously knew little about until the day I made the original post. Most of the documentation and web info I came across referred to it as a 'winter trigger' guard and I am familiar with WW2 German K98 nomenclature that refers to the enlarged trigger guard as such as well, so I figured If that is what everyone else is calling it, that's what she be....

Thank you everyone for your info.

Brookwood
 
Brookwood said:
...I am familiar with WW2 German K98 nomenclature that refers to the enlarged trigger guard as such as well, so I figured If that is what everyone else is calling it, that's what she be....

Thank you everyone for your info.

Brookwood
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While the Germans did use stamped parts late in the war, the large loop trigger guards are a post war innovation from the Czechs who ran out of milled parts and couldn't make their own. Then the Israelis did the same when they ran out of German and Czech parts. Same for stocks, barrel bands, springs, etc.

Just for fun, try to find a pic of a "winter trigger guard" with a German (not Czech) waffenamt. Or a German soldier and his winter trigger guard rifle.
 
So is a DOU 44 that's not Israeli worth more if still original condition?
I have one I got on trade and will be selling but know nothing about them.

JJ
 
Hi
I like the israeli ones, lots of history, i have two in 7.62 so far, one full wood, one sporterised
And snoozed the other day and missed buying another one

currently considering a .22 converted one
but not sure what they are like

cheers J
 
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