Light Infantry is spot on.
South American Mausers of all types languished for decades. Many folks curled up their lip, when they were even mentioned.
One of the usual "quotes" was "They weren't used in combat"
That type of mentality comes from people that haven't done their due diligence
South American Mausers were used extensively in military engagements and many still bear the scars.
Recently, over the last 3-4 years, the 98 based models have been drawing more attention.
The lovely NIW Brazilian M1908s and M1935s were always pricey and popular, right from the first days of their release from Brazilian service. Many were used as bases for custom builds. I still have one of the units that were cut down and offered by International in the mid seventies.
They took brand new, out of the crate M1935s, cut back the barrels to 24inches, removed the rear sights and bent down the bolt handles to clear a scope.
The receivers weren't profiled by removing the charger hump and they came with original triggers and trigger guards/floorplate/magwell and follower.
They weren't D&T because at that time hole spacing wasn't as standardized as it is today and the smiths doing the custom builds often had proprietary mounts of their own.
At that time, the M1935s were selling for $75 in the wrap, with all accessories, $90.
A cut back rifle sold for $120, no stock, all ready for the smith or bubba to finish it to their own personal or customer requests.
Now, those same rifles are far to valuable to modify into sporters.
One particular model of Mausers that really deserves a lot more attention than they get, almost in the Rodney Dangerfield category, are the M91 and its variants. IMHO, this is because they are mostly chambered for the 7.63x53, commonly known as the 7.65Argentine.
This cartridge was never released as surplus to the civilian market in significant quantities. Most of the nations used it all up, before releasing the rifles.
I had a chance to put in a bid on a Peruvian lot of surplus 7.65x53. I declined, after viewing it in 1976. IMHO, it was component quality only. Ye Olde Hunter, out of the US got it all, with some palm greasing and paying to have it packed up and removed from the site.
The Belgians issued the M91s and the cartridge right up to WWII. It will do anything the 7.62Nato round will do and has identical ballistics.
Then there are the often neglected M93/95/96 models. All of which have seen extensive combat use on almost every continent.
Let us not forget the fabulous Kropatschek 8mm rifles. Superbly built by Steyr in Switzerland for Portugal, with parts fitting so close it can be difficult to see the seam.
I could go on but the list is long. There are a lot of hidden gems out there. I notice that most Martini variants are still very affordable and many are chambered in the venerable 303 British.
Alas, much of it is based on "snob appeal" more than the historical role of the firearm.
South American Mausers of all types languished for decades. Many folks curled up their lip, when they were even mentioned.
One of the usual "quotes" was "They weren't used in combat"
That type of mentality comes from people that haven't done their due diligence
South American Mausers were used extensively in military engagements and many still bear the scars.
Recently, over the last 3-4 years, the 98 based models have been drawing more attention.
The lovely NIW Brazilian M1908s and M1935s were always pricey and popular, right from the first days of their release from Brazilian service. Many were used as bases for custom builds. I still have one of the units that were cut down and offered by International in the mid seventies.
They took brand new, out of the crate M1935s, cut back the barrels to 24inches, removed the rear sights and bent down the bolt handles to clear a scope.
The receivers weren't profiled by removing the charger hump and they came with original triggers and trigger guards/floorplate/magwell and follower.
They weren't D&T because at that time hole spacing wasn't as standardized as it is today and the smiths doing the custom builds often had proprietary mounts of their own.
At that time, the M1935s were selling for $75 in the wrap, with all accessories, $90.
A cut back rifle sold for $120, no stock, all ready for the smith or bubba to finish it to their own personal or customer requests.
Now, those same rifles are far to valuable to modify into sporters.
One particular model of Mausers that really deserves a lot more attention than they get, almost in the Rodney Dangerfield category, are the M91 and its variants. IMHO, this is because they are mostly chambered for the 7.63x53, commonly known as the 7.65Argentine.
This cartridge was never released as surplus to the civilian market in significant quantities. Most of the nations used it all up, before releasing the rifles.
I had a chance to put in a bid on a Peruvian lot of surplus 7.65x53. I declined, after viewing it in 1976. IMHO, it was component quality only. Ye Olde Hunter, out of the US got it all, with some palm greasing and paying to have it packed up and removed from the site.
The Belgians issued the M91s and the cartridge right up to WWII. It will do anything the 7.62Nato round will do and has identical ballistics.
Then there are the often neglected M93/95/96 models. All of which have seen extensive combat use on almost every continent.
Let us not forget the fabulous Kropatschek 8mm rifles. Superbly built by Steyr in Switzerland for Portugal, with parts fitting so close it can be difficult to see the seam.
I could go on but the list is long. There are a lot of hidden gems out there. I notice that most Martini variants are still very affordable and many are chambered in the venerable 303 British.
Alas, much of it is based on "snob appeal" more than the historical role of the firearm.
