22 Mauser....

[Brutus]

So now that I have a pre-WW2 22 LR Mauser in the mail....my question to you fellow CGN's is this.
Does anyone on this forum have experience with the ES340b or ES350b mauser rifle?
How did they shoot and your overall opinion?

And if you had such, have you tried different match sight options?
For example I have the option of mounting match Anschutz rimfire sights front and rear, but I believe this may interfere with the mauser safety lever. Plus I believe I read someone once a long long time ago that European rimfire rifles were grooved on the receiver for 11mm mounts....Any opinions?

Cheers............

 

[Slash5]

Is that off the exchange forum?
If I had the money, I'd be on that. Assuming decent shape.

I've got a ES340B in very nice condition.
Mine is scoped with a K10 Weaver - a long skinny scope, looks kinda period, looks good on the gun. Real high see-through mounts plus the skinny scope to clear the bolt. A normal peep would have to be mounted too far forward to clear the bolt. The proper peep extends back on the left side and then up. If you look around on the net, there are some scans of a Mauser brochure that show the peep.
If you can't find the scans, let me know and I can send it to you.

It's a great shooter - I consider it one of my best guns and would buy another in a moment. I've got lots of targets under 3/8" - .28", .36". at 50 yards, .85 at 100 yards.
My 12 year old daughter has claimed the Mauser as hers.

 

[Brutus]

Yes Slash5 I did buy it off another CGN member....very lucky for me.

I did a bit of reading up on it. Apparently "our" Mausers were initially designed and made for international competition as every match in Germany during that era, was geared towards military skills style comp. Hence no German domestic competition at the time would allow heavy barrels, light trigger pulls etc, as thier soldiers would not have this option in the field.

Initially in 1912 matches the Germans got there asses kicked due to poorer equipment apparently and for the matches that were to happen in 1916 these rifles were designed for.

Of course the Great War changed all of that.
I believe the first ones were made about 1930, but I could be off a few years.

If you have seen the .22 DWM model 1934, it was the most direct copy of the army issue K98.
With so many citizens in uniform this was bound to happen, sooner or later.

No need to scan and send but thanks for the kind offer! But now I remember seeing the left hand offset on the large match peep sight, that makes sense if you think about mauser safeties.

My collector book from Gun Digest states that the ES350B was called the "championship" model and they had checkering right from the factory, as opposed to the 340s without. It would not leave the mauser factory unless it was capable of shooting within 20mm at 50 meters.

There are alot more ES340bs out there than ES350bs, for some unknown reason. Like you personally have found out, all referances state very good to excellent accuracy.

Bye the way ES stood for Einze, or one shot model.
There were sporters made and they had the prefix, MS, or multi? shooter.
I think the model # refered to one MS410b?

They (repeaters)are often seen with the long finger groove in the forward part of the riflestock like military issue 7.92 mm K98s, the early single shot 22 match rifles do not have this groove in the forearm.

Thankyou Slash5, there are not too many of these in Canada.....or current owners are keeping this secret to themselves!
Cheers......

 

[Slash5]

The Jon Speed book, Mauser Smallbore Sporting Target & Training Rifles is a great reference. A lot of money but good reading.

There is a Mauser collector that sets up a small display at the local gun shows. He has a bunch of stuff including the original scope and mounts for a smallbore Mauser. Also the aperture sight and some spare mags.

Buying my Mauser got me interested in Mauser style rifles.
I've since got a rough MAS 45, a couple of Yugo 56's, a Simson trainer, a Pattz trainer, an Erma trainer and even a Norinco JW25. And of course, a few Mauser centerfires.
Love to get a KKW but don't think I can afford one.

 

[Brutus]

Hell Slash5....

I understand completely. Even I have a FN K98 action, of course sporterized.
But I can easily see how you have come to appreciate them.
Right now a rimfire and a centrefire are all I have room for.

Perhaps that book is in my future first off.....