I was at a gun show on Sunday, and a cute little mauser caught my eye. It was a tiny little carbine with decent stock that had no cracks or major dents or marks. The bluing was ok , and the inside of the barrel was shiny , with lots of crisp rifling. It had a 17 + 1/2 " barrel I think ( didn't measure it , but that would be close).
The vendor said it was an Argentine carbine. I really liked it , but there was a few things that bothered me about it. It had hardly any markings on it any wear. No crest on the receiver , no makers mark that I could see . I didn't like the way the bolt felt during operation. I have handled a few mausers , K98s , Swede 96s + m38s , Gew 71/84 s , and this little carbine's action just didn't feel right to me. It didn't have the typical mauser smoothness or feel to it. I think it was an Argentine , that had been sold to another south American country, Peru perhaps , and the crest probably scrubbed at that time. But there still should have been manufacturer's marks , model #s I thought. I noticed it had a very large back sight assembly on it, so I assumed it was cut down from a longer rifle . The carbines usually have a shorter based sight. The wood did not go all the way to the end of the barrel , and end in a steel nose cap like a 94 swede. It ended back a few inches from the bore. I was torn . I wasn't sure exactly what it was. I didn't like the feel of the bolt and it looked like it would kick like a mule. But it was cute as hell , and the price was very reasonable.
I passed on it , because I didn't want to start reloading for another caliber. It was in 7.65x53mm argentine.
I have remorse now for not buying it. DANG ! Who else has passed on a gun , and then kicked themselves later? lol
The vendor said it was an Argentine carbine. I really liked it , but there was a few things that bothered me about it. It had hardly any markings on it any wear. No crest on the receiver , no makers mark that I could see . I didn't like the way the bolt felt during operation. I have handled a few mausers , K98s , Swede 96s + m38s , Gew 71/84 s , and this little carbine's action just didn't feel right to me. It didn't have the typical mauser smoothness or feel to it. I think it was an Argentine , that had been sold to another south American country, Peru perhaps , and the crest probably scrubbed at that time. But there still should have been manufacturer's marks , model #s I thought. I noticed it had a very large back sight assembly on it, so I assumed it was cut down from a longer rifle . The carbines usually have a shorter based sight. The wood did not go all the way to the end of the barrel , and end in a steel nose cap like a 94 swede. It ended back a few inches from the bore. I was torn . I wasn't sure exactly what it was. I didn't like the feel of the bolt and it looked like it would kick like a mule. But it was cute as hell , and the price was very reasonable.
I passed on it , because I didn't want to start reloading for another caliber. It was in 7.65x53mm argentine.
I have remorse now for not buying it. DANG ! Who else has passed on a gun , and then kicked themselves later? lol
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