Belgian Navy Mauser

S

shootinironlen

Member
EE Expired
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
Location
Keswick Ridge NB
So this is my Mauser. It's an interesting piece of Milsurp. It's a Mauser that's factory chambered in 30-06. They were made in pretty small numbers. From what I have been able to gather, the Belgian navy used these to shoot at and detonate mines. Unfortunately my rifle had a run in with Bubba, who felt it was a good idea to bend the bolt handle and rough cut the stock. I rarely see them up for sale unfortunately. This one easily shoots 1 moa at 100, which is better than I can shoot without mechanical assistance...

HOrwQFB.jpg

yhyX9cX.jpg

q5Pj0fK.jpg
 
Shame about the bolt handle but still a nice, hard to find Mauser.

Maybe a correct bolt body could be found and a piece of filler wood installed in the bolt handle groove cut into the stock?
 
Nice rifle! I really like the 30-06 FN's. I have one very similar but the crest was ground off, it's an amazing shooter and been in my family for a three generations taken more then it's fair share of game. It's nicknamed the ugly stick cause it's been dropped, quad flipped on it in a creek, fell off a quad at 50mph, I ran it over in my pick up but still shoots better then I can.





 
How do one tell it's in 30-06? Is caliber marked somewhere? I just see those FN mausers from time to time but don't recall caliber markings. I assumed most of them 7.92x57.
 
My FN-Herstal Mauser in .30-'06 has the crest ground off and the notch on the receiver ring to accommodate the longer '06 round. No markings to indicate calibre otherwise.

I bought it along with a trainer in .22 LR. Can't tell the difference until you look at the muzzle. Both have straight bolt handles and shoot like a hot damn! The .22 does it's best work with CCI MiniMags. The sight increments are right on with it.

Oddly, the .22 has the crest intact: Crown over 'B" over ABL over 1952. Both are coated in that battleship grey Teflon coating which I like. The bolt on the '06 is in the white.

ABL = Armee Belgigue Legere, IIRC

I nearly sold the '06 once until the guy told me he was going to make a Bubba sporter out of it. Yeah, right ......
 
Yeah, that's one thing about them. They REALLY let you know when it goes bang. Kicks haaaaard.

Oddly, the crest was blasted off of my Mauser as well. There appears to be a common theme. Mine, plus your own, and a third I have seen all identically had the crest sanded off the receiver. I sense a mystery!
 
I have a book on the FN produced Mausers.

It says that the post-war '06 versions were built with a slightly beefier stock to accommodate the greater recoil. I once fired 36 rds of various GI ball ammo wearing only a T-shirt on a warm summer day as I wanted the brass for another reloading project. Big mistake .....

I quickly realized that shooting from the bench was a bad idea, so I shot most off hand. I was nearly punchy by the time I was finished, definitely with a recoil head ache.
I badly bruised my right arm and shoulder taking months for it to heal.

Now when I shoot it, I wear my USMC shooting jacket with padded shoulder or my lined hunting camo jacket. Life is good .....
 
From the research I have done, most of the Belgian navy mauser with gray parkerizing were either made in 1951 or 1952, with the vast majority made in '51. This may not be accurate, as I have not been able to cross verify it anywhere else but for a single reference source.
 
How do we know these Mausers were Belgian Naval as opposed to Military?

I once had an FN 49 in '06 that was similarly grey-coated. I always thought of it as military rather than naval.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom