Help identifying a Mauser sporting rifle?

[rci2950]

So i picked up a Mauser sporter today for a restore project. It doesn't seem to be a sporteriesed Mauser but a factory made one. There is nothing on the top of the receiver ring. Only a small bit of proofing information on the side and some things written under the barrel. The stock, bolt, barrel and receiver all have matching serial numbers. The stock is numbered on the inside under where the barrel lays. I have disassembled it and taken pictures. I am hoping to find any information i can. There is no caliber written on the rifle. The person i got it from has never fired it but thought it was 7.65 Argentine. However I chambered a sized and primed 30-06 case in the rifle and fired the primer. This really has my noggin joggin. Here is the pics. If anyone can help at all it would be appreciated. Especially if someone could post a picture of a 7.65 Argentine round next to a 30-06...

 

[buffdog]

Check the trigger mechanism. That trigger seems to be a bit far forward, and you may have a double set trigger.

 

[9.3mauser]

The .30/06 is much longer than the Argentine round and shouldn't chamber. The rifle itself is likely a "guild" gun, built between the wars from a military surplus action. I may be mistaken but I believe the 7.4mm refers to the land diameter, not the groove diameter. The markings on the side of the receiver indicate the bullet type ( Stahl-mantel Geschoss = steel jacketed bullet; 14.6 (grams) = 225 grs. This makes me think it was originally chambered for the 8x57J using a .318" bullet. Since a .30/06 case chambers, it may have been rechambered in this country to 8mm/06, for the sake of cheap, easy to acquire milsurp brass.

The rear sight is not original. Most likely it had a fixed standing and 2-folding leaf arrangement originally. As buffdog said, it appears to have had double set triggers (common at the time) and the rear one, ( to "set") is missing.

Have a chamber cast made before you try to fire it.

 

[rci2950]

The .30/06 is much longer than the Argentine round and shouldn't chamber. The rifle itself is likely a "guild" gun, built between the wars from a military surplus action. I may be mistaken but I believe the 7.4mm refers to the land diameter, not the groove diameter. The markings on the side of the receiver indicate the bullet type ( Stahl-mantel Geschoss = steel jacketed bullet; 14.6 (grams) = 225 grs. This makes me think it was originally chambered for the 8x57J using a .318" bullet. Since a .30/06 case chambers, it may have been rechambered in this country to 8mm/06, for the sake of cheap, easy to acquire milsurp brass.

The rear sight is not original. Most likely it had a fixed standing and 2-folding leaf arrangement originally. As buffdog said, it appears to have had double set triggers (common at the time) and the rear one, ( to "set") is missing.

Have a chamber cast made before you try to fire it.

You gave me an idea. So to test the 8mm theory i took two new factory 30-06 rounds (winchester) and placed one nose down in the muzzle of the mystery mauser and one in my Husqvarna in 8mm mauser. The bullet goes a lot further into the 8mm barrel. but sticks tight in the 30-06 one. And to double check i stuck the same bullet that was in the muzzle of the mystery mauser into my Yugoslav M48 muzzle and then my K98 muzzle. Same depth. This lifted some stress off me, I really didn't want this to be 8mm-06.

Edit: The 14.6 is written on the receiver ring, Could it be possible this is left over from when the receiver was on a military rifle if it is a surplus receiver? Maybe the rifle was simply re barrelled at some point. I also just looked on wikipedia and it says the lands diameter for 7.92x57J and S is both 7.9mm If this one is 7.4mm then it should be 30 cal..


The mystery mauser is on the left. The husqvarna commercial sporter on the right.

This is the Yugo M48

And last, the K98

I went back and grabbed another loose 30-06 round and stuck it in my Garand just to get another test subject.

 

[rci2950]

Im going to do a call around to the gun smiths within driving distance and see which one has the stuff for making a chamber casting. in the mean time... Here is the mystery mauser with a 7mm magnum round nose down in its muzzle. So the bore is bigger then 7mm and smaller then 8mm. Im going to mash some play dough in the chamber and try and push it out see what it looks like. I know it is not as sure as an actual chamber casting but it might help make me more sure...

Edit: The play dough was a bad idea. lol good thing its water soluble. Also the trigger is a normal 98 trigger but it looks like the stock and trigger guard is designed that it would accommodate a double set trigger.

 

[buffdog]

.
Edit: The 14.6 is written on the receiver ring, Could it be possible this is left over from when the receiver was on a military rifle if it is a surplus receiver? Maybe the rifle was simply re barrelled at some point. I also just looked on wikipedia and it says the lands diameter for 7.92x57J and S is both 7.9mm If this one is 7.4mm then it should be 30 cal..

Be very careful on assumptions. The ORIGINAL 8x57 Mauser cartridge was .318 diameter, and it was later changed to the present .323 diameter. Many of these SPORTING rifles were made in .318 diameter at the request of German hunters. It is almost impossible to discern the .005 difference by the Mark 1 eyeball.

European shooters are very aware of the differences and designations. North American ammunition companies deliberately underloaded the 8x57 cartridge because of the older 318 diameter rifles as they figured it raised pressures too much in the older rifles.

The best thing to do is to run a SOFT lead slug through the bore and measure it. If you look at your own pictures of the comparison of the rifle and the Husqvarna muzzles, you can obviously see that the 30-06 cartridge you are using will enter most of the way in the HVA but stick out slightly in your rifle. Personally, I would suspect a .318 bore.
.

 

[rci2950]

OK. So i stopped being lazy and slugged the barrel. Using 00 Buck. So i pounded one into the chamber where the bullet sits, not into the rifling, just where the bullet is when the cartridge is in the chamber. This one measured a little better then .312 then i drove one in the muzzle until it was flush with the end of the barrel. This one measures a little better then .308 I have taken pics. seen below.

 

[rci2950]

Thanks for everyone's help guiding me in the right direction. If this shoots good, I am going to set out refinishing and likely scoping this if that isn't a blasphemy... I don't think it would be, because someone already changed the sights. I would much rather have a scope.