Mauser 66 - Project or not

Buckmastr

Buckmastr

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Came into this recently. A Mauser 66 in 243 Win with a Hertel and Reuss 2-7 scope. Someone mounted a small coin in the stock. And the scope is stuck between 2-3 power, with terrible focus. My first thought is to toss the scope and replace it with something that works and redo the stock. What would you do where the coin is? Fill it? Leave it??
What is this worth as it sits? Other then these warts the gun is very nice, no blue wear, barrel is nice, mounts are nice...
Maybe its better just to move it along...
Thanks for your thoughts.









 
Here’s the coin handy work. Russian

J1fKrehl.jpg
 
Could the scope be serviced? To replace it would require another European scope with rail.

I have done inlays to remedy things like the coin inlay. Basically install an oval or eye shaped patch, getting the best possible fit, then dressing it down and finishing. It is necessary to find a piece of wood that is a grain and colour match, so that the patch will blend in. One of my best efforts involved a patch that has a little knot in it. You see the knot, not the inlayed patch.

Personally, I would try to get the scope repaired and leave the rest of the rifle as is. If you want to pass it on, with the scope and the coin, the value of an expensive rifle is going to be diminished.
 
The coin appears thin. Like 1.5 mm (googled that) depending on how deep the hole is it could be sanded out and blended in.
 
Sand it on the sides and squint when you look at it? Would steaming help at all?

Curious if the mounts are machined in claw mounts or drill and tap tip off mounts?
 
The Suhler claw mounts installed on that rifle are worth about $2000 to replace. You can't just buy another mount, they are individually hand fitted by a master craftsman. Perhaps three gunsmiths in Canada can properly install claw mounts. Martin Hagn is the only one I personally know of. The LM "prism" rail on the scope is no longer available on a new scope in Europe, unless a small boutique maker like Karl Kaps can be pursuaded to make a scope with those rails. You might find a good used scope with the exact correct height between objective bell and the main tube, but it's a long shot. What I did recently when faced with a similar dilemma was to get a good custom gunmaker to build a set of 1" (or 30mm) rings with the bottom machined into a dovetail the correct contour and height to imitate the rail on the bottom of the scope, then mount the scope of choice in place of the old one in the rings fitted to the claw bases.
The coin hole in the stock likely gives you three options - fill it with another metal, wood or other insert as a decoration, or fill with a wood plug that is a close facsimile of the stock wood, or just make a black or dark brown epoxy filler and when it's cured sand it to match the contour of the wood. In any case, good luck! Your rifle is well made, if oddly styled. It should be used and appreciated.
 
That’s an early production Mauser 66 with the scalloped receiver, bolt safety and bolt stop.As production continued these were changed to simplify production .The rear sight was also changed to a Williams rear sight later on as well.Also the barrel mounting system is a bit different on the early models so they won t interchange with later models without modification.I have a similar early production 66 fullstock
 
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If the bases for the claw mounts are removable from the action bridge and rear sight rib, you may be able to purchase pivot type mounts from either EAW or Recknagel (German companies), both of which can be bought for use with common scopes/tubes while avoiding the need for a scope with a rail on the bottom.
 
Thanks guys. The specialty scope mounting system makes it all the more reason to try to get the original scope repaired. If I can figure out how to remove it?!

The hole is something I’d rather disappear completely rather then fill. I measured it, 2mm at its deepest point. The stock line above it is 22mm there abouts so if sanded out and blended would lose about 10%. Which would be noticeable but maybe only upon close examination.
 
What I did recently when faced with a similar dilemma was to get a good custom gunmaker to build a set of 1" (or 30mm) rings with the bottom machined into a dovetail the correct contour and height to imitate the rail on the bottom of the scope, then mount the scope of choice
Click to expand...

I like this solution. So many rifles out there with claw mounts and no rings; I’ve heard of a guy in the states machining Talley bases into them, maybe a simpler and cheaper solution than finding a gunsmith who can fit new rings

If the bases for the claw mounts are removable from the action bridge and rear sight rib, you may be able to purchase pivot type mounts from either EAW or Recknagel (German companies),
Click to expand...

Aren’t these type of mounts dovetailed into the action changing the receiver profile?
 
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Well its gone. I doubt anyone will notice that.
Now to decide whether to finish the stock with a lighter or darker oil finish. Im leaning lighter as there is some nice dark figure already in the wood. And the white line spacers which I had to leave on, will be less effected with less stain.



 
www. optics-trade.eu/ca/recknagel-picatinny-weaver-rail-for-german-claw-mount.html

This might be an interesting solution to the scope mounting but it would require the same “filing in” as the hooks on the claw rings
 
There is a long dovetail on the front. Im not sure what sits under the rear claw. But, like you said, it would be nice to get a nice set of talley split rings on there somehow. Without drilling. I just dealt with one hole in this gun, Id hate to add more.


 
I think the bases are milled in and then silver soldered? I don’t think there is an “inexpensive” solution. I don’t know if the guys in the states machine a new base to fit the dovetail and solder it in or mill out a flat on the bases and drill and tap a Talley blank into it.

I bet it would work alright with an IER scope if you want a more modern one. Not like the gun looking any weirder is a concern. Always been interested in these guns but they usually have claw mounts and old scopes and are already expensive
 
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The front base on the dovetail is also tapped but not soldered on. It moves freely when the screws are removed. The rear base is tapped into the receiver and yes, would appear soldered on. I haven't tried to unscrew it and move it yet.




 
Looks like factory mounting solutions use the front “rail” 12mm dovetail that the front base has been machined into and a drilled and tapped rear. Seems like your rifle is too heavily modified to work with mounts for this system unfortunately.
 
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