Questions about a custom Mauser Mod 1910

[Techball]

Something about this rifle attracted me when I saw it on a recent auction. I think it was the smooth blued finish and the swing safety. I figure that the safety was a pricy addition so the previous owner must cared about the build. When I received it, I confirmed my suspicions as the metal appears to be refinished and a nice Bord aftermarket trigger made it a pleasure. Pretty impressive for an action that’s over 100 years old. The barrel is 308 so a perfect match for the intermediate length Mauser action.

What’s strange to me is the stock and barrel. I don’t know too much about stock materials. This stock looks hand made with clear imperfections/errors. The material is extremely light - the surface feels like a very stiff/hard foam. I’ve attached some closeup photos. The barrel is also a strange profile as well, somewhere between a standard sporter and medium. Tapers from 0.9” to 0.6” very heavy for a Hunter and there’s no sling swivels.

Would like to be schooled a bit about these old customs. Do you think this was intended to be a varmint setup? What is the chance I will find another stock for this rare action?

 

[Potashminer]

First thing I noticed is the windage screws in the rear base - a slot with a Robertson head? I did not know those screws were made hard enough for that duty?

Looks like a Dakota or Gentry style horizontal swing safety - those are very nice - might want to check the function - safety going on should pull the cocking piece rearward a smidgeon - you will see it move. That way the safety has it - not relying on the trigger sear. So will be able to pull trigger and nothing to feel. But then release that trigger, then release that safety - want to make sure that the trigger sear went back into position so the safety can return that cocking piece back to the trigger sear. Is a cause of mis-haps - junk floating about inside, too tight fit within stock, somebody grinding or stoning and not respecting the original angles can all lead to the arm firing as the safety is released.

From what I see of the scroll writing on the front receiver ring, that appears to be made at Oberndorf arsenal, which could make very nice arms. There is a funky little scrawly thing just forward of your serial number - looks a lot like what was on the Model 1910 Mausers made by Oberndorf for Costa Rica from 1911 to 1914. (page 109 of Mauser Military Rifles of the World), so a reasonable guesstimate as to what that receiver started out as. The barrel is not military, so a "custom" barrel could be turned and shaped to almost whatever the maker wanted.

I can not really help about that stock - almost looks like a "casting" of some sort - others on this board will be able to identify what it is better than I can - I notice it seemed to have had an initial shape for a bolt handle, and then was re-cut again to fit this "sported" bolt, better, but original indent still kind of visible? Can see that the shaping on left side does not follow the "thumb cut" in the side rail. Has a very nice treatment to the bolt stop though - nice chequering in that metal face. So, another check - on Mauser the bolt handle downward movement should be stopped by metal on metal contact - the bolt handle should not be touching the stock - might want to ensure that you can at least slide a sheet of paper within that bolt handle slot as clearance for the bolt handle. There is actually a "clocking" sequence to it - with bolt shroud removed and firing pin withdrawn, should have that original half moon cutout on the rear of the bolt to be perfectly in line with the guide rib slot within that rear bridge, as the bolt handle comes up against it's stop - that way the internal shoulders on firing pin, etc. are properly lined up to allow the firing pin to fly forward without hitting shoulders on inside. Not sure if 1910 Mausers had those safety features or not??

I would guess that scope is an older Weaver - from the round turret cover knobs, I will do wild guess and suggest a K series, maybe a 60 or a 60B - it will say so on top of the scope body, right in front of the eyepiece threaded area. Many (most?) had standard straight fine wire cross hairs, but some had the Post with cross wire. I don't think they came with what became known as "Duplex" reticle, but have been mistaken on that before...

 

[Techball]

Thank you Potashminer!

I wasn’t sure about the function of the safety as right now it allows me to pull the trigger and the cocking piece jumps forward but just a tiny bit (I guess that means the safety is stopping the firing pin but not working right).

I will check out the clearances per your guidance. The windage adjustment screws on the bases are from recent Leupold bases that I swapped so I can use Torx (not Robinson).

 

[Potashminer]

What you just described about the safety and trigger is a big NONO!! If the firing pin went forward when trigger was pulled, then only thing holding it is the safety. When you turn the safety off, then nothing to hold back the firing pin, since the cocking piece is already past the trigger sear!!!

 

[tiriaq]

You have a nice sporting rifle made up on a Mauser Oberndorf action.
The action has been modified - rear receiver bridge recontoured, bolt handle altered for scope, bolt sleeve with Model 70 style safety installed, bolt release streamlined with nice checkering added. Low gloss finish on metal parts. Make sure that the safety is functioning properly.
Is the floorplate release still military, or has it been altered?
New commercial barrel and synthetic stock.
In .308, I doubt it was intended to be a varmint rifle.

 

[OkayShooter]

The stock is a wood stock, with bedliner finish. Giving the impression of a syn stock.

What the diameter of the barrel and where it tapers to the muzzle? Looks like a Heavy Palma profile.

 

[tiriaq]

The bolt handle relief cut sure doesn't look like wood...

 

[OkayShooter]

The bolt handle relief cut sure doesn't look like wood...

I still say it is a bedliner sprayed stock.

But it more of a varmint/target rifle.

 

[Techball]

I will take some more picture and get the limbsaver pad off. It feels too light to be wood but will need to check.

 

[tiriaq]

Just had a look at the cost of bolt sleeves with the M70 style safety at Brownells. Ouch!

 

[Techball]

so the stock is likely some sort of fiberglass shell with maybe foam and bondo forming some of the interior. There are a lot of markings all over the receiver so I captured them. I will need to figure out how to remove the safety to figure out what’s wrong with it. The trigger seems to be unaltered.

 

[Potashminer]

Real good chance someone has ground away some metal on top front edge of the cocking piece, in effort to get the safety lever to swing. In doing so, took too much and have lost that rearward camming function for that type of safety. Mauser firing pin safety needs to pull that cocking piece away from trigger sear when engaged. Other possibility is that the sear on that after market BOLD trigger is too far to the rear, compared to standard military. In either case, the safety is not lifting the cocking piece off the trigger sear, so is not working as it should be. If too much has been ground off the cocking piece - the piece started out with a square edged leading face - replacement military cocking piece should be readily available.

 

[tiriaq]

Well, I was wrong about the rear bridge - the scope base is cut away to clear the charger guide - not vice versa.

Catch the cocking piece in a padded vise, pull back, push in the bolt sleeve catch, and while keeping the spring compressed, unscrew the firing pin assembly.
Push the firing pin back, rotate the cocking piece, and remove the firing pin. Keep the spring under control.
Once the assembly is stripped, you will be able to inspect the leading edge of the cocking piece. Reassemble the bolt sleeve, cocking piece and firing pin without the spring, and you will be able to experiment with the safety and cocking piece see how they engage.
To remove the safety catch from the cocking piece, that little pin under the thumbpiece is going to have to be tapped out.

 

[Potashminer]

To help you with Mausers, your serial number is 5956. Numerous original parts would have had that 4 digits, or the last 2 digits (56) So that "27" on the floor plate shows that the floor plate came from a different rifle, originally. If it was a Costa Rican M1910, then the bolt handle originally stuck straight out sideways when closed, so was straight up vertically to open it. The four digit serial number was often stamped right on the top of the bolt handle root - more than likely obliterated when that handle was forged over to use a scope. I am assuming it was forged since it looks a bit shorter than "normal", which is often the result of forging the military handle down, instead of cutting off and welding on a new one. No mistaking what you have for a milsurp, but that is what it started out life as. Of the other letters and marks, most on the underside of the action - around and behind the recoil lug, were probably various inspector marks at various stages of the action and rifle manufacture. You do show a picture of a Crown over C on right hand side of your front receiver ring - that is likely a "proof" mark, or maybe an acceptance mark - I can not find that exact one at the moment.

 

[Potashminer]

I have installed a grand total of one Gentry and one Dakota on my rifles - in both cases, swinging that safety lever to the middle position - straight right - allows the bolt shroud firing pin assembly to be unscrewed when pressing in that bolt sleeve catch button. Easiest to start when all together - #### the rifle with safety off, then swing back to middle position, then remove bolt from rifle and dis assemble - almost that same as if there was a military safety in place.

As Tiriaq mentions, have to remove that little pin behind the safety lever if you want to lift that safety out of that shroud body. I regretted driving that in because on one of mine it is a blind hole, and I can not figure out how to get that roll pin back out, with no hole on other side to drive it back through.

 

[Techball]

Thank you all so much. Examining all of this in more detail. I think I have the exact issue that Potashminer described. The trigger sear is too Far back. This creates space so the safety cannot disengage the cocking piece and pin. So I will need another trigger or have to file the front edge of the cocking piece to allow it to shift forward and catch the safety when the bolt is in the action and locked. Would this cocking piece be heat treated? If I file away the surface will the base material be softer?

 

[tiriaq]

The cocking piece will be hard. Doubt that a file will touch it.
Is the cocking piece flat along the bottom, or is there a notch?

 

[Potashminer]

I can not comment on your proposed solution, but will mention that I would be surprised if you can file the sear face of the cocking piece. It should be very hard - like needing grinding or grind stone hard. And you will find that keeping it perfectly flat and square and glass smooth is not an easy thing to do, as simple as it sounds. I have a number of them here, and found not all are exactly the same, so some slightly longer or shorter than others. I have never tried to fit with a BOLD trigger - you get the same effect, I think, by removing material off the trigger sear?? The actual sears for that kind of trigger are inside that little window on the side - when you press that upper tab forward, you will see those two hard sharp corners come together inside. I am not talking about them - I am referring to the tab sticking out the top - but I have never had to mess with those. The two rifles that I fitted the horizontal swing safeties have more or less standard military two stage triggers and military sears - I swapped out many combination to get stuff matched up nice as I could - one is fine - the other one can be improved, yet.

 

[Potashminer]

To help OP asnwer Tiriaq's question about which kind of cocking piece, see picture below. Upper one, on the firing pin is a "notched" style. Lower one, is a "flat bottom style". This notched one happens to have a disassembly hole that I have a small nail through - that is not a "normal" military feature...

 

[Techball]

I wanted to ask about the cocking piece. The one I have is longer than your picture. It pokes out quite a bit. What the reason there? It is because the action is shorter and the firing pin is the same length as the regular mod98? It’s not the commmercial flat and I’m wonder if I could get one to fit here. I do have machining capabilities with a lathe and mill.