What Is It And Who Made It ???

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Mike K.

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I have a Bolt Action 8 X 57 Mauser with the normal Mauser action. The interesting thing about it is there are NO markings on it anywhere . I have stripped it to pieces more than once thinking maybe I missed something but no. No markings, no serial number or numbers of any kind. It had a double trigger but one has been removed. Can anyone tell me who made this and where. I am thinking early BRNO but not certain. H-E-L-P !!











 
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I believe there was a run of Yugo Mausers that were completely absent of markings as the client who ordered them must have requested that, but they never were delivered.

Edit: just thinking. The Yugo M98 without markings would not have a double trigger and would have a serial #. So probably not what I was thinking. Does it look like there are marks from markings being scrubbed?
 
It seems like it never had marks anywhere, even with the wood off it is clean. No numbers or marks in the wood either. Would they put serial numbers etc onto the guns after they were built and somehow this one got missed? It almost looks to be a higher class gun with the butter knife bolt and the engraving.
 
There is a picture of a very similar looking rifle in Gun Digests "10 for all time" labelled " A custom mauser with no proofmarks or other markings is likely a 'cigarette' gun made on the black market immediately after World War II in occupied Germany"
 
I think post 6 is on to it...

A one of a kind put together with some different ideas... practicing for better projects... the trigger could have been removed later in life...
 
Very interesting . to narrow your search down I don't believe there were that many made on the small ring mauser but I' no expert
 
conor_90 said:
There is a picture of a very similar looking rifle in Gun Digests "10 for all time" labelled " A custom mauser with no proofmarks or other markings is likely a 'cigarette' gun made on the black market immediately after World War II in occupied Germany"
Click to expand...

I would agree with this assessment, but I would put the date at post WW I. It probably started life as an Erfurt small ring Kar 98a.
 
Like 9.3mauser says I am quite sure it is a post ww1 sporter made by one of the many small gunmakers in Germany on a small ring 98 service rifle action. Most I have seen are scrubbed military actions with no markings. Most are quite good quality especially for the money.
 
Agree with Mike above, it's likely a guild gun made from end of WWI up to the entry of the Nazi party. Only the larger or the most reknown gunmakers marked their guns. There were also a large quantity sold through companies / resellers / distributors like GECO who bought the guns made to their specs from various small guild gunkmakers and those are often not marked either.
If you take it of the stock, you should find proof marks under the barrel, at the chamber level. If not, the gun may have been made in the USA by a german immigrant gunsmith.
 
There is not a single mark or symbol anywhere. Inside, outside or underneath the metal or wood. The 'cigarette gun' is an interesting comment. Will go at it from that angle and see what I can come up with re: info.
 
As far as I know, guild guns will display proof marks, cigarette guns do no as they were made for the black market and probably never proofed.
 
If there is not even a caliber stamp and no proof mark, then, there are two possibilities; it's either one cigarette gun or like I said above, a gun made in the USA by a Euro gunsmith, as SAAMI never asked for mandatory proofing guns other than when they're going out of the factory.
 
My train of thought is this:
1) If it was a cigarette gun made for the Black Market, why would they go to the extent of doing engraving on it? I would think that they would try to turn them out as soon as they could to get rid of them and not spend the extra hours fancying it up.
2) If it was made in the USA by a Euro gunsmith, why would they not build an American pattern/style of firearm? Was some immigrant from Germany or wherever sitting in his little shop each night and building a gun from the old country? Where would he source all the parts to do it and why would he bother when all around him is an abundance of American manufactured firearms if he wanted to one to use?
I believe it was a gun that may have been started as a custom job for a customer. Possibly from Germany or Austria (Mannlicher style stock, and double set triggers, rear sight style, etc) and not being totally completed. After all they were doing it everyday for years in factories that turned out W.W Greeners, L.C. Smiths, Parkers, Holland and Holland, Winchester, Marlin etc. I believe it could be a strong possibility.
 
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Almost all cigarette guns are fancifully engraved. No offence to your rifle or the workmanship but it's hardly an example of "fancy engraving". The guns were well made to increase their trade value in a market flooded with free bring back mausers.

If it is a custom job and was completed it would be proofed. Unless a Baribal says it was made in the states. I would say using occams razors: it's far more likely it is a cigarette gun than a custom rifle that somehow was never marked or a euro gun made in America.
 
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