Another historical Mauser bites the dust...

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  • daddyusmaximus

    Grandmaster
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    82   1   0
    Aug 21, 2013
    8,508
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    Remington
    The scout rifle (as envisioned by Col Jeff Cooper) is a somewhat dated concept that a lot of people don't seem to subscribe to these days. In fact, it was always kind of a niche rifle. Be that as it may, I always found it intriguing, and wanted to have one. I never have... until now. Back story first.. then scroll down to the photo...

    My father-in-law had an uncle who served in Italy during WWI. He came home with (of all things) a Brazilian Mauser in 7x57. It's been in my wife's family ever sense. Several years back (before "Unkie" passed) he gave the rifle to my FIL. It hadn't been fired in probably 30 or 40 years. I married my wife 24 years ago, and even when we were dating it had never been fired. Just a story to be told. Anyway, my FIL put it on a rack on the wall, and there it sat (covered in dust) till this spring. Same story. The stock is uncomfortable, can't see with the sights... I finally talked him into taking it out on one of our range days, and after shooting it once, he gave it to me. (with the caveat that it become his grandson's one day)

    Now I know what a lot of you are thinking... WHAT? This guy just took a war bring back, numbers matching Mauser, and butchered it into a scout rifle? I think the term "Bubba" is floating around in some heads... Well, yes... Yes I did. History aside, it does nobody any good hanging on a wall for decades, not getting used. Hell, Unkie had it in the corner of his closet... Now I can use it. One day, my son will use it, and he will know that his grandpa's uncle brought it back from WWII. THAT, ladies, and gentlemen, is history. It's probably what happened to most of the bring backs, so if you are a serious collector, yours is now worth more. You're welcome. Besides, by mounting the scout scope, (and not a traditional scope) I can still see the Brazilian crest on the receiver ring...

    The 29" barrel was cut to 20'. This will now allow it to fit in my gun cabinet. The Surefire Warcomp (matching my ARs) will allow for suppressor use, and possibly tame the already soft 7x57 recoil.

    I ordered a Vortex Crossfire II 2-7x32 Scout Scope for it. This, I really have mixed feelings about, and all I've done so far is walk around with it in the woods on my property. At 2 power, boom, it's right there. At 3 or even 4, it's all good, but at anything higher you have to start stretching your neck out to get closer to the scope. It's practically unusable at 7 power unless you're a giraffe. Now I understand If I'm taking a distant shot, I'll be taking my time anyway, no snap shot here, but it's damn uncomfortable, and may go back. Maybe a Leupold. Also thinking about just going red dot. I love red dots... The mount is simply a left over section of picatinny rail bolted to the rear sight base that's been milled flat.

    The original plan was just have the scope mount sticking out through the top wood, but I saw that Hogue stock... The Hogue stock speaks for itself... so comfy. Had to have it. I may also spring for the XS scout scope mount in the future now that I went with the Hogue stock, as the modified original sight base kinda looks clunky, but it does work...

    The straight bolt handle was fine. Just got the bent bolt because the Hogue stock had a cut out for one, and would look weird with the straight bolt, but it works real well. I move my hand just the smallest bit, and the handle is right there. Good call Mr. Gunsmith. I had him spray it with clear Krylon so it would kinda match the receiver as the original did. The receivers were left in the white with the rest getting blued. There is some pitting on the front ring right along the stock line (after 100+ years) but overall, it's in very good shape. At least the bore is good.

    Still undecided on sights yet. Waiting on more money, and looking for a rear peep that won't interfere with stripper clip feeding.

    0ubjE08.jpg

     

    MongooseLaw

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    9   0   0
    Jun 5, 2019
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    Albion
    Nooooo. To each their own. I would think with the money spent on the upgrades you may have been able to buy a cheap scout style rifle of newer manufacture. I get where youre coming from though, I just think the rifle looked way better in original configuration and what a great story to go with it! Like you said, numbers matching war bringback Mauser...that kinda history is too cool to mess with.

    At least it's seeing more use now :ar15:
     

    bobjones223

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    55   1   0
    Mar 3, 2011
    1,780
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    Noblesville, IN
    Yup, mounted the same scope on my daughters Rossi M92 and found the same thing. So I tried to find a happy medium. Having never owned a scout scope I didn't know if this is normal???:dunno:
     

    DoggyDaddy

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    Aug 18, 2011
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    Could've just picked up an FR8... Already converted by Spain from 8mm to 7.62x51 NATO.

    56pPzsq.jpg


    I actually have scout scopes on both a Yugo Mauser (M48A) and a Mosin M38 (no permanent modifications - scope mount just fits over the existing rear sight base). My preferred scout scope is a Burris 2.75x (fixed). It's good out to at least 350 yards, and clear up close too.

    Here are the Yugo and Mosin.

    Rl0vmBq.jpg
     
    Last edited:

    DoggyDaddy

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    I've changed my attitude toward "sporterized" milsurps... as long as they weren't done by me. A helluva lot of them were converted after WWII, some by "bubba", sure, but some were basically "sporting rifles built on a military action". The latter is what I've come to appreciate. I'm still kicking myself for passing over a K98 that was converted to .308 and made into a beautiful hunting rifle sometime back in the 1950's - nice inlay work on the stock and everything. Saw it at a gun show in Seymour on a Saturday. Drove back down to Seymour Sunday morning to get it, but alas, it was already gone. :(
     

    daddyusmaximus

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    Aug 21, 2013
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    Thanks for all the love, and support from the freedom loving gun community... lol. Now put your big boy pants on, and deal with it.

    I took a family hand-me-down rifle, that hasn't been fired in 30 or 40 years, and made it useful again... Now it gets a second life.

    I feel like Trump, surrounded by the media, saying that I've destroyed a piece of irreplaceable history because I'm racist against Germany, or Brazil... My thread title was tongue-in-cheek, but I guess it was right on the mark. There's no free lunch.

    NOT sorry if you're offended. I'll get of use out of it now. So will my son one day.
     

    rob63

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    May 9, 2013
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    Now I know what a lot of you are thinking... WHAT? This guy just took a war bring back, numbers matching Mauser, and butchered it into a scout rifle? I think the term "Bubba" is floating around in some heads...

    You took a collectible rifle that was also a family heirloom, spent a bunch of money on a stock, mounts, etc., also paid a gunsmith money to make additional modifications, and all of this just to turn it into something worth less than half as much as the rifle you started with. The kicker being that you could have simply bought a stock rifle in the configuration you wanted for no more money than you spent on parts and gunsmithing fees, plus still had the collectible rifle to keep. Now you're bragging about it. Rest assured, Bubba is not the word that was floating around in my head.
     

    Wolfhound

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    Apr 11, 2011
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    Thanks for all the love, and support from the freedom loving gun community... lol. Now put your big boy pants on, and deal with it.

    I took a family hand-me-down rifle, that hasn't been fired in 30 or 40 years, and made it useful again... Now it gets a second life.

    I feel like Trump, surrounded by the media, saying that I've destroyed a piece of irreplaceable history because I'm racist against Germany, or Brazil... My thread title was tongue-in-cheek, but I guess it was right on the mark. There's no free lunch.

    NOT sorry if you're offended. I'll get of use out of it now. So will my son one day.

    It's your rifle to do with as you wish and no hard feelings on my part. Just speaking purely from a collectors stand point however, they aren't making those old surplus rifles anymore. But, I guess for each one lost in a fire or cut down it makes the survivors even more valuable.
     

    daddyusmaximus

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    You took a collectible rifle that was also a family heirloom, spent a bunch of money on a stock, mounts, etc., also paid a gunsmith money to make additional modifications, and all of this just to turn it into something worth less than half as much as the rifle you started with. The kicker being that you could have simply bought a stock rifle in the configuration you wanted for no more money than you spent on parts and gunsmithing fees, plus still had the collectible rifle to keep. Now you're bragging about it. Rest assured, Bubba is not the word that was floating around in my head.


    Yeah, I'm bragging about it... I'm not a collector. What the heck do I need with a rifle I can't ever shoot that sit's in the corner of my closet? Sure I could buy a Steyr Scout Rifle, or a Ruger Gunsite Scout, but those would cost me around a grand... I got way less than that in this WITH the scope here because the rifle was a free hand-me-down.

    I still get my scout rifle, but now when I go shooting, Unkie is with me in spirit. No new rifle could give me that. This isn't about collecting, or money. It's about taking what you have, and making it work. In this case what We have just happen to be historical. Not just to the firearms world (which I could care less about)... but to this family.

    Whatever you want to think... go ahead... this family history just came out of the closet.
     

    Hkindiana

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    You've got me thinking that I should take my great grandfathers Civil War Springfield rifle and rebarrel it, and sporterize it, so that I can continue handing it down in the family in a "usable" configuration. What a swell idea.
     

    DeadeyeChrista'sdad

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    There's a scout rifle mount that fits right on the rear sight base. Actually a couple of companies are making one. I think I'm gonna try that on the Spanish mauser uncle Dick left me. Leave the rest of it as is and find a niche within the stock to hide the sight piece I'll be taking off. Best of both worlds. The rifle has little historical value, and the only sentimental value was to U.D. and I, and he's moved on.
     
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