gws
Member
Posts: 969
Location: NW New Mexico
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Post by gws on Oct 24, 2014 10:22:00 GMT -5
I'm not 100% commited on this project....yet.  The original plan was to give the ".243" to a grandson who loves to hunt who has already got his first bull elk and buck using my guns. But this .22-243 changes the picture. Right now I'm taking it apart looking for a serial number. So far nothing. After spending hours on the internet trying to ID the rifle, I think its an FN (style) model 98 with a double-set trigger. Obviously not the best smithing job polished out all markings.....definitely no giant "FN" logo. Don't know what the options are....give it to the police?  Or are really old Mausers exempt.  Or can a person "register" a new serial #? As for reaming after neck down. It would make sense to me to either size it down with the expander removed, then ream the interior, or leave the expander ball in, size, then outside ream......maybe it makes no difference? What say you, what's best, in your opinion? One thing I can see.....I need to finish my annealer project.
Of course the other option is to just bury it. 
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Post by krwada on Oct 24, 2014 10:36:58 GMT -5
I'm not 100% commited on this project....yet. The original plan was to give the ".243" to a grandson who loves to hunt who has already got his first bull elk and buck using my guns. But this .22-243 changes the picture. Right now I'm taking it apart looking for a serial number. So far nothing. After spending hours on the internet trying to ID the rifle, I think its an FN (style) model 98 with a double-set trigger. Obviously not the best smithing job polished out all markings.....definitely no giant "FN" logo. Don't know what the options are....give it to the police? Or are really old Mausers exempt. Or can a person "register" a new serial #? As for reaming after neck down. It would make sense to me to either size it down with the expander removed, then ream the interior, or leave the expander ball in, size, then outside ream......maybe it makes no difference? What say you, what's best?
Hello Greg; Any Curio and Relic Firearm, (or for that matter, any firearm manufactured before 1968), is exempt from the serial number requirement of the 1968 GCA. You do NOT need to turn your firearm in to the PD. In fact; stuff like this is largely exempt even in the state of California. There was a senate bill, (SB-808) ... or the so-called "Ghost Gun bill" that made its way to the Governor's desk here in California just recently. It would have required: 1. Marking all unmarked firearms, (even priceless antiques), with a CA-DOJ serial number. 2. The CA-DOJ serial number and firearm would need to be registered with the State of California 3. Banned all such firearms once the CA-DOJ serial number was imprinted ... (YES! registered then banned!) 4. Banned all unmarked firearms and required confiscation of the unmarked firearms 5. You could still keep the CA-DOJ serialized firearm. The marked firearm could not be imported, exported, traded, exchanged, transferred or loaned in any way. Fortunately, the bill was vetoed by governor Jerry Brown. In his veto, he said: "I do not see how requiring a serial number will prevent any crimes" Jerry Brown is well known to be an avid antique gun collector... |
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gws
Member
Posts: 969
Location: NW New Mexico
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Post by gws on Oct 24, 2014 12:46:09 GMT -5
Thanks for that! I got a lot of misinformation elsewhere on the net, and nobody could agree on anything. That makes sense.
This is a bit of a highjack for this reaming thread of Dans.....Sorry Dan.....erase what you want of this exchange. Or you could move it to it's own thread. Once you get into wildcat territory this sort of thing is probably common.
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dangun
Member
I love the smell of burnt gun powder.
Posts: 517
Location: SW Florida
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Post by dangun on Oct 27, 2014 7:43:58 GMT -5
Greg,
I'm good with it as it is. I like it when threads branch out.
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gws
Member
Posts: 969
Location: NW New Mexico
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Post by gws on Oct 27, 2014 21:43:52 GMT -5
Since Krwada went ahead and moved it (wise Krwada) I'll report what I found under the stock. First I guessed right...FN made in 1951 but still no serial #.     At least there is no bad pitting anywhere else. Over all the rifle look pretty good, just needs rebluing. The only other problem is feeding.....it need finger help with chambering a round. I'm thinking I might be wise and have it re-barreled with something like a .270. (That was for 7mm's benefit ) |
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Post by krwada on Oct 28, 2014 9:32:17 GMT -5
That is a very nice firearm Greg. Plus, you got a very nice Mauser action on that thing! First of all, it looks like it was made by the Belgium Fabrique National de Herstal company. This company is well renowned, especially for inventing and producing the FN FAL rifle. It also appears as if your rifle NEVER had a serial number on it. Since it was made circa 1951, you are pretty much good to go with owning this thing. Personally, I would not engrave or mark this rifle. There really is no need to do so. Here is an excerpt of the venerable FN Mauser Action in wikipedia. "Fabrique Nationale de Herstal made a M98 series, the early production being Small Ring and later Large Ring of "C" (early) and "H" (late) design. The FN actions were also used by Sako of Finland as their Hi-Power Rifles, by Browning on the early Medallions, as Husqvarna Small Ring model 146 and Large Ring late model 640, and by Kodiak Arms, Connecticut. Many other arms manufacturers used the FN action." The FN Mauser Action is very good and is usually found on a lot of chamberings ... .243 being one of them. The most common chamberings using this action tends to be the .30-06 and Win .308. The 7mm chambering is also quite common too. Rebarreling a Mauser action is not easy to do. Unless you have a really good lathe and know how to do the work ... I would take the rifle to a really good gunsmith who has rebarreled Mausers. In general, you are probably looking at the range of $450 to $750, (depending on the quality of the barrel), to rebarrel and rechamber the thing. |
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gws
Member
Posts: 969
Location: NW New Mexico
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Post by gws on Oct 28, 2014 10:11:32 GMT -5
Maybe so, the geneology of these guns is confusing to say the least. Most did have serial #'s that I have seen. The next picture is NOT of my gun, but one of a single trigger commercial rifle pictured in Mausercentral.com. also with the same 1951 marking. Shows where the serial # is located, maybe, if they are real. Notice the 7 and the 3. They appear to be from different tools or iow they weren't engraved at the same time. Any how, if mine did ever have a serial # I suppose that's where it should be......maybe. There's a lot of "ifs" in deciphering these old Mausers.  |
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Post by krwada on Oct 28, 2014 11:17:13 GMT -5
The mystery deepens ... In the original picture you posted, (of your rifle), there is no evidence of a previous serial number. The picture you posted from Mauser Central clearly shows two(2) completely different marking tools used to make the serial numbers.
If I could speculate ... It appears as maybe if the FN Mauser did not originally have any serial numbers on it when 1st built. It could very well be that the sample shown from the Mauser Central picture may have had the serial numbers added to it.
What I also find odd is that there are no serial number markings on your rifle that looks to be built in 1951.
Very curious stuff.
Still... as to the legalities of owning such a piece ... since it is clearly pre-1968 ... you are good to go in owning this ... and not getting into trouble.
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bob
Member
I'm too old to be nice but never too old to learn!
Posts: 1,457 
Location: Northern California
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Post by bob on Oct 28, 2014 11:21:29 GMT -5
Greg, If re-chambering is your wish, A good gunsmith is necessary. I sent my model 70 action to Montana Rifle,they built a barrel that conformed to the original M70 barrel contour then sent it to Dennis Olsen in Plains,Montana he did an excellent job of finishing the barreled action it dropped into the stock as though I had just removed it. Ken /Greg If you look closely at the 1073s I believe they're done with the same tool just a slightly different diameter of the barrel and perhaps different hardness of metal, plus different camera perspective.
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gws
Member
Posts: 969
Location: NW New Mexico
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Post by gws on Oct 28, 2014 12:09:19 GMT -5
Bob, you're probably right, the barrel is turned up away a smidgon, distorting our view a little. Eagle eyes you are!  You are also right about rebarreling. Gunsmith required. I do have an exceptional one at my disposal. Ha! When I can schedule him in. His shop is always full of mail-ins from all over the country! I don't know if he works on Mausers though....some of these smiths specialize.....he's one. I had him totally rebuild and finish a turn of the century Winchester Model 94 that was my Grand Father's......wow. I will take this in and show him before I do anything to it. I will probably buy the blankity-blank dies and try shooting .22-.243 for a while.....if the barrel isn't shot out. The thought of creaming a coyote at 600 yards sounds kinda fun. We are over run with those critters right now. Krwada! Yes, very curious stuff. The more I research this the more curious it gets. The folks at the Mauser forum think I have a find! That's a first for me.  |
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The original plan was to give the ".243" to a grandson who loves to hunt who has already got his first bull elk and buck using my guns. But this .22-243 changes the picture. Right now I'm taking it apart looking for a serial number. So far nothing. After spending hours on the internet trying to ID the rifle, I think its an FN (style) model 98 with a double-set trigger. Obviously not the best smithing job polished out all markings.....definitely no giant "FN" logo. Don't know what the options are....give it to the police? 
Or are really old Mausers exempt. 
Or can a person "register" a new serial #? 
My daughter came from Missouri, my son and grand son, my wife and I had a nice dinner of grilled "porter house" pork chops, corn on the cobb, my son, G'son and I share 10/5. G'son is 4 minutes early though @ 10/4.
Pooh I hope you find to right house . 
