So i was near a fun store I rarely get to go to, because it's about an hour away, but I had to take my son's SUV to the dealer in the area so I dropped by. Lots of nice C&R and antiques. I must preface this by saying that I have several 7x57 Mausers, Chileno, and Argentinos, and a 7x57 RRB, I love them all, and I love the cartridge. So I was perusing all the offerings on the rack, and had a potential purchase narrowed down to two candidates.

One was a C&R 1943 DOT marked Russian capture Mauser 98K with no import marks, and crisp waffenampts, no X'd out ampts. As with many RCs the bolt did not match the receiver, but the floorplate and the stock did. The metal was nice, the bore clean with some shine, but the butt plate had been painted and the wood had a bad stain job. Sight hood was present but looked like a repro. Overall, a good candidate for some TLC, and it would be a nice WWII 98K. It was $650.

Candidate 2 was an antique classified Chileno 1895 7mm Mauser carbine that had been sporterized. Just a regular Monte Carlo stock with a nice integral cheek piece, with the original iron sights, but not drilled and tapped, barrel uncut and unmodified. I assume they used a rail that adapted to the rear sight screws. The bore had a little frosting, but rifling was good. The rest of the metal was good, Loewe rollmarks very clear, no pitting. This one was $225.

After considering and examining for more than a few minutes, I picked the Chileno for $225, mainly because it was much less money, lighter, shouldered quite well, and I had been looking for a new modern sporter in 7x57 with a true Mauser action, but all the ones available were prohibitively expensive, and hard to find. A new Mauser_tm with the traditional Mauser action in 7x57 was about $3000-5000. So it fit this bill. I will put a Leupold on it, and have a nice 7x57 hog or deer rifle I don't mind carrying in bad weather or rough conditions. Or, since there are no holes drilled, I could restore it back to it's former military glory.

But now, after bringing it home, I keep thinking about the DOT 98K for $650. 98Ks with clear waffenampts in good shape have risen a lot in price, even Russian capture examples. And it was a piece of WWII history of which I am a great student. The fact I had sold off all my 8mm ammo with my Yugo M48s also deterred me from buying it, and I didn't want to have to stock up on another caliber. I have plenty of 7x7mm ammo,  but no 8mm Mauser.

Still, I wonder if I should have picked up the 98K. Or should I go back and get next week, if it is still there.

Topic Moved

Where was stock s/n stamped?

Your description sounds more like a bolt mismatch and not a Russian capture.

Left side, in the broad part of the stock, aft of the iron circle.



But the DOT stock serial was horizontal, not vertical as shown in this image.

Also now that I think about it, the stock serial did not match the floor plate and receiver. The receiver and floorplate had a matching 3 digit serial, the bolt and the stock had a 4 digit serial, not matching. I didn't think to check the barrel bands. I just said Russian capture, because that's what the store called it on the tag.

It had a shield marking like this one on the barrel, but it was 11 instead of 13 I believe:

Don’t kick yourself too much. Your reasoning for the pick is sound. The one you left behind will be gone when you go back anyways. That’s Murphy law

Thanks. I do like the Chileno Sport a lot. I know you are right about the 98K being gone. But I may still go back, because closure.

The problem is, every time I go in that store, just to look, I come out with something.

Now wondering if the imprinted serial on the stock was authentic - I am only finding pics of German 98Ks with vertical orientation stock SN, none with horizontal orientation like that DOT has..

Get both. Duh.

That thought did enter my head. The biggest factor was not wanting buy a new caliber to stockpile.
I don't just collect, I shoot everything in my collection.

$650 is actually a decent price for a RC of that description (IMO)

You do not have any Argentine 7X57 Mausers. They were 7.65X53 unless you rebarreled them.

However, those older SA German made 95s were sweet actions and all reloading data is for them to be safe

I would have offered $775 for both and seen if they would bite.

I have an Argentine cavalry carbine in 7x57. Original markings on barrel, has Argentine crest. it chambers only 7x57. Will take another look at it, but I have shot it several times, definitely 7x57mm.

Plenty of wartime 98s around.  Solid choice in the antique - easiest to get money out of, can sell it on Gunbroker & ship it direct.

7x57 is a great cartridge, got to see where it 1st went up against 6mm Navy.

Tell us more about this 7mm Argie you have, that's a very odd caliber for an Argie.

https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/classic-guns-the-1891-argentine-mauser/

Anyone have any luck converting an antique Mauser to .308?

Re-barreled.
No original Argentines in 7x57

Or you have misidentified the crest.

SPAIN:  7.62×51mm CETME

The CETME is A) Not a Mauser B) Was originally designed 7.62x51mm, not converted, and C) not an antique, it is C&R.

The CETME owes more to the StG 44 than the Mauser in design.

He's referring to the Spanish FR7, built off Spanish 1916 rifles, based on the Mauser 93 action:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FR8

However, at least according to this article, they used their native 1916 and onwards production, not the German made antiques.

Oh the FR7, forgot that was converted by CETME.

Gotcha

I have seen FR7s with square bottom bolts, so they reused the German bolts or someone swapped them at a later date.

I was also referring to the 7.62 CETME cartridge.
Dimensionally identical to the NATO, but loaded to lower pressures.
I linked the article because many are not aware the FR7 while barreled for a .308 bullet, it is not actually the NATO cartridge.(Yes, I am aware some believe differently and this debate will probably go on infinitum.)

Centro de Estudios Técnicos de Materiales Especiales existed before the rifles that bare its name.

This thread got me thinking cause I make both 7.65x53 and 7x57 brass from 30-06 cases and I know the cases to be very similar.  Went and checked and sure enough 7x57 will chamber fine in a 1891 Argentine. OP you need to slug that bore cause it’s probably 7.65x53.

Well, damn.

Due to case length I assumed that wasn't possible, but it is shoulder location that matters.
The neck of  7mm cartridge apparently fits in the throat of a .311 chamber/barrel.

Now I know what I am doing tomorrow....

Attached File

Here’s the 2 cartridges side by side. Easy to see how 7mm Mauser (right) could fit in the 7.65 (left) chamber.  Fired brass would probably also tell the tale.