Third Party Press

Mauser Oberndorf 1915

PrayingMantis

Senior Member
I bought this last week at the OGCA last weekend, but the seller wanted it to go through an FFL. He then shipped it to the wrong person. So, a week after I should have got it, it was finally safely in my hands. I paid $425; initially I worried that I overpaid but after closer examination I feel confident about my purchase, especially the ways Gews have been selling lately.

It's a non-duffle cut, bolt mismatch, vet bring-back from an Ohio soldier of the 37th Division(!). The bolt is all matching to itself, save for the firing pin, which is Czech so I imagine the original was clipped and this is its replacement. The rest is all matching, except for the floorplate, which is overstamped, and the follower, which must have been overlooked by the armourer. According to the buttplate it went through a rework in Cologne, probably for the floorplate/follower and the handguard, which is an unnumbered but well-proofed beech replacement. The stock is in really nice shape, with interesting stamps (pictured); could the script R be a subcontractor mark, like the script B that shows up sometimes? It also looks like there is an A, indicating a previous rejection, and an O or C, maybe reacceptance?

The unfortunate part is that the previous owner heavily coated the gun in linseed oil, so the exposed metal is often gunky. The worst part of this, however, is that the front band will not come out so I haven't been able to get at the barrel code. Any ideas as to how I can break that hold? I've been trying with oil but to no avail.

And it came with a cleaning rod, though it is not matching. Overall I'm very pleased with the gun, especially since it is an ONG/37th Div capture.

WAFFENFABRIK MAUSER A-G OBERNDORF A/N 1915

Receiver SN 1670 n
Barrel SN 1670 n
Front sight SN 70
Rear sight SN 70
Sight Slider SN 70, 70, 70
Ejector box SN 70
Trigger Sear SN
Front barrel band SN 70
Rear barrel band SN 70
Trigger guard SN 1670
Trigger guard screws SN 02, 07
Floor Plate SN 07 (overstamped)
Follower SN 87
Stock SN 1670
Handguard SN not numbered
Buttplate SN 1670 4 H
Bayonet lug SN 70
Cleaning Rod SN 53
Bolt body SN 6286 k
Extractor SN 86
Safety SN 86
Cocking piece SN 86
Bolt sleeve SN 86
Firing pin SN Czech, not numbered
 

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No way you got hurt at $425, although the idiot chase had to be annoying- especially being so unnecessary.

The other markings, I can't say I have any idea, though you see the "A" often enough, both on reworked beech and walnut stocks. I doubt they are sub-contractor marks, but maybe some sort of depot marking. Perhaps dealing with assembly or the worker, or who knows what.. they are typical though.

Not sure on the band, I doubt oil will remove the coating though. I have never encountered a front band that wouldn't come off with the proper tools and method (banged up rear bands have been a nightmare, as it has to slide the length of the forearm, and if care is not taken can really screw up wood along the way).

If it can't be persuaded to give, do what I do, - email MauserBill, as he is the Eli Whitney of Gew.98's!
 
Praying Mantis, Nice piece! I'd have paid $425 for this one without giving it a second thought. Maybe it's just me, but I can't find a rifle like that around here (Western WI and tri-state area) and even if I could find one, it would be priced at $595.

I refinished a few rifles in my time. Linseed oil is not my choice for finishes, here is something you can try if absolutely nothing else works, like the last resort. Mineral spirits 80% and denatured alcohol 20% It doesn't mix well you have to keep stirring it and moving it on the wood try to keep it in the local area using a soft cloth to apply. But what happens is the alcohol will soften the linseed oil and the mineral spirits will act as a barrier between any original stain and original finish that has aged and hardened for 90 years. I have used this successfully on age blackened Dutch Beaumonts and an array of Mauser rifles smeared up with cosmo. It will soften recently applied linseed oil but will not affect the original stain or finish of the rifle of course unless you soak the stock in it a week which isn't a good idea anyways. But I have turned Dutch Beaumonts into a beautiful pieces of furniture with this mix. But these were bad, real black and in these extreme cases I have to use 0000 steel wool, slightly more abrasive than a soft cloth. Never never never sand!

The downside is you may disrupt the finish around the band and will have to go over the entire stock to match it up, which can turn into a lot of work, all the while wiping with clean rags. Let dry for a couple hours and rub on some mineral oil or some light oil and wipe off with a clean rag. If it were me I'd take all that linseed oil off which may or may not require the 0000 steel wool. Then apply on a coat of pure tung oil with your hands, the heat from your hands will push the oil into the wood, rub for 1 or 2 minutes then wipe it all off with a clean cloth leaving a layer about 1 molecule thick.

After you get the metal parts off soak a few minutes in lacquer thinner to remove the gunk build up, stubborn gunk can be easily loosened up with a toothbrush, then wipe dry and oil. Lacquer thinner will not affect bluing on metal surfaces. Anything water based will. And if the bluing does come off you have painted surfaces and not bluing.

That's my take, maybe somebody has better ideas, please write, I'm always looking for restoration processes.
 
Praying Mantis, Nice piece! I'd have paid $425 for this one without giving it a second thought. Maybe it's just me, but I can't find a rifle like that around here (Western WI and tri-state area) and even if I could find one, it would be priced at $595.

I refinished a few rifles in my time. Linseed oil is not my choice for finishes, here is something you can try if absolutely nothing else works, like the last resort. Mineral spirits 80% and denatured alcohol 20% It doesn't mix well you have to keep stirring it and moving it on the wood try to keep it in the local area using a soft cloth to apply. But what happens is the alcohol will soften the linseed oil and the mineral spirits will act as a barrier between any original stain and original finish that has aged and hardened for 90 years. I have used this successfully on age blackened Dutch Beaumonts and an array of Mauser rifles smeared up with cosmo. It will soften recently applied linseed oil but will not affect the original stain or finish of the rifle of course unless you soak the stock in it a week which isn't a good idea anyways. But I have turned Dutch Beaumonts into a beautiful pieces of furniture with this mix. But these were bad, real black and in these extreme cases I have to use 0000 steel wool, slightly more abrasive than a soft cloth. Never never never sand!

The downside is you may disrupt the finish around the band and will have to go over the entire stock to match it up, which can turn into a lot of work, all the while wiping with clean rags. Let dry for a couple hours and rub on some mineral oil or some light oil and wipe off with a clean rag. If it were me I'd take all that linseed oil off which may or may not require the 0000 steel wool. Then apply on a coat of pure tung oil with your hands, the heat from your hands will push the oil into the wood, rub for 1 or 2 minutes then wipe it all off with a clean cloth leaving a layer about 1 molecule thick.

After you get the metal parts off soak a few minutes in lacquer thinner to remove the gunk build up, stubborn gunk can be easily loosened up with a toothbrush, then wipe dry and oil. Lacquer thinner will not affect bluing on metal surfaces. Anything water based will. And if the bluing does come off you have painted surfaces and not bluing.

That's my take, maybe somebody has better ideas, please write, I'm always looking for restoration processes.

Too intrusive/destructive of original aged wood finish.
 
Well I finally got the front barrel band off. After a month of oiling the band I took a flat-head screw driver covered in duct tape and lightly hammered it behind the parade hook. Took forever but it worked. So here's the barrel code. unfortunately the trigger sear isn't matching. Also interesting is a seemingly random acceptance stamp on the front of the triggerguard.
 

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Well done, "BS" seems almost uniquely Mauser used, - meaning to me that this is either Böhler (unlikely as a few "Bö" barrels are known on Mauser production) or much more likely "Bergische Stahl-Industrie-Gesellschaft Remscheid" which others use the code B.S.I for. It seems Mauser prefered this steel mill, - which is a little odd as it isn't nearby (near Solingen-Düsseldorf area).. but they did advertise blanks for rifle barrels in the Imperial era, so probably it was based upon a prior relationship.
 
Well I finally got the front barrel band off. After a month of oiling the band I took a flat-head screw driver covered in duct tape and lightly hammered it behind the parade hook.


You really should try a 15" Long piece of 1" copper soft Type "K" tubing. You can flatten one side to help fit the contour of the band.


..
 
Good to know, Paul. I've seen BSI before, interesting that it's the same maker. I'll have to make a note of that.

TA: Thanks for the suggestion, that sounds like it would be a lot safer to use; I'll pick some up next time I make it to Lowes. Screwdriver wasn't my preference, but it was what I had on hand.
 

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