I inherited an Emil Kerner - Suhl Mauser Rifle

I

Ishandiaz93

Member
Hello everyone - my name is Christian Diaz. I inherited this rifle, the original owner was my great-grandfather who was a hunting fanatic here in Guatemala. I fell in love with the rifle which I had seen since I was a little kid. I want to learn more about it and see if I can find someone who can help me restore it. I don’t intend to sell it anytime, but keep it as my family treasure. Maybe some day I can shoot it again. I appreciate any information that could be provided about the rifle. Any information is appreciated. Cheers!

Link for pictures in my google drive:

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Welcome Christian! Congratulations on your inheritance. That must have been quite a head turner in the day! I will leave it to others to describe how best to deal with that issue. A work of art when new!
 
biggymu said:
Welcome Christian! Congratulations on your inheritance. That must have been quite a head turner in the day! I will leave it to others to describe how best to deal with that issue. A work of art when new!
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Thank you so much! I am excited to learn more about this rifle. Were you able to see the pictures from the link? Greetings!
 
Ishandiaz93 said:
Thank you so much! I am excited to learn more about this rifle. Were you able to see the pictures from the link? Greetings!
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Yes, the pictures are good. This rifle can be improved with care and patience.
DO NOT sand it or use a wire brush please.
Remove it from the stock. Oil and bronze wool (it is softer than the bluing) worked carefully a little at a time will remove everything that will come off. It will never appear as new again but it can be functional! I would do nothing to the wood.
 
www.germanhuntingguns.com

Kerner, E.

The Kerner family in Suhl has been involved in the Gun Making trade since the 17th Century. Hans-Jürgen Fritze in his book Heimat der Büchsenmacher states that in 1606 a Hans Kerner and his son Hans Kerner the younger were recorded as working at that trade. In 1890 Emil Kerner (1863-1940)...
www.germanhuntingguns.com www.germanhuntingguns.com
Search online, they made fine hunting rifles.

Does the scope still have glass in the front lense? It looks pretty banged up! That will be impossible to repair without replacing the scope if that’s the case. At least it has screws mounts. They are available though.
 

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Kerner built quality rifles. This rifle would have indeed been quite beautiful in its day. You can do a little work to it to clean it up, with holding a full restoration, and making it functional and usable. As mentioned, a soft oily cloth, and some patience, will clean up some of the tarnish and rust. There are other methods, but it would depend on what you have available to you in Guatemala. Restoration for a rifle like this is an endeavor in patience.

The action is an Oberndorf Mauser commercial action, and from what I can see would have been in the white or a French Grey. The remainder would have been a rust blue. To better determine the cartridge you would need to very carefully remove the bottom metal and barreled receiver from the stock. You'll want to do this BEFORE you attempt any restoration work. Oil will soak into and contaminate the stock, especially filled with iron oxide.
 
biggymu said:
www.germanhuntingguns.com

Kerner, E.

The Kerner family in Suhl has been involved in the Gun Making trade since the 17th Century. Hans-Jürgen Fritze in his book Heimat der Büchsenmacher states that in 1606 a Hans Kerner and his son Hans Kerner the younger were recorded as working at that trade. In 1890 Emil Kerner (1863-1940)...
www.germanhuntingguns.com www.germanhuntingguns.com
Search online, they made fine hunting rifles.

Does the scope still have glass in the front lense? It looks pretty banged up! That will be impossible to repair without replacing the scope if that’s the case. At least it has screws mounts. They are available though.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the link, very helpful. I am doing further investigation. Yes, the scope ist not in good condition and its missing the fron lense. I thought maybe leave it as it is as an original accesory for treasure and purchase a new one to fire the rifle. Thanks again for the info.
 
Fal Grunt said:
Kerner built quality rifles. This rifle would have indeed been quite beautiful in its day. You can do a little work to it to clean it up, with holding a full restoration, and making it functional and usable. As mentioned, a soft oily cloth, and some patience, will clean up some of the tarnish and rust. There are other methods, but it would depend on what you have available to you in Guatemala. Restoration for a rifle like this is an endeavor in patience.

The action is an Oberndorf Mauser commercial action, and from what I can see would have been in the white or a French Grey. The remainder would have been a rust blue. To better determine the cartridge you would need to very carefully remove the bottom metal and barreled receiver from the stock. You'll want to do this BEFORE you attempt any restoration work. Oil will soak into and contaminate the stock, especially filled with iron oxide.
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for the valuable information. I will take good care following the recomendations. Here in Guatemala it could be a little bit harder to find variety in special equipment when it comes to these types of rifles, but I have some good ideas where to find some. Thanks again for the information!
 
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