Must See Ethiopian Israeli Mauser!

An easy fast to all who will be fasting this weekend.  But before you run off to dinner and schul, you need to see this one:
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=444196397

I wouldn't even venture a guess as to price.  Good luck and buyer beware!

Israeli Mauser Watch 11/5/13

Currently on gunbroker.com there is a nice German captured Israeli Mauser.  This one has the markings I like: the Star of David and a visible attack on the Nazi eagle (scroll down in the listing to see the pictures).  Markings like that, in my opinion, are what collecting those are all about.

No bidding yet, but my estimate is that this one will go for $600-$800.  As always, buyer beware!

Israeli Mauser Watch 8/26/13

There are a couple of very nice looking Israeli Mausers currently for sale on Gunbroker:

This one (click here) has a very cool Czech action, with the beautiful lion crest.  Now, unlike many of these Czech actions I've seen, this one actually has a Star of David stamp on the side, which I love.  It seems like someone did some restoration work on this one.  With matching numbers, I see this one selling over $1K, the starting ask is $750.  Too rich for my blood, but man I wish a stripped action like that one would go for sale sometime.

The other (click here) is a Belgian with the IDF crest.  Other than the fact this one is clean looking, I'm not sure what justifies the $950 ask.  I've seen the Belgians in that condition go $600-$800, and at that high end only when super clean.  I see that the seller is the same for both rifles, perhaps he confused the two ask prices. 

As always, buyer beware!

Israeli Mauser Watch: Remarkable Israeli Mauser on Gunbroker

Right now on Gunbroker.com is a classic example of the type of Israeli Mauser that I really like, perhaps the best I've seen online.  German-made receiver, Stars of David stamps on the receiver and carved into the stock, stamped out Nazi markings, matching bolt and receiver, sling, grenade launcher.  Lots of pictures so check it out (click to visit)!

Also there is Hebrew word on the receiver and stock, and I'm not quite sure what it means, or if it is an acronym.  I can't tell if the letters are מכלן or מפלן so perhaps one of my readers can help read and translate the markings.

With two days left in the auction, bidding has reached $650.  I suspect it will go for $900-$1200.

As always, buyer beware!

Interesting New Option for Israeli Mauser Builds

As my readers know, I'm a big fan of the K98 Mauser large ring action.  I bought a stripped receiver with the IDF crest for just $50, so that someday I could build it out into some sort of target/sporting rifle, but at the moment I have no specific plans.  Old K98 actions, Israeli and otherwise, are very popular actions for building so-called "sporter" or "scout" rifles, which are basically carry-around rifles for general hunting and target shooting.  There are quite a few after-market stocks made for the Mauser action, and all kinds of barrels, even pre-threaded and chambered barrels the amateur gunsmith can install and head space with hand tools (although most of us would benefit from having a gunsmith with a lathe install the barrel).  Almost always a scope is mounted, which eliminates the ability for fast reloads with stripper clips, so each round is fed one at a time into the internal magazine.

However, there is a company here in Florida that has begun making the "bottom metal", i.e. a replacement for the internal magazine that instead accepts external, AI patterned magazines.  I don't know anything about the quality of the product or the company, I'm just letting readers know it is out there.  So if you really just *have* to build a Mauser sporter out of an old Israeli Mauser action, this bottom metal could really open up the possibilities.  If you know anything about this new system, please leave comments and share your experience.

Now that all said, Ruger has a .308 Scout rifle out now that also takes magazines and is getting great reviews, and Mossberg and of course Remmington make some very nice, and very affordable general purpose "sporter" rifles as well.  To build a Mauser sporter you'll spend quite a bit more unless you're a serious DIYer (you can install and headspace a pre-threaded barrel, bed an action, etc.), but you can end up with a rifle that is exactly what you want, and perhaps with deeper meaning to you than something off the shelf.  Also there are a number of companies making really beautiful wood stocks that take Mauser actions.  Personally, I am hoping someone will manufacture some sort of aluminum chassis system that will accept Mauser actions, so I could just drop it in and use it for NRA High Power and dabble in some tactical matches some day.  Unfortunately, right now there doesn't seem to be much interest, so as far as I know nobody is making one...yet.

Israeli(?) Mauser Watch - Another .22LR

On Gunbroker.com someone has listed another .22LR Mauser, referring to it as an Israeli Mauser.  This specimen clearly has a Remington barrel.  Two of my readers have now stepped forward expressing their understanding that indeed some K98s were converted for use by Israel to .22LR.  I am sure they are genuine in their beliefs, but hearsay is no substitute for substantiated research.  I am admittedly ignorant on the subject, and would be more inclined to believe that some hobbyist gunsmith(s) decided it would be cool to re-barrel a Mauser in .22LR.  If these are the genuine article, then the initial asking price of $895 is probably reasonable, as this would be a sought-after collector's item.

Personally, I would not have much interest, variety of reasons.  First, if one really wanted a good target .22LR, there are much better choices.  Second, if one wanted the thrill of firing an Israeli Mauser (or wanted to give a child or grand child the experience) without the kick of a .308 cartridge, you can actually buy a chamber insert for .308 rifles that allow the use of a variety of pistol cartridges.  Arguably, such chamber inserts would have been smarter than creating a .22LR in the first place, depending upon exactly what you were trying to train the shooter to do.

As usual, buyer beware!

UPDATE:  Apparently sold at $895.

Israeli Mauser Watch 5/7/13

Today on Gunbroker a nice-looking German conversion, bidding currently at $300.  I can't tell from the pictures if there is a Star of David or other Hebrew...if interested you may want to contact the seller.  Normally I would say one in this condition would go for $600 or so, but with matching bolt serial they tend to go for more and are unpredictable.

As always, buyer beware!

UPDATE: Sold for $660.05

Israeli Mauser Watch 5/3/13

On Gunbroker today there are quite a few Israeli Mausers up for sale.  In fact, since my last update several have been listed and sold, I just didn't have time to blog about them.  Maybe collectors are having a spring cleaning of their safes and letting these go?  Just seems like a lot more on the market than usual.  In any case:

1. A Czech-made Israeli Mauser with the beautiful lion crest.  $725 is the starting bid.  The rifle looks nice, but I suspect it may not be the original finish.  A little steep on the price, but it would probably cost about the same to find a beater and restore it to this level.  I'm guessing it won't get $725 and will roll over and go for $500-$700.

UPDATE: Sold for $695

2. Complete Stripped German Action.  I actually like the markings on this one, complete with Star of David and Hebrew lettering.  $175 might be a little on the high side, $100-$125 would be a better deal.  It seems like maybe the bolt and receiver have matching numbers, hard to tell.  If you just want a paperweight, be patient and a complete stripped action will eventually appear in the $50 range.

UPDATE: Sold for $211

3. German K98.  I don't like this seller. For one, no pictures of the markings.  Second, he writes, "getting hard to find" when, as readers of this blog know, this is not true.  The current bid is $380, with a buy-now price over $600.  Not enough info to really form an opinion, but I would approach with caution.

UPDATE: Sold for $620

4. Belgian.  This seems like a fine example of the Belgian with the IDF crest.  The pictures aren't great, but the rifle looks in good condition.  The bid is currently $500, I wouldn't go much higher.

UPDATE: Sold for $585

5. German K98.  Well this one is interesting.  It's a refurb, but looks beautiful with beautiful markings.  Current bid is $800, with a $1200 buy now and the reserve is not met.  A little steep, but assuming the barrel is in good condition and the rifle safely fires, I think someone would be proud to own this one.

UPDATE: Reserve not met, and apparently not re-listed.

6. Belgian K98.  With a starting bid at $700 and buy now of $800, this one is a little pricey. I've seen better condition for about the same price.

UPDATE: Reserve not met, and apparently not re-listed.

As always, buyer beware!

Israeli Mauser Watch 3/18/13

Today on Gunbroker.com someone is selling two stripped Israeli Mauser receivers.  These are the Belgian-made receivers with the IDF crest on the receiver.  I have one which is currently a paper-weight in my office until I figure out what to build with it.  The two in the picture look good, except the one that shows rusting..but that may be superficial and nothing a coat of Cerakote or similar product can't hide.  These receivers are great platforms for building a hunting or mid-range target rifle.  The current asking price is $100, which is a fair deal, especially if your FFL transfer dealer will only charge you for one.

As always, buyer beware!

UPDATE: Sale price info no longer available....

Israeli Mauser Watch 3/1/13

On gunbroker.com for sale is a "mystery mauser" with minimal markings, although the 7.62 stamp and .308 barrel indicate it served in Israel.  Perhaps a mauser historian could help identify the manufacture date and place.  It also has a Star of David stamp in the photo.

The Buy Now Price is $350, I could see it going for about that, anything less is a fair deal.

As always, buyer beware!

UPDATE: Sale price no longer available in the system...

Israeli Mauser Watch 2/15/13 - Czech Lion

Today on gunbroker.com someone is selling a Czech-made Israeli Mauser.  Unfortunately the pictures are not so good, but I what I really like about these is that the receiver sports a beautiful lion crest.  Someday I hoped to find one stripped to add for my collection, but at a starting bid of $499, this one is too rich for my blood.  That said, with matching receiver and bolt numbers, collectors pay a premium and this one could possibly go for that price and more.

As always, buyer beware!

Israeli Mauser Watch 2/13/13

For sale now on Gunbroker are two German captured Israeli Mausers.

The first one is a 1945 dou, which has cool markings, including what looks like 2 Stars of David.  Unfortunately, it has some kind of import stamp not just on the barrel, but also on the receiver.  Some people might like that stamp, some not (I'm not sure why the importer stamped the receiver...my understanding is that only the barrel needs to be stamped...).  The bidding starts at $350...with a shot-out barrel I don't see it fetching much more than that.

The second one is very old, 1918.  It has some rare German markings, but no visible Hebrew on the receiver, but some Hebrew on the barrel band.  Personally, no Star of David is a deal breaker for me, but bidding is already at $500, and due to the age, condition and markings it wouldn't surprise me if it goes for $800-$1200.  Just think, in 5 years that rifle (well the receiver at least) will be 100 years old, and is probably still very capable.

As always, buyer beware!

UPDATE: I waited too long to followup, sale price no longer published...

Israeli Mauser Watch 1/21/13 - Rare .22LR Trainer

Today on gunbroker.com someone has listed a truly rare Israeli Mauser, this one is a .22LR training rifle!  According to the seller:

FN HERSTAL BELGIUM: The Israelis contracted FN to build them roughly 1000 of these dedicated .22 LR training rifles. It is purpose built with matching bolt. These were not fabricated from existing K98's in 8mm these actions, barrels and bolts were made just for this project. They were built on a FN single shot frame. These things are unbelievably rare and only a handful were imported about 10 years ago or so.

I have seen these around occasionally, and have also heard of people making them from existing Mauser parts.

The bidding starts at $1300, with a buy-now of $1500.  I think at those prices, the auction will only draw collectors.  In that range a new or used Anschutz or lessor .22LR target rifle can be had.  In my mind, part of the fun of an Israeli Mauser is firing it with a "real" cartridge like .308, so for me this rifle would get boring fast.  Even for sentimental value, meh...these rifles almost certainly never saw combat, or maybe they trained a few IDF troops or Israeli kids.  Given that it is a single shot rifle, I'm not even sure what the training value was.

As usual, buyer beware!

UPDATE:  Apparently it sold for $1500.

Mission Accomplished: Jewish Marksman Shoots Expert Score with Israeli Mauser

Last weekend I finally teased an Expert class score out of my 1940 Israeli Mauser in an NRA High Power match (reduced course 100 yard match)!  Expert class starts at 89%, suggesting the shooter is hitting mostly 10s and 9s.  Originally the goal was much lower, but as I started hitting each classification I nudged it up just to prove what the rifle was capable of.  It took me roughly six or seven months, with a match each month, to achieve this goal.

Why an Israeli Mauser

So why did I do it?  I think a few shooters in the club thought I was a little crazy at first.  After all, I was shooting solid Master scores with the Service Rifle, on my way to High Master, and I just completed building a Remington 700 match rifle that has been sitting in the safe unfired.  Why waste months on getting the Israeli Mauser to do something it was never intended, and essentially drop out of being a serious contender in matches during that time?  Not to mention the money expense of getting the Israeli Mauser match capable?

I suppose one could say I have 6,000,000 reasons for doing it.  The rifle was originally crafted by a nation that at one time sought to exterminate the Jews from the face of the earth.  The steel receiver was probably made from iron mined in that same country.  It is highly probable that soldiers from that nation used the rifle to fight Allied forces, kill Allied soldiers, and maybe even to kill Jews.  But after WWII, the captured rifle made its way to Israel, a Jewish homeland born from the ashes of WWII.  What the rifle may have been used for there is anyone's guess.  Was it used by Jews in Israel's war of independence   Did IDF soldiers use it for training thereafter?  Was it the trusted companion of some frontier Jewish kibbutznik?  And where did it go after Israel?

Now, you could argue that those are good reasons to acquire the Israeli Mauser as memorabilia, but not necessarily for using it.  So what is the significance of using the Israeli Mauser?  I think for me, it adds a new chapter to the rifle's life that hopefully my great, great, great grandchildren will remember and perpetuate.  My use of it, and someday my daughter's use, and so on, serves to remind us that Jews must not only always be armed, but we must develop the skills to use those arms with precision and safety.  A rifle that rusts away in a safe is useless.  But a rifle used in sport develops the Jewish shooters' skills so that if someday, G-d forbid, we are ready.  Of course, any rifle can serve the purpose of training, but there is something primal and especially memorable about actually using a 70+ year old rifle that has a history of its own.  In my case, the Israeli Mauser was actually the first center-fire bolt action rifle I ever shot, and also the first in .308.

Still a Potent Weapon

And make no mistake, in the right hands the Israeli Mauser is still a damn capable rifle for hunting, and I dare say combat in a pinch.  I never performed any formal testing, but based on my slow prone targets, I would say the rifle is mechanically capable of just over 1MOA (1" groups at 100 yards).  Here is my prone target from the last match, the actual diameter of the aiming black is 6.35":

Yes, it only has an internal 5-round magazine, but I got to be very quick with my reloads using stripper clips.  Remember, in High Power the sitting stage is 10 rounds in 60 seconds, with a reload.  Here is my sitting stage target from the last match:

And here is the rapid prone target:

So the idea that you can't be fast and accurate with an Israeli Mauser is demonstrably false!  And keep in mind this is just with aperture-style Mojo Sights, which are not really up for high precision target work.  With a scout-style scope or better target sights....

What's Next?

As I've been hinting, for several months now a fully ready Remington 700 configured as a competition match rifle has been patiently waiting in the gun safe.  I am hoping that 2013 will be the year I earn my High Master card, and I'm feeling good about the R700's ability to get me there.

Israeli Mauser Watch 12/20/2012

Today on Gunbroker.com someone listed exactly the kind of Israeli Mauser that I like to see most of all, an old captured German make with a Star of David and other Hebrew markings, as described by the seller:

Very good condition WWII German 98k Mauser rifle that has the “ar 43” code on the receiver for production by Borsigwalde in 1943. This rifle was later reissued to Israeli forces after the war, where is was converted to 7.62 NATO, or .308, caliber. The Nazi eagle proof on the receiver was peened and replaced with a Star of David

Even if you're not in the market, it's worth a click to see the pictures of this special part of Jewish history.  Current bid is $155, and my guestimate is that it will go for $300-$500.

As always,  I have nothing to do with the auction and buyer beware!

(If you are researching Israeli Mausers, you can follow the Israeli Mauser tag to see all my posts on the subject.)

UPDATE: It sold for $405.  Mazal tov to both buyer and seller.

Jewish Marksman's Shooting Update

Another weekend passed without me being able to crack the 90% barrier using the 70 year old Israeli Mauser in the High Power match.  But we nudged a little closer.  Last month, I shot 86.5%, and this month 87%.  Probably the biggest barrier to real gains was a lack of practice this past month, due to the fact that I participated in my first half-marathon (13.1 miles) which took a bit of training for.  For those interested, I did finish, averaging a 9:55 mile.  I only had time to practice some standing position and prone position shooting with the scatt. I had never done any serious slow fire prone shooting with the scatt and mauser, and noticed a number of triggering flaws but did not have time to figure them out.  So long story short, here's how I did:

Standing: 183-2 (91.5%).  This was a big improvement over last month's 85%, and was actually the third best score in the 13 person match!

Rapid Sitting: 169-0 (84.5%).  This was a disaster, including a six and a (gasp!) miss!  Last month I shot 90.5%.  What went wrong?  Basically a month without practicing sitting with a timer left me completely out of tune with how long 60 seconds actually is, and I rushed, rushed, rushed when there was absolutely no need to. Actually the score is not that bad all things considered, even with the miss.  But really, given that it is the same target and a stable position, my sitting should be as good or better than standing.

Rapid Prone: 174-0 (87%).  This was a decent improvement over last month's 83.5%.  But like sitting, I am still rushing things.  In fact, I miscounted my first 5 shots, fired shot six on an empty chamber, but still had plenty of time left after all was said and done.  If I slow down I am confident I can break 90% here.

Slow Prone: 170-2 (85%).  This was basically no change from last month's 87%, and in fact, the target looked eerily similar with 4 or 5 7's dropping out the bottom.  I learned from the scatt that this is probably due to bad trigger technique, so I need to work on that.  I tried using a smaller front aperture  which on the scatt resulted in tighter groups, but at the range did not seem to make much difference, and in fact darkened and blurred the bull uncomfortably.  So I will probably go back to the bigger aperture and just work on trigger technique.

Total: 696-4 (87%) versus last month's 86.5%.

Once again, shooters in the club took notice.  I shared a position with another shooter who was quite impressed with what the Israeli Mauser could do compared to his AR-15.

Israeli Mauser Watch 11/30/12

Listed on Gunbroker.com is a 1944 stamped Israeli Mauser.  I do like the straight bolt-handle as most are bent, but this can be an issue if one wants to scope the rifle.  Current bid is $99 with no reserve, I would guess this will go for around $300.

Also for sale is a nice-looking Belgian with the IDF crest.  I like the seller's spiel, "Just a great piece of history & have seen renewed collectability due to recent events."  Current bid is $305 with no reserve, I am guessing it will close $400-$450.

Again, I have nothing to do with these auctions and as always buyer beware!

Israeli Mauser Watch November 25, 2012

Notice how they always seem to come in bunches?  Here is another Belgian with the IDF crest listed on Gunbroker.com.  From the sounds of it, might be a good shooter.  Starting bid is $299, I wouldn't feel bad paying $425, and wouldn't be surprised if it goes for a little more.  From the sound of it, the barrel is in good shape and the bolt headspaces, which is a good sign that it will likely be safe to shoot (have a gunsmith check!).

As always, I have nothing to do with this auction and buyer beware!

Israeli Mauser Watch November 24, 2012

Today on Gunbroker.com I noticed a nice looking Israeli Mauser...this is one of the contract builds form Belgium  not a WWII captured rifle.  I prefer the latter, but of course the Belgians have the beautiful IDF crest.  This one has a "buy now" price of $1350, which I assume is based on the fact that all the serial numbers match.  I'm not going to venture a guess at the value, because I am always surprised how much collectors will pay for matching serials (i.e. the bolt and receiver).  Certainly a handsome stock.

As usual, I have nothing to do with the auction and as always, buyer beware!

Israeli Mauser Watch 10/30/12

Hope all is well with my readers affected by the storm.  For those with power and internet access, today there is another Israeli Mauser up on Gunbroker.

This one has a bolt with matching serial number, which for some reason collectors tend to pay more for, so I am not going to make a guess at the value.  As described it appears to be a very fine specimen, almost a shame to use as a shooter.  At this time the bidding starts at $530 with no reserve.

As always, I have no connection whatsoever to this sale, and buyer beware!

UPDATE 11/24/12 - Gunbroker.com shows it sold for $535.00