Need a Good Gunsmith

[azowl]

I was given a bolt action centerfire rifle as a thank you gift. The catch is that the stock looks homemade and doesnt fit properly to the barrel or action. Additionally there are zero markings on the gun other than a number that may be a serial number. I have no clue of its origin, caliber or even if it would be safe to shoot if those things were known. Any recommendations of a good gunsmith who might be able to figure these things out for me?

[lancetkenyon]

First, post a bunch of photos here. Lots of gun knowledgeable guys on the site.

Second, where do you live? Helps in narrowing down an area.

[azowl]

Good idea. Here are some pics. I live in Casa Grande. Dont really care where the gunsmith is though as long as he knows what hes doing. Hopefully in the state:)

[STOMP442]

Looks like a large ring Mauser. Not sure what type or country of origin from those pictures, could even be a commercial Mauser by the looks of it but not sure. If you remove the front scope base there should be some more markings that will narrow things down a bit further. What you have is a sporterized Mauser, it was very common back in the 60s for importers to bring in military Mausers and sporterize them by installing a nice barrel, installing a traditional bolt handle and fitting them to a walnut stock then selling them as hunting rifles. You will need to get the chamber cast to determine what cartridge yours is chambered in exactly but they were commonly chambered in .30-06, 7X57 and 8mm. What you have for sure is a very solid platform for a custom build if you wanted to.

[lancetkenyon]

And.....there you go. Stomp nailed it.

[firstcoueswas80]

The Gun Doctor in Casa Grande has done good work for me, but I'm not sure he does what you're asking about.

[azowl]

Stomp442 and firstcoueswas80 thank you both so much. I have direction with this now.

[PRDATR]

Fajen stock most likely. Break it down.

[10Turkeys]

I have that rifles twin. I was gifted it from a friend. The story of the gun is that they were sold out of someplace in Texas (if my memory is working) as the World's most accurate gun. Upon receiving the rifle and shooting it, my buddy realized that it wasn't that accurate at all, he wrote the guy who was selling the rifles and said that the rifle that he had sold to him wasn't that accurate. He got a letter back from the guy who simply said Well sue me. Mine is a plain ol 98 action stamped Mark V, and 25-06 is stamped on the barrel, very faintly.

[azowl]

Here is the symbol that was under the front scope mount. I removed the action and barrel from the stock but still couldnt see anything other than a couple of 2 and 3 digit numbers here and there on the trigger and bolt. It does look just like the gun that 10Turkeys has.

[STOMP442]

Definitely a commercial Mauser of some sort and definitely worth keeping. If it were me I would decide what caliber I wanted and build it. That action with a match grade barrel can shoot just as well if not better than anything else made today. I built a .280 Ackley on an old 98k Mauser with a Benchmark #3 barrel that shoots fantastic.

[azowl]

Stomp442, would’nt mind talking to you about this at some point. Not sure how to go about it from this format.

[STOMP442]

Just shoot me a PM and we can exchange contact info.

[Mike S]

Lots of potential there. I do think it looks like a military 98 of some flavor due to the stripper clip charging hump on the rear bridge and what looks like a left side rail thumb notch.

They can be fixed up pretty nice...

[azowl]

I wanted to update all on this rifle. It’s a Manchurian Mauser chambered in 243. The gunsmith told me the same thing I heard here first, that it’s a great platform if I decided to do something else with it. So I decided to build it as a graduation gift for a young friend. It’s being set with a 30-06 barrel on a maple stock. Should be completed in a few more days. We’re going to set a Vortex Viper 6.5x20 scope on it when finished. I’ll post some pics of the completed project when I can.