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I have what I am pretty sure is a Spanish Mauser M43, but it does not have the La Caruna crest. It has a crest with a sword and scabbard instead, which I thought came on the 1916 Mauser. Is this still an M43, just with the older crest? Also, is this rifle worth more or less than an M43?
Any info would be appreciated.
Hi there Vigilant994. I have a bunch of documentation on the Spanish Mauser rifles I once found on the net that was put together by a Hector J. Meruelo of Miami, Florida. From reading his material it would appear he collects and studies Spanish Mauser Rifles and he appears to know what he's talking about. In relation to the M1943, he states the following:
(An uncertain number of M.1943 musketoons issued to the Guardia Civil had the emblem of that Corp (crossed sword and fasces in a rhombus) impressed on the left side of the buttstock (No.Z6305 in my collection); A smaller number bear the same emblem engraved on the chamber.)
I'm not sure what he means by engraved on the chamber, I assume he's referring to the normal location of the crest on the receiver. From what I see you definitely have a Spanish M1943. I have one of the Spanish M1916 short rifles that were converted to 7.62mm and despite the bad rap they get on the net, I really like mine.
I agree with Brad. I also have found the same description of the Civil Guards rifles.
With them being a rarer variety, I would speculate they would be worth more than a standard M43 but by how much I can't say. Spanish rifles in general are not highly regarded in the collecting world with the exception of the FR-8's which seem to draw considerable attention due to their "bad ***" look. They don't come up for sale often anymore and when they do they bring big bucks. I lucked into one at a yard sale a few years ago and could easily double/triple my money on it if I sold it today.
Many thanks for the replies. This one also has that same emblem on the right side of the buttstock. Any ideas where I could go to get some idea as to what this rifle is worth? I'm looking to sell it plus an unissued (since re barreling and rework) FR8.
I have a very nice M43 Spanish Mauser Civil Guard edition. Sword, scabbard and fasces crest on receiver plus same emblem on right side of buttstock. Wood looks very good. Couple little minor blems, nothing serious. Bluing looks good, may have some minor surface rust. A thin coat of oil really brings it out. Bore is strong but dark. Any idea what this fine old rifle might be worth? Thanks in advance.
Couldn't help you with value. Even though it is rarer it might not be worth anything more than your average M43 Mauser simply due to lack of desire for it. Best of luck.
I can't help much with value either. It depends on a lot of things such as overall conditions, matching numbers etc but most of all it needs to be sought after by collectors or shooters if it's going to command a larger value. Your location in the world also plays a big part. The Spanish rifles don't seem to have much of a following compared to say the German Mauser rifles. I think a lot of that is due to bad press on the net with talk of softer steal and so forth with Spanish rifles. I personally don't mind, I find the Spanish rifles that are in good condition are generally good shooters that can be had a reasonable prices. Anyone who thinks all the Spanish Mauser rifles are junk can gladly give them to me :)