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what exactly do we have here...
Hi all,
I picked up this sporter argentine from a pawn shop today for $200. It doesn't seem to be an exact match for any of the 1891 models I know of. It has been polished and cut but the #'s match on everything from the stock to the sight. It isn't long enough to be a full rifle and it has a matching # bent bolt but the barrel seems too long for a carbine. The front sight has original markings on it so I sort of doubt the barrel has been snipped. Anyone familiar with these?
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05-09-2019 01:31 AM
# ADS
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Legacy Member
At a guess, it's a standard 1891 Argentine Mauser that someone bought at a bargain price and then tarted it up as a sporter rifle - a very common activity back in the day.
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Legacy Member
Hey, I was thinking that too but the barrel is too short for a long rifle and it has a bent bolt, do you think it started life as a carbine?
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No the barrel would have been chopped and the bolt handle bent by whoever did the sporterizing. Some obvious clues are the long rear sight (carbines almost always have a shorter rear sight), front barrel band style, sling mounting points (carbines expecially from this era usually have the mounting points on the side), way how the bolt is bent, and the style of front sight.
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Legacy Member
Huh I guess they did a good job lol the bolt looks perfect for a bent-bolt carbine! I'm doing a gunsmithing apprenticeship starting here in a little bit specifically focused on restoring milsurp rifles. With all the numbers matching I'd hate to rebarrel it to restore it, so I'm thinking about cutting it back even more to make a faux arentine naval carbine, anyone have any experience with those?
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No experience with them, but I personally would leave it as it is, and enjoy it. As you said, whoever did the work did a good job. Why risk buggering it?
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Well mainly I want to return it as much as possible to standard military configuration. Turns out the naval carbine barrel length is 23.5 inches which is exactly what I have right now so no snip snip would be required so I'll just be putting a nosecap and front band on it and a handguard. I won't be altering the metal at all.
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Here's the ethical problem with what your proposing. You create this fake carbine and you know its fake. Eventually down the road you sell it letting the buyer know its fake. That buyer (or the next one, or the next one) isn't as honest and will advertise it as a real carbine. And there is obvious signs its not a real one, but the person buying it might not be super knowledgeable on them and ends up paying full value on a fake. That person eventually realizes its a fake but its too late and now there out the money and are either forced to sell at a loss, keep because it will never be worth what they paid, or try to pass it on to the next sucker.
The other thing to consider is using up original parts to tart up a fake. Those parts could be used to repair a real carbine but instead are being used on a fake taking them out of supply. Not saying you can't do this, its your money and you can buy what you like, just that the supply of original parts is limited and to me its a waste to put it on a fake.
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Legacy Member
You would really be wasting time and money . To make a correct looking carbine out of it you will need a bolt [ the one you have is a poorly done heat bend ] , a stock [ it is too short and trimmed at the front ] , all the barrel bands and nose cap , a handguard , a rear sight . The front sight is in the wrong place, so you have to remove it and turn the barrel down to move the sight back .
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I've seen several others done in the exact same way which tells me they were modified by the importers in the 50s or 60s.
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