Mauser question

Been lurking for a while and this is my first post. I have only collected US military rifles and just by chance found a coworker that has a Mauser he is willing to sell. He says it is from his dad who was a WWII ETO vet and he got it from him over 25 years ago. The vet has since passed and this person says the Mauser has been in his gun locker since the day it was given to him. He has never cleaned it or even looked it over. I am supposed to be able to see it this coming week.
What are the important things to check for? It could be a bring back or it could have been purchased as surplus many years ago.
Any help would be appreciated.
Mark

Mark,

there is no special point to look at. Inspect it as you do it with every rifle like : Clean and rustfree bore, look at the crown, control the bolt and safety functions. If you want to shoot it, clean it remove the old oil and dirt. And for more please send many pics. With that we can identify the maker and year, if it is a mixmaster or an RC and so on.

we need some pics to give you any info on the rifle......

Since you're familiar with surplus rifles, you should know what to look for as far as condition and function go.

As for bringback vs surplus, hard to tell unless it is definitely surplus and having an import mark. Older surplus will not have the import mark.

A Russian capture will likely be blued, have an X on the receiver near the serial number and etched serial numbers on a few of the parts including the bolt and the floor plate. The stock will also likely have a serial number on the butt.

What to look for to determine collectability is all matching serial numbers on all parts with serial numbers. No missing parts like the small screws on the bottom, the sight cover or the cleaning rod.

Beyond that, photos would be helpful.

Thanks for the responses. I will post pictures as soon as I can take some. I have purchased all of my milsurp from the CMP and this will be my first private purchase. Just wondering where to look for import stampings on these rifles. Will post again after I check it out.

Common to a vet bringback will be all matching numbers, sling, cleaning rod and front sight hood. Photos will help.

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Originally Posted by arcaknob

Thanks for the responses. I will post pictures as soon as I can take some. I have purchased all of my milsurp from the CMP and this will be my first private purchase. Just wondering where to look for import stampings on these rifles. Will post again after I check it out.

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Import stampings are typically on the barrel near the front sight or on the receiver. One place to specifically look because it is hard to miss is under the cleaning rod. If it's an older import, they seem to have been a bit more discreet where they put them. They are faint and hidden as much as possible.

Update on the Mauser: It is not a vet bring back. I got the info today and it is a Model 1909 Argentine Mauser.
Serial #N79XX
Deutsche Waffen und Munitions Fabriken Berlin. 7.65 mm.
I did some searching on this forum and it looks like this is a pretty desirable rifle.
I will try to arrange to see it tomorrow and if it looks decent and the price ???? is right, I may buy it. More updates to follow.
I wanted a German 8mm, but this rifle may be interesting. Any comments welcome.