Stolen 1923 Swedish Mauser, maybe you can help.

Years ago I had a Swedish Mauser stolen from my home,

I am just asking folks who have a 1923 to check for the following:

It was a Carl Gustav manufacture, 1923.
I believe I had replaced the rear sight with a rotary fine adjust one.
The rifle did have the black painted brass plate near the gold disk. I nailed it on with round head brass tacks (I believe the originals were flat).
The trigger was swapped out for a Timney Trigger (which I never even got to shoot, I did have to remove a little material to make it fit). The rifle was all matching number (other than the trigger and sight, I still have them). I don't know the serial number, I'm sure it's on a transfer form somewhere but I moved a couple times and cannot locate it. I called the State Police and they said paperwork that old in in their archives and gave me a song and dance about not having time to go look it up.

These are the only pictures I took of it (before swapping the sight, trigger, adding a sling and adding the range plate)
http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a.../Mauser-03.jpg
http://i885.photobucket.com/albums/a.../Mauser-04.jpg
The circled items are small blemishes that might make it easier to identify in addition to the other things I mentioned.

Any help would be most appreciated. I am still working on getting the S/N.

Thanks,

Rich

I don't even own a 1923 Carl Gustav, yet you sent me a PM that is essentially this post, without the photographs.
Did you send one to every member of Milsurps.com---or just everyone who ever posted on this particular forum?
For a no-known-serial-number rifle you lost "years ago"?
Dangerously close to spamming, isn't it?
Don't call me, I'll call you.
-----krinko

Or this could simply be an attempt to recover a rifle that was stolen. It would be very easy to determine whether anyone here has this rifle. If any of you have a 1923 Carl Gustav with the blemishes or characteristics of the one mentioned have any law enforcement officer run the serial number. Explain to them the situation and if it is stolen it will come back as such. Then you can help police by telling them from where you bought the rifle. Once entered, stolen firearm serial number never drop from the system. The rifle will be returned to the owner and yes, you will be out whatever you paid for the rifle but you will be doing the right thing.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by krinko

Did you send one to every member of Milsurps.com---or just everyone who ever posted on this particular forum? .... Dangerously close to spamming, isn't it? ....Don't call me, I'll call you.
-----krinko

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For clarification, according to our logs, you were the ONLY beneficiary of rattletrap1970's PM which did essentially duplicate his post here ...

Perhaps it was sent in error while he was trying to figure out how to post publicly ... :dunno:

We get a LOT of emails and PM's from members who, shall we say, are a bit long in the tooth and their skills are BC (before computers), who have a great deal of challenges even making a post. I know, because I have a list of currently 8-12, who I have to place posts on their behalf (often with pics) sent to me by their kids (and grandkids), because the actual member simply can't handle the process. ;)

Regards,
Badger

Essentially there is always one or two people that want to find fault with something. Sorry I PM'ed you Krinko and thinking that checking your trigger wasn't too damn difficult. How about being helpful and NOT being a forum nazi.

Yes, Bill and thank you for the latitude. I have tried to find my documentation for this rifle, I have called the State Police. They don't want to help. I know they have various ways of tracing a firearm. If they were looking for someone to hang out to dry, believe me they would find a way. Apparently simply paying taxes isn't enough for public servants to do their damn job. I gave them the names of two places that it could have been purchased at, a time frame, a pistol permit number that went on the form and they apparently "can't do anything".

Then I come here to illicit help from fellow collectors and I have to deal with people accusing me of being a spammer. Frankly Krinko your attitude sucks for someone who is supposed to be a fellow shooter and for someone with SO much experience in forums, You would think you'd be a little more helpful or at the very least a little more friendly. I PM'ed you and I thought I was pretty friendly and polite and just asked if you could check your Mauser (I mistakenly derived that you had a 1923).

And I would never expect someone to be out the full cost of the rifle if they spent their hard earned money on it. I would try to offer something to get it back. It's more a sentimental thing for me to have it back.

Rattletrap, let's not carry this to the point of out and out war okay. We here at Milsurps.com will be of as much help as we can in regards to your stolen rifle. You need to dig through some of the paperwork and try to find the serial numbers. Also, you can go to the agency in which you filed the theft report and with a date and a small fee you can obtain a copy of the original report. Again, once a firearm is reported stolen, the serial number stays in the system. Stolen firearm reports do not expire.

I understand the S/N makes things easier Bill, I really do. As I said, I called the State Police twice and they basically said the first time that the stuff was in archive, the second time they said they just couldn't find it. The two gunshops that it could have been from are long since closed. I have moved several times since I bought that gun and all my gun stuff has been in and out of storage several times. I do intend on going to the State PD and talking to someone in person, but I need to get some time to do so. It just simply never occurred to me to use the internet until recently to try to find it. I think there are enough unique things about this gun that it could at least raise a question with someone. I really am trying to go about this as well as I can, and I really would reimburse someone to get the rifle back if it came to that.

The state police may not be giving you the run around. I don't know the rules of your state but under the instant background checks, they are "supposed" to get rid of the information on long guns after a certain period of time. I say "supposed" because they have been found in my state of PA to be keeping them on file. I believe they were recently ordered to get rid of them. If you made the purchase prior to the background checks, it may never have been saved. The seller is supposed to retain the information on his books but you said he is no longer in business. I expect he is required by law to keep the books or turn them in but I really don't know. If you reported the serial number at the time of the theft, like others have said, that should still be on file somewhere.

Aragorn, the rifle and serial number was reported stolen. That means the rifle will not drop from the system. Once a weapon, long gun or hand gun, is listed as stolen it will not drop from the system.

Bill,

From what I'm gathering from his posts, the State Police do not have the serial number. He's trying to get them to track down the seller so they can get it from the transfer papers. So while the rifle was reported, the serial number may not be in the system.

I don't know, I'm not trying to read anything into the posts and he can correct me if I'm wrong but if the serial is in the system, there shouldn't be any difficulty for the police to give it to him.

As I said. I called there once and the Woman said that anything that old would be in archive and she didn't have the time to go find it. I called another time and I was told they didn't have the information and couldn't look up the info without a serial number. I told her what about by my pistol permit number as I most likely referenced it on anything I filled out at the gun shop. She was naming off stuff I purchased recently. I said, No it's back between from 1993 or so to 2004. Then she said they didn't have the info. All the while sounding like I was putting her out and she didn't have time for me. I told her the name of the two places I would have bought the thing from just to help narrow it down (I mean don't stores have to keep records for like 20 years or so ?). The two places are out of business but the State should have a record. Then she said something about coming in, in person because they need to verify my identity or something. So, I'm going to try that, but I have to take a day off from work to get one number that should be available. When I reported the rifle stolen, I didn't know the serial number so other than a description of the make and model that's about all they have. I have since then broadened my collection substantially and now I take detailed photos of every gun and note and blemishes or identifying marks along with any cartouches and serial number or markings.
That's why in the mean time I just try to supply the pictures I have with a description of the oddities. If it raises a question or is a possibility at least it can be looked into.