DaveN, you really have scored a winner!

It looks completely genuine.

Normally I want rifles to be in good shooting condition, and am not worried much about the exterior. In this case, there is a lot of history revealed by the exterior, and this is one case where I would go along with the collectors and say

DO NOT REFINISH IT

- just clean it gently, and do not touch the stickers - they are very fragile and provide valuable information. Clean the bore properly of course!

Although markings on metal can be(relatively) easily faked to fool the non-expert, faking the stickers would be work for for a master forger who would have more profitable things to do.

The rifle is indeed an example of what is is generically known as a "Wehrmannsgewehr" in the "Schuetzen" caiiber 8,15x46, as predicted. Whether originally made as such or converted from a '98 rifle or carbine - difficult to tell, as you did not post a full-length photo. As anyone who has a copy of Ball's book knows, the numbers of variations on the theme of Mauser is enormous.

The group of 4 proof marks: crown over B, G, U and N respectively indicates

B = proof in finished condition, must have U as a pre-condition.
G = proof for rifled barrel
U = proof mark
This was not used after 1939, so the rifle was made long before the date of the stickers.
N = nitro proof
This was also changed in 1939 to a Nazi-style eagle.

Likewise the B and U marks on the bolt handle, which also shows the rifle's number U578.


The rifle was made years before the stickers were applied. No great surprise there - in 1944, when the invasion of Franceicon ws in full swing, I doubt that gunsmiths had much time for making private rifles.

The rectanguler sticker says:

Landesschiessen (i.e. regional shooting competition for the Land)

(over Nazi eagle)

Innsbruck, 2-16. Juli 1944

The Land is, of course, Tirol.
See the oval sticker.

Standschützen Verra???Tirol-Vorarlberg
???Schiessstand (i.e. shooting range)

??? was probably a place name.
This would appear to be a club sticker, dating from before the Innsbruck sticker.
(Vorarlberg is the Land between Tirol and Switzerand)

I also see traces of yet another sticker, to the left of the oval sticker.


These are not presentation stickers, but the kind of sticker still used today, when a rifle is inspected and accepted before the competition.
Many shooters leave them on the butt as "been there, done that" evidence.

Finally, the T.ST.V mark that started it all.

Although it is all in capitals, It is actually T.St.V.

This can be found in Germanyicon and Austriaicon as the abbreviation for

"Technische StudentenVerbindung"

Difficult to transfer to other cultures, but this is a student body in a university (in this case, technical/engineering/scientific students). Something like an American fraternity. Reputed (especiallY in those days) to be very conservative, very patriotic, and therefore by no means politically neutral. The kind of student body where the members wear pill-box caps, uniforms, and practice duelling with swords. You have surely seen such in Hollywood films!

And there is a University of Innsbruck!

And still such a body! (not necessarily the same one)

K.T.St.V. Alemannia. Siebererstraße 7b. A-6020 Innsbruck

Bingo!

Congratulations!

Patrick