advice on a Spanish Mauser

[Patrick Chadwick]

I just love these "I've found a rifle, what is it and what's it worth" queries!

I cannot see any legible trace of a receiver crest, so it could be one of several models. A full-length photo would be the first requirement.

And you say you want a shooter. Me too, but my crystal ball just doesn't have the range to look inside a barrel several thousand miles away. Hands-on evaluation is the ONLY way to make a fair assessment of a likely shooter. Scrap can usually be identified pretty fast, but I have learnt not to trust bore photos.

So the best advice I can give is 1) let someone who has real hands-on experience with old rifles have a look at it, and 2) if that is not possible, assume that the inside is as bad as the outside - and that looks like wallhanger quality. So FWIW I agree with Daan Kemp.

Offer as if for a wallhanger, and you will not lose much if it's a dud - and have a nice surprise if it's better than it looks.