My Mouser

[melw44]

Way back when I was a lot younger I worked in a gun shop. I found an add in shotgun news for a Mouser rifle at a very low price. With the boss's OK I used the shops FFL to order one.
After the agonizing wait (I hate waiting) it arrived. What I found is shown in the photo attached to this post. I was happy with it. But some what leery about shooting it. So in the safe it went. Time passed I got marred to a woman that was kind of cool toward guns. Not get rid of them but not encouraging either. Got out of that marriage found a better one and marred her. Much better all the way around. She is very supportive of my interest in firearms. At a friends engorgement I got the Mauser out of the safe and had a smith look it over. He declared it safe. A box of shells and a trip to a range later I found I like to shoot it. With the 145 gran reloads it was a delight to shoot. Seemed to shoot well when I got it on target. I knew what the problem was with the first shot. The front sight was way off to the right. It was like this when I received the rifle. I had wondered if it was that far out of line. Thankfully it is not. That just leaves me with how to adjust it. I tried light tapping with a non marring hammer to no effect. Any ideas?
It is chambered in 7X57. I also think it was made in Brazil.
Have a look at the photos.
Mel W.Attachment 13897Attachment 13896Attachment 13898Attachment 13899

Information

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[Patrick Chadwick]

The crest is from VENEZUELA, not Brazil. Much rarer than a Brazilian, so don't feel disappointed. Looks like it had a lot of surface rust, otherwise you would be able to read that at the bottom. The model is the FN-made 24/30 short rifle. 16500 plus were made (not precisely known). Because of the pitting, if the blueing seems complete, then the rifle has been reblued. All this, of course, AFAICSWAHTOIMH.

Patrick

[melw44]

Patrick
Thanks for the reply.
I don't know if it has been re-blued. The color is more Gray to white. The barrel bands are white on all most all of the edges. The pitting is the worst on the take down lever you can see that in one of the photos.
Thanks for the info!
Mel W.

[rticwolf]

Please melw44, let your rifle just like it's is and for moving the front sight, uses a brass punch and a good hammer, make sure the barrell is well fixed and be sure the sight will move. You have a pretty peice of story in yours hands do'nt alter it.

JB

[melw44]

Oh I have no plans to alter the rifle. I just want to know how to adjust the sight.
I like Military arms and will keep it as it is. It should shoot strait though.
Thanks for the hints on the sight.
Mel W.

[Jim]

I have been struggling with this for some time. I can't help myself though- can't hold it any longer- I have to say it- I really am a stinker...
but, I have to admit, a "Mauser" would make for one heck of a "mouser"!

Please! I'm just funning. I really do hope no offense is taken because I surely do not mean it so. If offense is taken, please accept my apology and I will surely erase this myself if nobody else has not already done.

[jmoore]

As Rticwolf states:

...(F)or moving the front sight, use a brass punch and a good hammer, make sure the barrel is well fixed, and, be sure, the sight will move.

JB

I think a larger hammer is best- more momentum than energy- but just be sure to use a punch that's softer than the sight. Keeping the barrel immobile is important, too! Once it starts to move, it probably won't need as much force to adjust- it's probably a bit frozen after all these years.

[smellie]

"Mouser" is actually just a direct translation of "Mauser" into English. In German, especially Low German, if a Cat is a good mouser, he is referred to as 'ein gutes Mauser'.

At one point, the Mauser factory actually used a capital letter "M".... with a black pussycat sitting under it... as one of their trademarks!

Of course, it doesn't really matter in the current context: that is one seriously nice rifle, built by FN in the early 1930s on a standard 98 action. Peacetime rifle, built by one of the best manufacturers ever.... nothing at all to sneeze at. Of all the Mauser bolt rifles, this is the one that, for me, comes closest to perfection; it is likely that the 7x57 is the finest-balanced military round ever developed, as well as one of the most accurate.

Congratulations, friend! This is the one that was WORTH keeping all those years!