A guy wants to trade me a gun for some unrelated (to guns) supplies that he needs and I have too many of. I asked him what make/model of gun he has and he really doesn't know :confused: He stated that he doesn't know anything about guns and was told by a local gun store that it is a 7mm. He said that the gun store folks told him the gun had been "turned down to make it lighter." He also says it has a very "fancy" stock and the store told him they would give him $250 for it? He said he thinks it is a Mauser? He said the gun was his fathers gun.

He is also willing to throw in an old 20 ga shot gun that is "missing a clip". My stuff is worth about $300. I don't really have any need for these guns but could give them to one of my boys if they had any value. I don't know anything about 7mm Mauser rifles. Are they any good? Can I still get ammo for this rifle? Please give me feedback/comments/opinions.

Thank you.

If it is a 7x57, It may be allot of rifles, all were 1895 actions. You need more info, much more. Ask him for/ to take pics. 7mm is a broad family of cartridges.

As with most things you really need to know what your getting. I'd ask him if I could take them to someone whom could give me a real world value on what he has. Most guns stores that take trades or most pawn shops can give you a reasonable evaluation of their worth.

He may have some great guns or he may have just junk worth nothing. I'd want to know before I made a trade.

A good condition 1895 is worth about $450-$700.

The gun shop was trying to pull a fast one on an unaware consumer.

A good condition 1895 is worth about $450-$700.

The gun shop was trying to pull a fast one on an unaware consumer.


So is factory ammo still readily availabe for this rifle?

Yep, you'll see it marked as 7x57 Mauser or just 7x57. You can even still find Mil Surp stuff, but its old and corrosive.

The problem is you still don't know exactly what you have or what it's worth. Until you do all you and other folks are doing is guessing. Get it appraised by a gun dealer and you at least have some idea of its value.

The problem is you still don't know exactly what you have or what it's worth. Until you do all you and other folks are doing is guessing. Get it appraised by a gun dealer and you at least have some idea of its value.


You are right Bob, I have no idea of the value. I have not seen the guns - not even a picture. I think I am going to pass on this deal only becuase I know nothing about these rifles and I feel like I am pulling teeth out of a grizzly trying to get information from the guy - this kind of make my internal radar start buzzing. Three times I have asked make/model/age/condiition and I finally get this; "I believe it's a Mauser 7mm. It has a nice carring case also. It's a bolt action. From what the guys at the gun shop said it is a military rife machined to be lighter and then a custom stock was added." All I could get about the shotgun is it is a 20 ga Remington that is missing a clip.

Just out of curiosity, does anyone know what he means when he says it was "turned down"? I assume he means someone put the barrel on a lathe and took off metal to make it smaller/lighter. Is this comon or acceptable to do with these old rifles?

Lots of old mauser military rifles were brought into the country after the wars. They had stepped barrels with the front sight on a raised ring. These were often turned on a lathe to look like standard sporter barrels. Depending on the quality of the bore you could get from very good to very bad shooting guns. Many times folks would put an aftermarket stock available from several sources such as Fagen or Herters on these rifles.

Nothing wrong with them, but the 98 Mauser was much more desirable than the 93 and 95 models. The 98 had the strongest action of the bunch.

Nothing wrong with them, but the 98 Mauser was much more desirable than the 93 and 95 models. The 98 had the strongest action of the bunch.
Is there a stamp or some type of identifying mark that will inform me of the year? If so, where is is located?

The reason I was considering doing this deal is because if he is telling the truth about the $250 offer, the gun is probably worth considerably more. In my personal experience, dealers have offered me significantly less than my gun could fetch in the true market.

Never heard of a Remington shotgun having a detachable magazine. Perhaps this is a Mossburg bolt action shotgun?

Military Mausers normally have a crest on the top receiver ring and sometimes the date of manufacture. You would need to know what the crest represents. If for a South American country, it is usually in spanish and you can pretty well interpet it. As for chambering, only a gunsmith or chamber cast is going to tell you. It may have possibly been rebarreled to a different chamber than what the original military rifle came in.

Man, there's no way to know what you have here until you can get it to someone who knows Mausers and will give you an honest apprasal. It might be a 7x57. It might be a 7mm Rem. Mag. built on a Mauser action. It might be a cut-down, sporterized military rifle worth $100. It might be a professionally-built custom job worth $2,000.