When I received this Mauser it was in mint condition and would have great collector value today, but I can’t see owning a gun that you can’t shoot for fear of diminishing its value.
I reworked the bolt shroud to look like a Remington 700 and forged and welded the bolt handle as shown. I put a “Timney Trigger” on it with an integral safety and polished the bolt so it falls through the action to the bolt stop when the gun is tilted upward. I also tapered the barrel on a lathe and polished it to give it a glass finish.
The stock came from a piece of walnut I bought at the lumber yard. I think it was my first full in-letting job. All I can say is that I learned a lot.
My son took it elk hunting recently and had a slight accident resulting in the chip in the fore-end you see in the picture. He felt really bad about it, but I hope he takes it again. I don’t think I’m going to fix it because I like to tell the story and brag about my kids!
