8mm Mauser...restore or leave alone?

[WarPig]

My grandpa just gave me his 8mm Mauser. A little history, his brother mailed it to him during WW2 when they captured a train carrying munitions in Germany. The thing has the Nazi symbols and all. It was still packed with the factory 9grease when it made it to Mississippi (oh how far we have come what can be sent through the mail).

Anyways, my grandpa used this thing like a workhorse (still kills me). It has fallen out of deer stands, off of four wheelers, bounced around a pickup, and suffered years of southern humidity.

The metal is in pretty good shape but the stock looks like a beaver got ahold of it. I have no intention of shooting it (maybe once in a blue moon) and no intention to sell.

So will it depreciate if I get someone to refurbish the stock/metal? I plan on passing it down to my kids/grandkids and I dont want my grandson to be cussing me in 40 years for "ruining the gun". But in its current state it...irks me. Pics when I get home.

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[Garufa]

Post up some pics!

 

I'm the sort that would say leave it alone.  If you refurbish it I'm of the camp that it will blow the value, not only because it may cost nearly what it's worth to have it done correctly and you will never recoup the investment, but sometimes it's just not needed (or right).  There are far too many people today who think old guns need to be refurbished when they simply do not.  That's why some pics would help.

[WindHawk]

What it is today is the history that you are wanting to pass to the future generations.  Sure it looks, and probably is, a little rough but every ding and dent is a story and a part of your family's experiences.  Personally I'd keep it as is with just enough maintenance to keep it preserved. Just my 2 cents.

[WarPig]

Here it is compared to my 1903 Springfield. Sorry, camera phone is all I got.

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[Omega]

I don't even have to look at it to say leave it as is.  The only thing I would do is stop and remove any rust that may of developed.  What you are passing along are memories.

[EssOne]

I've dinked around with Mausers since buying my first one in 1967, and I'd definitely treasure that one as is.

[Garufa]

Here it is compared to my 1903 Springfield. Sorry, camera phone is all I got.

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There is nothing wrong with that rifle.  Leave it be....and go shoot it!  She's got a lot of life left in her.

 

What year and make is it?  Are all the numbers matching?

Edited August 5, 2015 by Garufa

[WarPig]

There is nothing wrong with that rifle. Leave it be....and go shoot it! She's got a lot of life left in her.

What year and make is it? Are all the numbers matching?

I had a guy who knew about these things check it out a while back. The numbers all match. I forget the make and year...i have it written down somewhere. I'll look around for it. I know a lot more about my black rifles than these old long guns.

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[TNWNGR]

Its just fine the way it is and you have provenance for the history as well. You can easily find a surplus replacement stock for display purposes should you wish to do so but what already there only shows character.  

[Murgatroy]

Doesn't look bad at all to me. I have bought 'good' milsurps before that are in worse shape.

[RED333]

That is a great looking rifle, do not do a thing to it but keep it clean and oiled.

Go shoot it, have fun as others did.

Pass it on when needed.

[zgunbear]

Leave her be... great old Mauser with character

[viscero]

Leave it as is!  Post up some pics around the outside of the chamber.  Should be plenty of factory stampings in that area that are pretty easy to trace these days.

[gregintenn]

Hell no! No way I'd refinish it were I you.

[crossfire]

Leave her be... great old Mauser with character

This :up:

[peejman]

What they said, leave it be and shoot it. It would be nice if it was still pristine, but now it's got character and years worth of memories.

Mine looks worse than that.

[NRA]

wow matching! nice. if you alter it in any way you WILL destroy its value

[WarPig]

Leave it as is! Post up some pics around the outside of the chamber. Should be plenty of factory stampings in that area that are pretty easy to trace these days.

I'll post some more after a while. The opposite side has a small chunk out of the wood but apparently the masses have spoken so I guess I'll leave it alone.

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[gregintenn]

You won't get this much consensus anywhere!

[Jonnin]

that is not just a piece of history, its one tied to your family.   If by restore you mean knock off some rust and preserve it, that is good.  If you mean "Mitchell" it by sanding/steaming/ruining the stock and refinishing the metal and restamping the numbers etc to make it look real, then I vote NO.

 

There are literally thousands, maybe 10s of thousands, of boogered up mausers out there.  Buy one and refurbish it all you want, but keep the one that belonged to family as is.   Your grandkid will thank you someday.

 

That picture does not indicate a stock that is so bad it needs to be replaced. 

 

If a particular spot is super bad to the point of splinters getting in your hand, sand it smooth and oil it up.  

Edited August 6, 2015 by Jonnin

[NRA]

BTW if the stock matches you really do have a gem on your hands

[JAB]

The way you described it, I expected something that looked like it had been through a wood chipper.  Based on the pics, however, I don't think it looks too bad - especially for an old, military rifle.  I'd pretty much leave it alone.

 

That said, who gives a flying flip about ruining the monetary value?  You aren't planning to sell it, anyhow, and right now it doesn't belong to your grandkids - it belongs to you.  If making it look like a brand new gun would cause you to enjoy it more then that is what you should do.  Such a full restoration would then become part of the gun's family history when you pass it on.  Yeah, maybe it is a piece of world history, too, but it isn't like there weren't many Mausers made. I mean you aren't talking about converting the original cylinder on one of Sam Colt's first revolvers to shoot .45acp.  I don't think I would do more than a good cleaning - especially not with numbers matching - but it isn't my rifle.  It is yours.

Edited August 6, 2015 by JAB