Unfortunately, I own a Mauser from Mitchell

[phillillillip]

I brought this up somewhere else but I figured I'd make a dedicated post to ask about this.

So hello, I'm entirely a newcomer into the world of firearms, but I have inherited one of Mitchell's Mausers, specifically an M48, from a family member and I'm trying to learn everything I need to know about it. I have gathered that it has no collector value, which I'm fine with, but I have also been told both that is would shoot well but also that it would not and that it's entirely worthless. I've also been told that even though it says M48A it could still for some reason actually be an M48B, but I don't know how to tell or what that even really means or if it matters. I also saw someone say that ammunition would be corrosive on the barrel and I have no idea what that's all about or something I should be concerned about. And the bolt wobbles a bit too, which I feel should worry me.

So here, I've got photos of it and everything that came with it and any markings that I found. If anyone has any useful information about just how garbage this is or is not and what I can and can't do with it, that would be very much appreciated. I really am completely new when it comes to all of this, and I'd like to not do something completely stupid and ignorant.

 

[Jakeman664]

Their M48s are fine they didn't do much with those like they did with the German Mausers.

 

[Sexton]

During production there was an overabundance of receivers stamped M-48A. They never got around to making more and stamping them 48B. With the 48B, we start to see a shift away from all milled components, ie, trigger guard, barrel bands, which would begin to be stamped.
There is still a lot of corrosive ammo out there, Turkish comes to mind, but a lot of it isn't. New production won't be. You just have to do some research. There is nothing wrong with shooting corrosive ammo as long as you do a thorough cleaning immediately after shooting. (Everybody has a favorite procedure.) I don't know what is going on with the bolt, but any doubts, have a competent 'smith headspace and other wise check it.
Nice wood on your example.

 

[Stan]

Technically it looks like you have an M-48B, despite the receiver 48A marking. As mentioned the minor differences in the models really doesn't warrant different model designations, but that is how the Yugoslavs did it. Oddly enough, as I recall nobody seems to have ever seen a true M-48A in this country (USA) as it's defined. They are all M-48B's despite them all being "A" marked. Enjoy shooting!

 

[Cyrano4747]

Their M48s are fine they didn't do much with those like they did with the German Mausers.

Yeah, seconding this. This is actually the best outcome for inheriting a Mitchell.

The M48s are perfectly fine guns. The marketing surrounding them was slimy as hell and did a lot to imply that they were more related to WW2 than they were, but the rifles themselves are fine. That CofA your gun came with is a good example, I remember some of their ads were pretty wild in a gross way.

I've always been skeptical how they removed the cosmolene from the stocks, so it wouldn't surprise me if they got a bit aggressive with chemicals and then re-oiled them, but on the whole they are what they say on the tin. If it was mine I'd have no problem having that rifle in my safe or taking it to the range. I don't think I'd admit where it came from or show off that CofA, though, except maybe for a chuckle and eye roll for other people in on the joke.

 

[72usmc]

Yep, the only difference is the Mitchell box, a bogus Certificate, and the import stamp on the barrel which is good because there is no bill board on the receiver. A rifle good to go and as nice as a Century import. Mitchell's did not redo them like the K98k Mausers. They selected the best , cleaned them, and assembled a garbage package to up its value. Just that it was not originally $79 for an almost like new rifle like I paid for a CAI excellent. Your uncle paid much more, but got the bayonet and garbage package of goodies and a certificate. My CAI one only had a sling and bayonet. That is a $650-800 rifle at a WI gun show crazy todays prices... You are a lucky guy! Winner

It is also a "collector grade"- a better rifle, it is like a new surplus Yugo Mauser. CAI had Yugo mausers graded from good, very good, to Excellent. Yours is equal to a Century Excellent. Plus you got all the correct extras- perfect. Now you get a copy of Bogdanovic's book, Serbian and Yugo Mauser Rifles 2005, O/p paperback
maybe review this info...

Mitchells Mauser - Gun Tests

Our first look at the Mitchell Mauser gave us hope that here we had an essentially new 98 Mauser to play with. The bore, finish, wood and all the stuff that came with it looked new, except that some of the accessories showed some age marks. This version came with a fancy certificate along with a...

www.gun-tests.com

Was the metal completely buffed, reblued, new barrels stuck in and the wood sanded and refinished? No, it was not, because...

 

[phillillillip]

Yep, the only difference is the Mitchell box, a bogus Certificate, and the import stamp on the barrel which is good because there is no bill board on the receiver. A rifle good to go and as nice as a Century import. Mitchell's did not redo them like the K98k Mausers. Just that it was not originally $79 for an almost like new rifle. Your uncle paid much more, but got the bayonet and garbage package of goodies and a certificate. My CAI one only had a sling and bayonet. That is a $650-800 rifle at a WI gun show crazy todays prices... You are a lucky guy! Winner

It is also a "collector grade"- a better rifle, it is like a new surplus Yugo Mauser. CAI had Yugo mausers graded from good, very good, to Excellent. Yours is equal to a Century Excellent. Plus you got all the correct extras- perfect. Now you get a copy of Bogdanovic's book, Serbian and Yugo Mauser Rifles 2005, O/p paperback
maybe review this info...

Mitchells Mauser - Gun Tests

Our first look at the Mitchell Mauser gave us hope that here we had an essentially new 98 Mauser to play with. The bore, finish, wood and all the stuff that came with it looked new, except that some of the accessories showed some age marks. This version came with a fancy certificate along with a...

www.gun-tests.com

Funnily enough, my grandpa bought this but he was really mad about it because it was to replace an actual K98k that he found while he was in Europe during WW2. The story is that he and his buddies found an abandoned workshop full of unfinished rifles and he sent one back because it technically wasn't contraband and then had a gunsmith finish it after the war, but then somewhere over the years it went missing and he got this as a sad replacement. The original was later found in some distant relative's attic, but I got passed this one instead.

 

[biggymu]

So… sell it and buy the Mauser your grandfather always wanted you to have. You don’t sound very impressed.

 

[JungChomsky]

Their M48s are fine they didn't do much with those like they did with the German Mausers.

I have absolutely seen sanded stocks and blueing that looked suspicious on M48s from mitchel's. Luckily though it seems they left most of them alone. Not much you can do to really do to "fake" a yugo mauser. I think they just spiffed up some of crappy ones and labeled them as "collector grade"

 

[nirvana]

The COA’s on these are clearly full of crap, but I do have an honest question: was the Yugo tooling and machinery sourced from Germany? I would assumed it was FN given their history.

 

[luftpirate]

Blows my mind they turded down the stocks on what were essentially new factory untouched rifles.

 

[JungChomsky]

The COA’s on these are clearly full of crap, but I do have an honest question: was the Yugo tooling and machinery sourced from Germany? I would assumed it was FN given their history.

None, of these rifles were built on German tooling during the occupation. M48 production started in 1950. I'll have to double check but I dont think any yugo mausers were built on another country's tooling other than the handful they imported (FN built 1924s, Steyr 1912s, M95s etc.) prior to WWII

 

[Cyrano4747]

None, of these rifles were built on German tooling during the occupation. M48 production started in 1950. I'll have to double check but I dont think any yugo mausers were built on another country's tooling other than the handful they imported (FN built 1924s, Steyr 1912s, M95s etc.) prior to WWII

Well, to be utterly pedantic the Yugos DID have some Mausers built on German tooling - the K98ks they scrubbed and put into service after the war

 

[JungChomsky]

Well, to be utterly pedantic the Yugos DID have some Mausers built on German tooling - the K98ks they scrubbed and put into service after the war

Correct! I should have included them in the parenthesis. Thinking about it now there was also the M24/52c and the G98m. I guess I should have just kept it simple and said "the M48 was built entirely on yugolsav tooling" as they actually imported quite a lot of rifles from other countries lol.

Remind me not to post without my morning coffee.

 

[Cyrano4747]

Correct! I should have included them in the parenthesis. Thinking about it now there was also the M24/52c and the G98m. I guess I should have just kept it simple and said "the M48 was built entirely on yugolsav tooling" as they actually imported quite a lot of rifles from other countries lol.

Remind me not to post without my morning coffee.

Ok, if we REALLY want to dive down this dumb rabbit hole we probably also have to talk about the various Mauser-Kokas, the m1880 and the m1884. I'd have to double-check but I'm pretty sure all of those were made at Oberndorf, and they were updating them at least up until the outbreak of WW1, with the re-barreling of a bunch into 7mm (the m80/07). Those saw service in WW1, so I would have to assume that by the time you get into the 50s there were at least a few knocking around at the back of random army warehouses, maybe territorial police or militias or rear-area guard units and the like.

Doubly so given the WW2 insurgency and the fact that they would have been using whatever was at hand, and then a lot of those misc. partisan stocks would have been swept up by and into the Army after the war.

So that's one more "made on German tooling" model that is still a Mauser, what with being designed by Paul Mauser and made at Mauser Oberndorf.

 

[JungChomsky]

Ok, if we REALLY want to dive down this dumb rabbit hole we probably also have to talk about the various Mauser-Kokas, the m1880 and the m1884. I'd have to double-check but I'm pretty sure all of those were made at Oberndorf, and they were updating them at least up until the outbreak of WW1, with the re-barreling of a bunch into 7mm (the m80/07). Those saw service in WW1, so I would have to assume that by the time you get into the 50s there were at least a few knocking around at the back of random army warehouses, maybe territorial police or militias or rear-area guard units and the like.

Doubly so given the WW2 insurgency and the fact that they would have been using whatever was at hand, and then a lot of those misc. partisan stocks would have been swept up by and into the Army after the war.

So that's one more "made on German tooling" model that is still a Mauser, what with being designed by Paul Mauser and made at Mauser Oberndorf.

The more I read my previous comment the more I cringe. When I was writing it I think I specifically had the M24/47, M48 and M1924 (excluding the the first run that was built by FN) in mind and made it seem like they were the only "Yugo Mausers"

Funnily enough, IIRC, alot of those Mauser-kokas ended up back in German hands during the WWII occupation. I cant rememebr the designation off the top of my head though. Gewehr "something or other" (J). I don't think they saw much use if any.

 

[Cyrano4747]

The more I read my previous comment the more I cringe. When I was writing it I think I specifically had the M24/47, M48 and M1924 (excluding the the first run that was built by FN) in mind and made it seem like they were the only "Yugo Mausers"

Funnily enough, IIRC, alot of those Mauser-kokas ended up back in German hands during the WWII occupation. I cant rememebr the designation off the top of my head though. Gewehr "something or other" (J). I don't think they saw much use if any.

Gewehr 532(j) if Wikipedia is to be believed.

Now, for a laugh, I poked the references in there and one of the things the Wikipedia article is citing is this Gunboards thread from 2009 started by a certain Hambone and with a few contributors that are also recognizable. Full circle and all that.

 

[nirvana]

None, of these rifles were built on German tooling during the occupation. M48 production started in 1950. I'll have to double check but I dont think any yugo mausers were built on another country's tooling other than the handful they imported (FN built 1924s, Steyr 1912s, M95s etc.) prior to WWII

Maybe I should’ve been more clear and I apologize for that: I didn’t mean “were they made during the occupation on German equipment?” Rather, “were they made on German equipment at all, in this case after the war?”

It’s looking like it was Yugo tooling not sourced from Germany. Got it.

 

[Stan]

The COA’s on these are clearly full of crap, but I do have an honest question: was the Yugo tooling and machinery sourced from Germany? I would assumed it was FN given their history.

FN did the technical setup for a factory in Yugoslavia to produce the M1924 in the late 1920's. I don't know if any German tooling was added post WW2 for rifle production, or how much pre WW2 tooling survived intact to start M-48 production.

 

[6THMARDIV]

Think of the COA as being like Mussolini money and only good for one thing.