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New Mauser owner, CE 41 all matching with broken stock. I would love some advice!!!

O

Opie-IN

Member
UPDATE- 4/24/2015

Pictures of the rifle as-purchased are below. Pictures after removing the varnish and lightly wiping it down with linseed oil on page 3/4

No one has really given a dollar value on it with all numbers matching but lightly sanded stock and would appreciate a PM or post a value in this thread.

I would first of all like to thank this forum for teaching me about my mauser. I have learned a lot since I posted this thread and have been exploring the site on a daily basis. This thread has gone in some different directions as I learned about the gun, and the title really no longer matches the thread. I am updating this original post to take out some of the misconceptions I had about the gun.

I am interested in collecting some of the more common rifles of WWII and once I shoot them each once or twice they will be properly cleaned and put away for another generation to enjoy someday.

I purchased my first Mauser today, its a CE 41, and all numbers match with no import marks of any kind! I bought it from a friend of mine who inherited it many years ago. It has sat in his safe unfired for quite some time, other than that we have no history on the rifle. We function tested it yesterday, and all was fine. We did not test for accuracy, but all 10 rounds went into the top of a 3" bull at 25 yards. Once I knew it worked and everything appeared to be matching I made him an offer and he accepted. I have seen mismatched RC rifles in the $350-500 range so I figured I couldn't go too far wrong with a Sauer "all matching" for a few bucks more. I have no idea what this is actually worth, it was fair to both of us at the time, so I will let the forum give some opinions on that.

Through the help of the forum and a suspicious eye on my part I was able to confirm that the stock has been lightly sanded. All of the markings on the stock are still visible, but they are weak and you have to look at the gun from different angles to identify them all. The stock was finished in a clear varnish with a fairly high sheen. I used denatured alcohol and removed this non-original finish. Today I put the first thin coat of boiled linseed oil on the stock. I will probably add several more thin coats to ensure even coverage over the next few weeks. While it is a shame that the stock has been sanded, it is the correct stock for this gun.

The bluing is in great shape with light freckling and in above average condition. Everything is worn fairly even. There is no pitting anywhere on the gun. My only concern with the bluing is a lack of wear in the stripper clip notch.

Before purchasing it we discovered that the front of the stock was broken, however from reading here I found this was duffle cut at an angle and not broken as originally believed. It is hidden under the front barrel band and can not be seen when assembled. There are no import markings so combined with the duffle cut I believe it to be a vet "bring back"

These are the before pictures from the day I purchased the rifle. I will update the forum with new pictures once I get the stock refinished with BLO and reassemble the rifle.

Thanks again for all your help so far.













 
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The good news is, the stock is original to the rifle. The bad is that it's been sanded and treated with varnish of some sort as you suspected. I believe you got a good deal on it at $500 but the rifle isn't ever going to bring premium, top, collector prices. Looks like the front end was intentionally cut and you can see the attempted repair by the nail running laterally through the wood. I'd assume its a vet-bring back but it may have been a sporter project that was halted....who knows? Search the forum here for duffle cut repair and the net for removing varnish/shellack etc. I would tread lightly with trying to remove the varnish and do as much research prior. You don't want to damage the rifle or it's value further.
 
Great find and a great price!
The stock can be repaired and you may be surprised at what's under the shellac..
There are some potential pitfalls when you get into removing varnish or shellac so do some research before you attempt it.
Please avoid at all costs; sandpaper and/or abrasives of any kind, oven cleaner or other super harsh chemicals not designed for the specific task of varnish removal.
A decent place to start is de-natured alcohol (and protective gloves), paper towells, and some elbow grease.
If that does not start to lift the finish on the stock, move to citrus stripper.
 
Great find and a great price!
The stock can be repaired and you may be surprised at what's under the shellac..
There are some potential pitfalls when you get into removing varnish or shellac so do some research before you attempt it.
Please avoid at all costs; sandpaper and/or abrasives of any kind, oven cleaner or other super harsh chemicals not designed for the specific task of varnish removal.
A decent place to start is de-natured alcohol (and protective gloves), paper towels, and some elbow grease.
If that does not start to lift the finish on the stock, move to citrus stripper.
 
I have removed the finish off of some other non-collectable guns so I am comfortable with that. If I do strip the varnish would you leave the wood in "the white" or are these commonly stained?
 
The stain will not come off if you use de-natured alcohol, if not, a less aggressive (than what the directions instruct) treatment with citrus stripper will probably not hurt too much.
They were stained (some more than others) but matching or recreating the original stain "look" is, in my book anyway, impossible to recreate.
No matter what you use, my vote is to use some "Howard's Feed-N-Wax" on it afterward.
Be forewarned that some folks hate the mention of that name, but I and many others use it on collectable rifles with good results and no harm done.
 
Does your rifle have a siderail designation (Mod.98)? The rifle is close to the transition point, and although it probably doesn't, I would like to know for sure.
 
I have never understood the hostility towards Howards. I have used it many times, without any "sheen" to the finish. What don't people like? Does it actually help laminates in any way?
 
I just found 20 more stock sets, and I think also a cupped 37.

I have also some broken walnut and laminated stock sets, for in case you need to replace the front piece. However I'm no expert on fixes.

Best regards Tommy
us1945@hotmail.com
 
I didn't realize some K98's came without Mod. 98 stamped on the side of the receiver. That's a great price for that rifle. Congrats!
 
The siderail changes on several makers, sometimes in font style and sometimes lacking altogether. This one is in the same block when JPS begins to use the Mod.98 again, though much later. Of course there is usually some overlap, hence my asking.
 
Excellent find. really congrats.

IMO your priority should be the repair the stock first or keep the way it is, and look for a replacement one. Yours is not hard to find.

with that said, a mismatch stock the price today would be >1000, If you choose to remove the varnish, Read about restoring stock varnish removal, there are plenty available. It may take few attempts but will come off.
Seems like you have done this before.

may I ask where you found it.

GL.
 
armenjs said:
Excellent find. really congrats.

IMO your priority should be the repair the stock first or keep the way it is, and look for a replacement one. Yours is not hard to find.

with that said, a mismatch stock the price today would be >1000, If you choose to remove the varnish, Read about restoring stock varnish removal, there are plenty available. It may take few attempts but will come off.
Seems like you have done this before.

may I ask where you found it.

GL.
Click to expand...

Thanks, you really think it's a $1k rifle??

I bought it from a coworker who inherited it from an estate. I didn't know what it was worth and neither did he, it looked nicer than the cheaper ones I have been looking at so I offered him a slight premium and he accepted. I initially thought it was just a plain ole Mauser with some matching numbers (did not discover it was 100% numbers matching until I took it apart later) and it had what we believed was a broken stock. (I learned about duffle cuts and more details after the deal was made)
 
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Update:

I removed the varnish using denatured alcohol and paper towels. It took me well over 2 hours, as I went very slowly and took my time. The stock retained all of it's color but the shine is gone and it is down to bare wood. I suppose I will buy some boiled linseed oil tomorrow and wipe it down.

The markings on the stock are much clearer now. I really wish whoever brought this back would not have sanded and refinished the stock, but he earned the rifle and it was his to do with what he wanted.

I believe that there was possibly a factory mistake stamping the stock. It has two serial numbers bottom of the stock, one right on top of the other and about an inch apart. The correct serial number of 3637 is on there, but right below it is 3687 with the "i" prefix which is correct. The font on both markings is the same. I am guessing that the builder used the wrong punch and added the correct number. The correct 3637 is inside the stock on both the handguard and the bottom part. Also inside the stock is a "Kr 2 50 40" markings along with smaller markings "5" and "B" which are in between the serial numbers and the Kr-50-40 I have seen other examples with "Nr" and 40, but I am fairly certain this one says "Kr"

It is late at night and I have to work in the morning, but I will add some pictures when I can.

Thanks for all the input so far, I am really enjoying learning the good and bad of my rifle.
 
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Personally, I think I would keep the original matching stock on it no matter what. Even though it was sanded and refinished, it's still the original "correct" stock. I think you got a great deal on it. :)
 
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