Yard sale bcd 4

[8x57mauser]

Stopped by a yard sale down the street from my house today, keep in mind I'm in Massachusetts. We're so anti gun here your can't find a gun in a gun shop, let alone a yard sale.

Scanning over the tables they had set up in the garage and a mauser trigger guard caught my eye, then I saw it was tied to a whole mauser barreled action. Then I saw the price tag and couldn't get my money out of my wallet fast enough.

Pros:
Matching numbers
Excellent bore
Not been d&t'd

Cons:
Hand guard retaining lip ground off
Steps in the barrel milled off
Screw head broken off the ejector box

But $8.... Not sure what I'm going to do, might just sit on it and keep an eye out for a bcd 4 barreled receiver that's been drilled and tapped and swap the barrels. Might just get a stock and bands, they will hide the milled off barrel steps, solder on a lip for the hand guard and build a repro LSR. For now, going to clean it up drop it in a sporter stock i have sitting around and shoot it. Whichever way I go, with only $8 in it, I can dump a bit on money on it to complete it and if I ever sell it I won't really be losing money.

https://imgur.com/a/XygogEc

 

[GEM]

Can't tell too much from picture. Seems suspwct to me. I would examine closely to make sure it hasn't been in a fire. Check springs. A BIG indicator if they have lost ability to recover from compression (lost "springiness"). If it has been in a fire, IMO, it is not safe to shoot.

 

[8x57mauser]

Can't tell too much from picture. Seems suspwct to me. I would examine closely to make sure it hasn't been in a fire. Check springs. A BIG indicator if they have lost ability to recover from compression (lost "springiness"). If it has been in a fire, IMO, it is not safe to shoot.

Definitely not been in a fire.

 

[Cyrano4747]

If it wasn't in a fire then that's a hell of a get. Shame about the barrel being a bit buggered and double shame about the handguard lip, but hell at that price you could easily pad out your gun fund a bit just by selling off the bolt parts.

What's going on with the finish? It almost looks chromed or in the white. Heavy refinish?

 

[8x57mauser]

If it wasn't in a fire then that's a hell of a get. Shame about the barrel being a bit buggered and double shame about the handguard lip, but hell at that price you could easily pad out your gun fund a bit just by selling off the bolt parts.

What's going on with the finish? It almost looks chromed or in the white. Heavy refinish?

I started cleaning up the receiver, so far its the original phosphate finish intact under the rust.

 

[Sexton]

Stopped by a yard sale down the street from my house today, keep in mind I'm in Massachusetts. We're so anti gun here your can't find a gun in a gun shop, let alone a yard sale.

Scanning over the tables they had set up in the garage and a mauser trigger guard caught my eye, then I saw it was tied to a whole mauser barreled action. Then I saw the price tag and couldn't get my money out of my wallet fast enough.

Pros:
Matching numbers
Excellent bore
Not been d&t'd

Cons:
Hand guard retaining lip ground off
Steps in the barrel milled off
Screw head broken off the ejector box

But $8.... Not sure what I'm going to do, might just sit on it and keep an eye out for a bcd 4 barreled receiver that's been drilled and tapped and swap the barrels. Might just get a stock and bands, they will hide the milled off barrel steps, solder on a lip for the hand guard and build a repro LSR. For now, going to clean it up drop it in a sporter stock i have sitting around and shoot it. Whichever way I go, with only $8 in it, I can dump a bit on money on it to complete it and if I ever sell it I won't really be losing money.

 

[Sexton]

Don't answer the door, it might be Maura Healey.

 

[8x57mauser]

Finished a preliminary cleaning. There are a few bits of the original phosphate finish left on the action, a good amount left on the bolt. Overall cleaned up well. Had a late war front action screw, stamped late upper band and band spring.

Have a loose sight base, going to cut the hand guard lip off that and solder it on to this sight base. The only real irreparable damage was the steps in the barrel being recontoured. That will be hidden under the hand guard and upper band.

Just need to source a stock, stamped rear band, rear action screw. See how it shoots. If it shoots well i think I'm going to turn it into an LSR repro. All in all in it for $8n so I can afford to throw some money at it. Bolt internals were rust free thanks to a healthy coating of grease.

https://imgur.com/a/z2HPUP1

 

[Sauer_Kraut]

Just to confirm, the barrel had the steps turned down? It's not some weird failure?

 

[8x57mauser]

Just to confirm, the barrel had the steps turned down? It's not some weird failure?

Yeah someone definitely worked them down then polished the barrel.

 

[8x57mauser]

Just to confirm, the barrel had the steps turned down? It's not some weird failure?

Hard to photograph, but this is the rear barrel step, you can see its been worked down and polished. The forward step is really hard to see but you can just make out where it was, tried to get a picture but its not really visible in the picture.

 

[moconfed]

I GOT to start hitting some yard sales

Hard to photograph, but this is the rear barrel step, you can see its been worked down and polished. The forward step is really hard to see but you can just make out where it was, tried to get a picture but its not really visible in the picture.

 

[Nehalem Man]

Yeah someone definitely worked them down then polished the barrel.

I'm thinking that was a fairly common sporter modification. I am working on one that also had the handguard lip removed and barrel steps milled down to give it the look of a "sporter" barrel. I intend to replace the rear sight base with an unmodified one and just leave the barrel as-is.

-E-

 

[8x57mauser]

I'm thinking that was a fairly common sporter modification. I am working on one that also had the handguard lip removed and barrel steps milled down to give it the look of a "sporter" barrel. I intend to replace the rear sight base with an unmodified one and just leave the barrel as-is.

-E-

Its pretty common modification for sporters, I've seen it a lot. Tough personality I think the sporters that leave the steps intact always look better as the barrel never looks right after they are removed and reblued.

 

[mauser99]

those who seek they shall find.. not a grail find but, as you say for 8$ it was a no brainer.. The HG lip being ground off tends to lead me to believe it a sporter abortion discarded in a cruel way dumped in the garage ..
I also just got lucky found a two tone Luft camo at a flea market two weekends ago.. This like this just dont happen anymore...

 

[8x57mauser]

those who seek they shall find.. not a grail find but, as you say for 8$ it was a no brainer.. The HG lip being ground off tends to lead me to believe it a sporter abortion discarded in a cruel way dumped in the garage ..
I also just got lucky found a two tone Luft camo at a flea market two weekends ago.. This like this just dont happen anymore...

That's what I'm figuring. I'll save it, might not be a collector, but I'll get it together and complete as a shooter.

 

[Fal Grunt]

Fantastic find, even around here that gun would have been $800 on the table. I see all kinds of guns at yard sales and flea markets, and typically they have astronomical prices. I've yet to see a "bargain".

Hell I think you could probably get $8 for the front guard screw, it looks to be in really nice shape.

Lots of great marked parts on this build too, like the qhn bolt shroud, very cool find.

Action looks to be in really nice shape and relatively un modified. Find a nice barrel, and a decent stock, and you'll have a nice rifle.

 

[8x57mauser]

Fantastic find, even around here that gun would have been $800 on the table. I see all kinds of guns at yard sales and flea markets, and typically they have astronomical prices. I've yet to see a "bargain".

Hell I think you could probably get $8 for the front guard screw, it looks to be in really nice shape.

Lots of great marked parts on this build too, like the qhn bolt shroud, very cool find.

Action looks to be in really nice shape and relatively un modified. Find a nice barrel, and a decent stock, and you'll have a nice rifle.

I think I'm going to try and save the barrel first since the serial number is on the barrel and not the receiver. I think the damage to the barrel can be hidden under the hand guard and upper band. If I end up having to replace the barrel then I'll probably go with a new Lothar Walther barrel for an LSR build. Going to get it in a sporter stock for now and shoot it a bit. Need to get funds together for any major restoration. So for now, just get it in shooting form, maybe take a deer with it.

 

[8x57mauser]

Here's an update on the bcd 4. A few of the missing parts I had in my parts box (band spring, upper band) Ordered the missing rear action scew and a lower band. Found an NOS still in grease rear sight sleeve. Unmarked, but I'm guessing probably post war Belgian or maybe Czech manufactured. Sat on the parts for a while, not really motivated to do anything. But I'm on vacation this week and because I get up at 2am for work every day, guess what? My brain will not permit me to sleep in on my vacation. So laying there away at 2am I got the inspiration to head down to my workshop and get going on this project.

Removed front sight band and damaged rear sight sleeve. Added a little fresh soldier and installed the new rear sight sleeve and reinstall front sight band.

As of now I just need to locate a stock. It will always have the issue of the steps polished off the barrel but those will be hidden under the hand guard and front band so all in all it will be a decent save of a poor abandoned bcd 4 with matching numbers. Will always be a restoration, but will be a nice gun to take to the range and leave the nicer ones at home.

 

[Caesar1]

great job so far!!