Grandfathers gun

madmoose

Active Member
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Looking for a few opinions from my fellow gun enthusiasts.
I have my grandfathers 30-06. Its an old mauser action bedded in a very custom carved wood stock. Work was done in Germany when he was stationed over there in mid/late 50s.
The rifle itself has been to Alaska harvesting caribou and black bear, from the early 60s. ( i have the rug and the horns and pictures). Deer and elk in many states. Some i have pictures including rifle. My dad inherited it when he passed. Shot a few animals with it. I killed my first elk with it. Its a pretty gun ( stock wise, one of a kind) action and barrel, blued worn from many many years of saddle scabbards and shooting and such.
My question is... eventhough it still shoots fairly well. The barrel rifling almost looks to be on the verge of a shotgun bore, and the trigger has enough creep that you could make a sandwich and eat it from the point of engagement to bang.
I am horribly on the fence of touching it as is, im not scared to hunt with it. But i dont. I have guns that are lighter, no creep, and shoot amazingliy. But i would definitely take this afield more if the trigger was done, and i think about long term, handing it down to my boys when time comes. So i think about the barrel... i would be game for rebarreling it and cerakoting then glass bed it back in its stock.....
I get a little excited to breathe a little new life back into it, and in turn make it more of a reliable shooter, now and into my kids future. But in turn it makes a pit in my stomach thinking about altering it...
Opinions? Thoughts, theories?
Sorry the long read. Appreciate your time.
 
Here is a few pictures.

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I‘d leave it exactly as it is. Take it out and hunt with it occasionally, and think about the people who have held it before, and how that rifle connects you, and to future generations. I’d bet that barrel will last a good long while if shot sparingly. Guns that shoot well to do normal hunting and shooting duties are cheap, light and accurate. That thing is gorgeous.
 
Awesome old rifle. I would say leave it as is. If you so choose to rebarrel I’d definitely go with a blued barrel and not cerakote. Keep it a classic. Also you may be able to clean up that trigger with some stoning work.
 
Are you sure that is a military Mauser action. It has a bolt cocking nob at the back of the action that is similar to a Springfield 03 or 03-A3 action. If it is a Mauser, the gunsmith altered the bolt cocking knob to a Springfield configuration. Which is possible. I have seen many of those old 98 Mausers converted to sporting use by German gunsmiths that is similar to your rifle. But yours is the first I have seen with a Springfield cocking bolt knob if on a Mauser action.
As for the barrel, if it is a Mauser 98 large ring action, you can get a Shilen match grade barrel from Brownell's that is already threaded for that action. It will also be short chambered in 30-06. Screw it on and headspace and reblue the gun and you are ready to go hunting. You can also get after market triggers that are adjustable. The trigger creep you mentioned is due to the gun having the military two stage trigger which requires taking up the slack before engaging the sear. A standard feature on military bolt action rifles.

RELH
 
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Keep it as-is.
Shoot it. Enjoy it. Keep it cleaned and rust free.
If you’re of the mind, hunt with something lighter and with a better trigger but don’t touch that gun!
You don’t have to hunt with a gun to enjoy the heck out of it.

my 2 cents
Zeke
 
I have a different opinion then several others that say do not do anything with the rifle. That rifle could again be a great hunting rifle to honor your Grandfather. The barrel on the gun is of sporter configuration and a new Shilen match grade barrel will be close to a drop in fit.
Replacing the trigger with a after market will not change any outward looks of the rifle. Then you can use the rifle to take more game animals to honor your Grandfather's favorite rifle and maybe pass it down to a child of your own in the future.
I would recommend that you choose a good rifle gunsmith for the job with instructions to keep it original as possible and the re-bluing to match the original.
I have a soft spot for good Mauser rifles and three of my most used hunting rifles are commercial built Mauser rifles and they have taken a lot of game animals over the past 30 years.

RELH
 
Don’t touch it. Beautiful rifle. At a minimum, you could replace the stock only and hunt with it. That would preserve the integrity of the original stock that you could always reinstall later on.
 
Dont touch it. That gun as is really isn't "worth" much. What gives it the value are the scars. Dont replace what gives this gun meaning.

I say this as a herd generation "sporterized" British .303 owner.
 
Hello Madmoose,
I completely understand your dilemma. I have an old Savage model 99 in .303 Savage. It was my grandpas, then my dads, and finally mine. I can only guess how many deer & elk that rifle has brought down. I killed my first deer with it back in 1969 and it is still as reliable today as it was when it was made back in the 1920's. It has some "custom touches" (stock grip reinforcement, & brass I.D. button inlaid in the stock) that my grandfather did to all his guns. It also has some "battle scars" that I have no idea how they got there.
When I inherited it, I was going to return it to its orginal condition but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. It is now dislpayed in my office in a custom built display case. I smile every time I take it out to wipe it down and I hope my son will do the same long after I am gone. Had I "restored it", it would just be another old Savage 99. I never got to hunt with my grandfather but I think I know him a little better every time I handle that rifle.
To me, it comes down to what you want most from this firearm.
Heirloom/ Memories? Or practical shooter?
It is already a priceless heirloom. Yes, it could be made into a nice shooter, , , , , , that used to be a priceless heirloom!
I would leave it alone and cherish the memories.

Elkchaser
 
Since it’s a custom, leave it alone. You would be better off building another one to your liking than redoing anything on that one. You might even feel better with the money you’d spend. That’s just my opinion. I recently inherited all of my Grandfathers guns and he wasn’t the type to have anything custom. All he had was production rifles, pistols, and a shotgun. If he had anything custom, it would mean so much more because I feel those that go the route of custom enjoy and respect firearms more than those that buy a gun and still have the shells from the 50s in their closet because it’s a tool and only used to hunt and not to be tinkered with. I was raised differently. My Dad made a point to go shooting at least 3 times a week with me. My Grandfather never shared his guns or took me shooting when I was growing up.
 
Rebarrel it and have a competent smith adjust the trigger in it. A barrel is a wear part and is designed to be replaced. If your grandpa left you a classic car, would you let it rot in your driveway because it needed new brakes?
 
I'd have the trigger tightened up and call it a day. Unless someone boiled eggs on the barrel I cant imagine it would be shot out. 30-06 I would think would be good for 3000 rounds.
 
Lhedrick1, The rifle was built up in Germany in the 50's. There was still a lot of corrosive ammo around then that could have accelerated the wear on the barrel lands. Replacing the barrel is not a big issue to return the rifle to it's glory hunting days.
RELH
 
My grandmother had an old winchester 22 with a bent barrel. Us cousins had a ton of fun trying to shoot that thing. I remember that gun better than any other that was passed down.

I would throw a hissy fit if the nephews tried to "fix" it.
 

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