1909 Mauser Sporter

[Gil Martin]

I stopped in a gun shop to get a hunting license. As I was about to leave, one of the clerks said he had a Mauser that I might want. He went into the back of the store and reappeared with a lovely sporterized 1909 Mauser with a scope. Someone brought the rifle in to determine what ammo to feed it. Turns out it was rechambered to a.30-06 as verified by the shop gunsmith. It has the original barrel which is 7,65X53mm. So .308"bullets will rattle down the .311" bore. I now have a 7.65x06 that cost $150.00. I might try to load some .311" bullets in a .30-06 case and do a test fire.

Someone spend a lot of time and money to convert this rifle. The military stock was skillfully reshaped and contoured into a very nice sporter stock. It is drilled and tapped with scope bases, rings and a scope. The bolt has been bent to clear a scope and features a low scope safety. The local gunsmith can set the barrel back, rethread the barrel and rechamber it back to a 7.65x53mm. I think this will be rebarreled to a .257 Roberts or a 7x57mm Mauser. All the best...
Gil

[Jack]

Nice find, Gil !
The 1909 is one of the few military Mausers with a hinged floor plate. Since they were made in peace time, they are usually nicely finished, too.
The 7.65x53 is a darn good caliber in it's own right, quite close to a 308.
But I'm sure you know all that

[BILLY D.]

gil

i had to laugh. i had an 09 action sitting around for years. then i had a brain wave, ordered a krieger barrel, thin taper, got an mpi stock and chambered it in 7mm mauser. my, what forward thing and on the cutting edge.

done some lightning cutting, put it all together and ended up with a 7# rifle. now i always have reservations about which rifle goes hunting, my swede or the 7mm. they are both my favorites.

of course in todays way of thinking we both realize any 200gr bullet moving at less than 3300fps will simply wobble off the side of a whitetail. no way that anything less can harvest a deer.

i think.

[Adam Helmer]

Gil,

Does this M1909 still have the 29.1" barrel? I guess someone went to a lot of trouble to "convert" this rifle, but to make it chamber .30-06 rounds indicates the idiot did not know what he/she was about? To do the drill & tap, scope bases and rings, alter bolt handle and then USE the issue 7.65mm barrel for a .30-06 indicates a lack of smarts, in my hunble opinion.

First a .308" bullet in a .312" bore is a no-brainer. Second, the 7.65mm round will do for anything the customizer would care to hunt in the Lower 48. I would set back the barrel, rechamber for the 7.65mm and be done with it.

Adam

[Gil Martin]

Adam,
The sporter barrel is 24 inches long. This rifle was probably sporterized back in the 1960s based on the condition of the rifle and the age of the scope. The barrel will not clean up and the barrel shank is too short to rethread and setback. Not to worry. I have ordered a 7x57mm Mauser Adams & Bennett barrel from Midway. My local gunsmith will fit up and the rifle will be good to go. All the best...
Gil

[Gil Martin]

The 7x57mm Mauser barrel is on indefinite backorder and Midway canceled the order. I have a mint Kar98k barrel and took it and the 1909 to the gunsmith this evening. Soon, I will have an 8mm Model 1909. All the best...
Gil