Spanish Mauser

[mrhnau]

I was poking around in my dad's armory (AKA gun collection) and came across an old Spanish Mauser. I am relatively unfamiliar with the gun, so I did a bit of looking this morning...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauser
http://www.spanamwar.com/spanishmauser.htm

My dad has some ammo, but has never shot it (20 years I think). Should the ammo still be good? Otherwise, where could I pick some up? From my understanding, the ammo is not that common...

Anyone ever shot one? Though its a small gauge, I hear it backs a punch... The gun itself looks in pretty good condition, and maybe on a later trip home it might be fun to take it out for shooting

 

[KenpoTex]

Is it 7x57? I've never shot one in that caliber but I have shot both a .308 and an 8mm version. They're an excellent rifle, you should enjoy it.

The ammo you already have should be fine (I've shot stuff that's much older than that w/o any problems) but from what I recall, 7x57 is still relatively easy to get.

 

[Grenadier]

Ammunition that has been stored in a cool, dry place, should be good for a long, long time, and even WWII ammo still works fine.

Basically, any ammo that uses lead styphnate or potassium chlorate primers should be quite stable, as long as the powder hasn't been heat-degraded. Do be careful of chlorate-based primers, though. They're potentially corrosive, since they can leave potassium chloride deposits in your barrel, which can corrode even a stainless steel barrel (yes, even stainless steel can rust).

If you do use corrosive primers, then make sure that you clean your gun with hot, soapy water, followed by the usual cleaning with organic solvents (Hoppes #9, CLP, etc).

 

[mrhnau]

Is it 7x57? I've never shot one in that caliber but I have shot both a .308 and an 8mm version. They're an excellent rifle, you should enjoy it.

The ammo you already have should be fine (I've shot stuff that's much older than that w/o any problems) but from what I recall, 7x57 is still relatively easy to get.

yes, its a 7x57. I'm looking forward to shooting it in the coming months

 

[tellner]

There are a few places to get 7x57. The Sportsman's Guide and Ammoman often have it for reasonable prices. If you're heavily into desacration you can get it rechambered for .308.