doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com H. Barella 7x57 Mauser - Tight Chamber?

Gorgeous rifles Ken, well done and good luck finding your solution. As others have mentioned I'd do all I could to keep the rifles as made and use them as they are.

Ken,
My comments were based on what I could see from the photos as well as other published information. Regarding the link you cited concerning the 6.5x54, the commenter kuduae is well known to us and his opinion is to be taken seriously, and with deference. His posting of a photo showing the 6.5x54 cartridges side by side, show pretty clearly that a 6.5x54 Mauser chamber will not accept a 6.5x54 M-S cartridge. In my comment, I mentioned manufacturing tolerances,but the differences shown in kuduae's photo are much too great to be covered by that. Consequently, I have to believe, now, that you have a Mauser rifle chambered for the Mannlicher-Schoenauer cartridge, as unusual as that is.
Mike

This comment is off the topic, but I think these two rifles have the best stock lines I've ever seen on German rifles, which is to say they look like really fine American stocks from pre-war times. Are there other rifles among members here by this maker that we might see? Also, information about the maker would be most interesting.

I noticed the same thing Bill, the stock work reminded me more a pre-war American custom than a German gun. I'll post some additional photos tonight, but a couple other items struck me once I had the guns in hand:

- how slender the forestocks are

- the fine workmanship in the inletting, a true "minimalist" approach to removing wood inside the action.

- the horn forend tip is not a solid block of horn connected to the end of the wood, but rather a thinner exterior covering of horn under a wooden inner structure. (pictures will make my explanation clearer.)


More to follow - thanks again to the hive for the input,
Ken

Some additional photos of the guns showing some of the finishing details.


Slender forestock -




If you look closely at the horn forend cap, you can see that the horn is really more of 1/4" thick sheath around the wood.




Additional finishing details -











Barella's mark on the underside of the barrels -



Additional barrel markings. Anyone recognize either of the marks on the left or right side? The initials with the heart appear to be "E.W". Likely the craftsman who made all or part of the rifle? I'm not sure what the two what look like cursive "R"s represent.

some previous discussion

http://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=340951

http://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbt...amp;type=thread

IMO this Original Mauser modell looks, without the lenght of fore stock, quite similar: http://www.dorleac-dorleac.com/arme/mauser-african-modell/?lang=en

Ken:

Stunning set, and very well bought, too! If these were mine, I, like the other posters here would most likely just clean the chamber with a 7X57 reamer, and call it done.

Completely off topic, did you know this set is for sale on Armslist for $1900 out of Michigan:

http://www.armslist.com/posts/7267788/mi...n-guild-guns--m

Caveat emptor!

Skeettx - I appreciate the input on the E.W. initials. I figured Raimey might some insight.

Relic6165 - I had not seen the listing on armslist until you pointed it out. These are the same guns, and the verbiage is the same from the original listing. I sent a message into Armslist via their webpage notifying them of the scam. Thanks for the heads-up. Caveat emptor is right.

Ken

Ken,
Despite other knowledgeable people suggesting running a reamer into the 7mm, I wouldn't do it. Since it went through a view and firing proof at Suhl( and is smaller-not larger), it has a proper chamber, now you just have to find what nominal cartridge it is for.
Mike