Broomhandle Mauser

[ACP]

Does anyone here know anything about a Broomhandle Mauser? I have been asked to assess an estate collection of guns which includes a Broomhandle Mauser with the original wooden shoulder stock/holster.

Gun is very clean and desirable. However, I cannot get the bolt to retract which somehow seems "frozen". What am I missing? I have never owned or fired one of these things so I don't know.

I haven't done my homework yet on the internet and thought one of you may be able to advise me.

Thank you.

[Reinz]

Howdy ACP, I haven't handled mine in about 30 years, but the first thing that comes to mind since it is a box mag, is that you have to make it think that there is a round in it, thus carefully press down on on mag plate with finger/thumb while holding the bolt back with opposite hand and gently easing forward.

Without one in hand, that's all I have, but I'm pretty sure that will do it.

Good Luck

Reinz

[Reinz]

And oh yea, no duh, be sure the safety lever on the left is in the "down" position, which is "fire" .

Good Luck

Reinz

[ACP]

Reinz:

Thank you for your response. The gun is in the possession of the seller but I will give your suggestion a try.

[Reinz]

I hope the seller is a "gun person" and understands totally what you meant.
I thought more about it and I'm 90% sure that is the fix.


Reinz

[ACP]

Negative. Seller is the widow of the owner and does not know a lot about guns. She has been burnt by cherry picking dealers in the past and she came to me for appraisal.

I have the "Standard Catalog(s)" for gun prices and have made the point that these are estimates and that market prices are soft due to the economy. She is getting honesty without compensating me and understands that my reward is just handling the guns.

[tracker]

Some of these as you describe are very scarce and collectible. Maybe this link could help start.


http://www.1896mauser.com/

[Reinz]

Negative. Seller is the widow of the owner and does not know a lot about guns. She has been burnt by cherry picking dealers in the past and she came to me for appraisal.

I have the "Standard Catalog(s)" for gun prices and have made the point that these are estimates and that market prices are soft due to the economy. She is getting honesty without compensating me and understands that my reward is just handling the guns.

ACP - I have done the same for people in the past as a favor.
Freind of a freind kind of thing.

I remember one time telling the daughter of a deceased, do not sell this Series 70 for less than $400. ( I know, sounds crazy, that was 25 yrs ago).  Man I wanted that gun!  She said she was not going to sell  for a long time, just wanted values for now.
Well I saw her a few months later and she sold it of course, and for $250!
She said a "freind of her Dad's said it had a broken firing pin and it was only worth $250.
Boy was I steaming.    Not for myself, but one I told her It was good to go and not to let it go for less than four and second, it is my pet peeve how the "brotherhood" of good ol' gun buddies can just monetarily rape widows when their buddies die.
I make it a point to offer FMV to widows or family members of deceased that I know or know of.

rant mode off


Reinz

[ACP]

tracker: Thank you for posting that link which I enjoyed

Reinz: You make a good point. She told me she has sold some good guns for about $500. While I did not see them, I can imagine that they may have been worth thousands and you have already made the point as to predator dealers.

However, I would also like to advance the incredible stupidity of another gun guy and that person is me. Over the years I have had some great guns and have subsequently sold them for profit. Case in point; a 1960 Colt 1911, .38 Super, mint condition in orginal box. Hey, I made 50% profit! Great, right? Uh uh. I bought it years ago for $500 and sold it for $750.

My name is Phil and I am a gun addict. I buy great guns and sell them from time to time. Then, years later, I realize, (too late), what an idiot I am.

[Reinz]

My name is Phil and I am a gun addict. I buy great guns and sell them from time to time. Then, years later, I realize, (too late), what an idiot I am.

I guess we were twins separated at birth!

Reinz

[ACP]

Yeah; and Mom always liked you best.

Actually, that story is mitigated by the fact that I lost a good job in the mid 1990's. I was an aerospace employee and was "downsized" (I hate that term) along with another 2 million aerospace employees.

In order to meet financial obligations I had to sell guns and, unfortunately, if you want to make money you have to sell the good ones.

I also sold my ASP (no comments please as this is actually a highly customized M39 S&W) and a lot of other guns.

 My story is a sad old song: Were it not for the reversal of fortune, I could have kept some great guns that would be worth a small fortune today, even with the present market, softened due to the poor economy.

[Richard S]

Guns I wish I had never sold . . . every da**ed gun I ever sold, particularly one Uzi carbine chambered for .45 ACP --ugly as homemade sin but as reliable as the phases of the moon. We all make mistakes. And don't ask me about automobiles I never should have sold. I'm too old to cry, but it hurts too much to laugh.

[tracker]

Was that a Sunbeam Alpine or a TR4 you owned in school?

[ACP]

You can keep the Alpine but I love the TR4. I was following one, (completely restored), a few weeks ago. Top down with a middle aged couple loving their ride and trying not to slide on all the drool from folks like me.

[ACP]

Update for the broomhandle: this is out of sequence but I wanted to thank tracker again.

The string he gave me has a feature for "dummies"; you just follow the details and it tells you what you have. In my case, it is an "Early Model 1930" broomhandle with non detachable magazine in 7.63mm Mauser cartridge.