Bour Mauser?

[Thebear12]

I have what my Dad some how got years back. He doesn’t remember how lol I feel pretty confident it’s an 1893 Spanish Mauser made by Ludwig. It’s not original and I know the stock has been cut down and the bolt handle has been bent for some reason. It’s never had a scope so I’m not sure why. What makes me think it’s a bour is the serial number is 174 on the barrel, bolt handle, and behind the screw on the forearm. It has a different number on the safety and below the magazine on the bottom of the stock. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I’ve been searching the internet and learning little by little for about a week now. I’ve never heard of so many ways to make the same gun! I’m posting pictures and if anymore are needed just let me know. Thanks

 

[Nyati]

Bour ? I suppose you mean Boer ?

Pictures would help !

 

[coreydb]

JPEG 9 shows the rifle was made in the Oviedo Arms plant in Oviedo Spain. Germany supplied the 93/95 Mausers, unless they made a business deal with Spain to send rifles over as well. The stock looks sporterized and may not be part of the original kit. The 93 Mauser bolts were all straight out from the receiver, so somewhere along the way, a gunsmith or machinist turned it down. I have two of these and love them.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I'm not seeing any photos.

 

[HWL]

Pic, or it didn't happen.....

HWL

 

[Thebear12]

I don’t know why one guy can see the pics but you can’t. I know it’s been sporterized and the reason I say it’s a 93 is because the bolt is flat on the bottom. What makes me think it might be a boar is the LC under the Spanish crest and it missing a prefix letter before the serial number and the low number it is.

Bour ? I suppose you mean Boer ?

Pictures would help !

Bour ? I suppose you mean Boer ?

Pictures would help !

And yes I meant boer

 

[Red Leg]

If it is a 93, then I assume it is a 7x57. No one knows for sure, but as many as 5,000 Spanish produced Mausers were brought into South Africa by various means during the Second Boer War. Like yours, they would wear Oviedo arsenal mark. A very few will be found to also have a ZAR (Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek, for the Transvaal) or OVS (Oranje Vrij Staat = Orange Free State) mark somewhere on the rifle. But the vast majority simply have their original arsenal markings. The LC indicates that the action was made by Ludwig Loewe. Final assembly was by Oviedo.

The mixed serial numbers are not unusual on well used military rifles. Armorers were only interested in repairing or reconditioning rifles not insuring serial number matches. I am unaware of any serial number records of weapons acquired by the Boers. Around half a million 93's were manufactured, many carrying the LC mark. So without a direct provenance, it would be impossible to determine its travels.

As you noted, this rifle has been badly hacked up over the years. Therefore, even if you could somehow prove a Boer provenance, unless it was "customized" for Jan Christian Smuts, it would have no collector value.

 

[Thebear12]

If it is a 93, then I assume it is a 7x57. No one knows for sure, but as many as 5,000 Spanish produced Mausers were brought into South Africa by various means during the Second Boer War. Like yours, they would wear Oviedo arsenal mark. A very few will be found to also have a ZAR (Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek, for the Transvaal) or OVS (Oranje Vrij Staat = Orange Free State) mark somewhere on the rifle. But the vast majority simply have their original arsenal markings. The LC indicates that the action was made by Ludwig Loewe. Final assembly was by Oviedo.

The mixed serial numbers are not unusual on well used military rifles. Armorers were only interested in repairing or reconditioning rifles not insuring serial number matches. I am unaware of any serial number records of weapons acquired by the Boers. Around half a million 93's were manufactured, many carrying the LC mark. So without a direct provenance, it would be impossible to determine its travels.

As you noted, this rifle has been badly hacked up over the years. Therefore, even if you could somehow prove a Boer provenance, unless it was "customized" for Jan Christian Smuts, it would have no collector value.

I’m aware it doesn’t have any collector value because of stock and the bolt and I believe the barrel has been cut down and new sites added. I can’t remember exactly but the barrel measure about a 1/4” under 17”. I came up with the low serial number from one of the many sites I have searched trying to find more info about the rifle. I started just wanting to know what caliber it’s supposed to be and then went down the worm hole which doesn’t seem to be hard with these rifles. Of If I can come by the site again I’ll post a link to it and it list all the serial numbers along with some more info. The lowest number they have on that list is 1000 and I know I read where a lot of them had a letter prefix. If you have time google Boer Mauser serial number 380. It list some info there that I can’t remember but it’s supposed to be a Boer. Thanks for your help. I really appreciate it and I’m hoping that the rifle shoots decent groups so I can take it deer hunting and not have to worry about beating my Brownings up. It’s a hell of a note to spend good money on a gun and then be afraid to use it lol

 

[Thebear12]

https://www.**NOT**PERMITTED**/threads/spanish-mauser-date-of-manufacture.1092081/

 

[Thebear12]

come to find out actually some of the Boer models were produced with a turned down bolt handle and the stock had been cut down. From everything I can read mine is not one of those though. That would have been nice!!! You can google Boer Plezier rifles and read about them. I will say another thing tying my rifle to a Boer is that in they shipped approximately 55,000 that they call 1893/95s because of the use of the squared off bottom of the bolt. I’m not concerned at all about it being a collectors item I’m just curious about it and like I said it’s a deep rabbit hole!

 

[MRBlack]

I believe Ian McCollum of Forgotten Weapons has a good YouTube video on a Boer Mauser.

 

[TheDoubleD]

I have Ron Besters Small Arms of the Angl0-Boer War 1899-1902.

Dr. Bester's book is a well researched report based on his access to the archives held in South Africa. He is in South Africa.

I just did a quick look at his chapter on Boer Mausers and a check of the index. Dr. Bester does not note or refer to any Spanish-Oviedo Mausers being acquired by the Boers.

A number of Mauser were intercepted by the Brits and returned to Germany. To cover loses these guns were resold and remarked to the buyer. Most to Chile-thus the Chilean Mauser. Many of these also have OVS for Orange Free state markings on the reciever. Not all were clearly Boer marked. There is a series of Chilean Mausers with C-prefixed serial number guns. This C prefix follows the Transvaal Republic's number scheme, but Bester suggest they are a missing shipment of 4000 guns sent to ZAR,-the South African Republic that never arrived. These guns are believed have been turned back and returned to Germany and resold to Chile. My C-prefixed gun is from DWM-remarked with the Chilean crest and is beleived to be part of t his shipment.

All the Boer guns ae clearly marked.