In my stumbling and bumbling around the internet, I have to ask whether or not this is such a good idea:
These unique Chilean Mausers have been converted to fire .308 and are in good condition. They are Pre-1898, and therefore an antique by definition. This means we can ship these directly to an individual, and the gun does NOT need to go through a dealer.
These rugged rifles make an excellent addition to any collection, a genuine, battle-used rifle built like a tank. These are fully functional, firing rifles!
To begin with, the 8mm Mauser round has a maximum pressure allowable of 57,000 psi, and the .308 Winchester round pushes out 62,000 psi, and while the .308 round is smaller in almost all dimensions than the 8mm Mauser round, I still have to wonder how well those modifications will remain attached to the firearm… Couple that with literally 100+ year-old metals, and the pucker-factor increases beyond my comfort level.
On the other hand, antique firearms require no background checks, do not need to be passed through FFL’s hands, do not need Form 4473s filled out on them, can be shipped straight to your door without a Curio and Relic license, and do not need to be documented anywhere. A rifle that can be delivered to my door, no questions asked, no records kept, and can handle modern, commonly-available calibers… well, that temptation just about overcomes the puckerness. Hm.
Update: Commenter Ritchie confirms my not-so-irrational fears.
In his book “Bolt Action Rifles”, Frank de Haas classifies the Chilean Mauser as a variation of the 93-95 Mauser with the advantage of a safety lug on the bolt. He does consider it “marginal” for the .308. If you only fed it tailored handloads or cast bullet loads it would be fine, but why volunteer for such a limitation?
And this is why I love the internet… if you do not know the answer to a question, ask it, and the odds are good that someone else out there will have an answer, and be willing to share it.
Thanks for the information, Ritchie! I totally agree – if you are going to have to generate up and fabricate specialized, weaker handloads for the rifle, that definitely ruins the point of a 100% paper-free gun that can shoot “modern” ammunition.
Of course, that said, 8mm Mauser is still produced, and while it is not a SHTF caliber to most people, a records-free firearm (in its original, unmolested form) has a lot of appeal to it.
I was under the impression that original Chilean Mausers were 7×57 not 8mm Mauser?
Mike W – yup 7×57. I have one.
And this is another reason to love the internet – when you screw up, there is no shortage of people willing to point it out to you
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My fault, guys, for not checking – I heard “Mauser” and my brain immediately went 8mm. Good to know there are other options, but given that the SAAMI ratings for 7×57 are damned identical to 8mm, the point still stands
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Also I don’t know about antique weapon status, but re-cambering or modifying a C&R gun destroys its C&R status. AIM Surplus had some SMLE 2A Indian rifles that had been converted from their original to mock-ups of the Enfield Jungle Carbine. While the 2A is certainly a C&R gun, the Mock-up needed to go through an 01 or 02 FFL because of the modifications.
I suspect the rebarreling might make legal issues with transfers.
Not to doubt you, but do you know for certain that the original receivers were on those firearms, or did the conversion require a replacement? Likewise, was AIM Surplus just doing it to cover their respective tushies (not that I blame them), or is it actual policy?
In short, I have absolutely no idea what the legality is concerning rechambering/modifying antique firearms – however, in doing a little Googling as I write this comment, I give you this answer, from none other than James Wesley Rawles:
So, basically, as long as you do not do something to an antique firearm that turns it into an NFA-regulated item (like SBRing it), it retains its antique, does-not-need-an-FFL-of-any-status nature. Shiny.