Home Forums Birds & Dogs Shotguns Mauser Bolt Action Shotgun???

I inherited a very old German Mauser 12 Gauge bolt action shotgun. It supposedly came over with my grandparents in about 1912. It sure looks like it! I can't find much information about such a gun and I'm wondering whether anyone in the forum has.

I am a big Mauser rifle fan, but these conversions make me a bit nervous...

The 12 gauge conversions I have seen have had the front locking lugs milled away to allow the large diameter shell to feed. These rely on ONLY the rear (safety) lug to hold the bolt thrust.

Some feel they are unsafe.

Here in Europe at least, 16 gauge conversions exist, and apparently some of the front lugs remain to do the job on these.

Some feel these are unsafe.

I have not personally inspected a 16ga version so I do not know how much (if any) of the lugs are left.

I have seen conversions made by two companies: Geha and Remo. There may be others of course.

John

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Thanks for the input. I really have little or no intention of shooting the gun. It's just odd to see a M98 Mauser modified to 12 ga shotgun. I'll have to check on whether the front lugs are still there.
Jon

Hi

I did a bit of an internet search -- you might find the first article interesting I think.

article on bolt action Mausers

$275 minium bid on one of these guns at an auction

I used the search string Geha Remo 12 gauge and got lots of hits -- this was in Google

I have always found these Mauser 12 gauges interesting too! One of these days I will have to buy one.

John

If you go to the "Shotguns" or the "Commercial Firearms" forum on the website www.gunboards.com/forums (I can't remember which forum it is, but it's one of those two) you will find a "sticky" at the beginning of the forum that details one of the members' detailed study of the Remo/Geha/Hard-Hit-Heart etc. Mauser-to-shotgun conversions.

If your gun came over before WWI, it almost certainly ISN'T one of the above Mauser 98 conversions; Germany needed all the '98s it could get prior to 1919. So it would likely be a conversion of the Mauser 1871 or 1884 or an earlier "Needle Gun". Interesting but probably not for firing. MUCH more likely that it is post-1919.