8mm mauser worth

cindypooh · 10-11-2007, 01:59 PM

I have an 8mm mauser that I'm not sure of history. I am trying to find out what this gun may be worth.
The tip of the barrel has markings of M1938 German 8mm, c.a.l. st.albvt

Bolt housing says TC asfa with the star and crescent moon, ankara k.kale1944

numbers on the bolt 3295 with a b over the 9.

on the sights...634

on the sight housing 0634

on underside it has 9539

Looks to be about 3 inches of barrel outside of front stock.

Have bayonet that came with gun.

Anyone with info that may help me identify this gun and determine worth would be greatly appreciated. It seems to be in fair to good condition.

I have never personally fired this gun nor know of anyone who has. But it has obviously been fired and the grain looks to be a nice walnut.

Big Dog · 10-11-2007, 06:12 PM

Welcome to G&G, Cindy. You've come to the right place for questions.

You have the basic Turkish Mauser, made at the Ankara Arsenal in Turkey. The "K.KALE" marking is common to these rifles. They can be good quality, or real dogs. The Turks tended to use their rifles hard, as they were involved in many wars. These rifles were very popular imports a few years back, and were available for $80 or less. They are scarcer now, as these things come in waves. Prices would be higher - probably $150 or a bit more for a very good example.
If you have questions about the safety of shooting it, have a gunsmith check it. He can verify the caliber, and check the chamber and overall quality, and especailly the "headspacing", a very important measurement regarding whether the bolt fits properly. Some rifles have mismatched pars, and the headspacing can be too loose, making it unsafe.
Ammo is still fairly available, and the Turkish ammo would be best for it. Each nation has it's own loads, and the sights are regulated for that particular load. It could shoot high or low with other ammo, though all 8mm Mauser ammo will work okay.
So, you have a decent military surplus rifle, that can give you lots of fun shooting!

Triggerjerk · 10-11-2007, 06:18 PM

Sounds nice...If you are going to stay with us, and we hope you do, check in with Texas T who unoficially runs the ladie's forum.

TexasT · 10-11-2007, 06:27 PM

^Shush! Hello Cindy. Welcome to the forum! Hope you become active on the site (especially in the women shooters forum).

SPOCAHP ANAR · 10-11-2007, 07:23 PM

Cindy, Welcome to the site.

As BD says it is a Turk. They were selling for about 40$ a couple of years ago. BTW; how did you come across it? Sale, gift, inheritance, found in an alley?

Garand9015 · 10-11-2007, 08:04 PM

The Turks are not worth much "yet". They sell around 100 to 150 but have became scarce lately. My advice is to keep it. Also, it was imported by Century Arms International.

Just to let you know. I know Big Dog says Turk ammo is the best and I agree 100% but is known to have slow primers and duds because of its age. My suggestion is to start off with the commerical Remington and Winchester then move up from their. I can't stress to you enough the pressure surplus ammo has on the rifle. New production ammo is downloaded a lot and is therefore alot better to fire in older rifles especially Turks because they have seen some Battle. To take the safe root make sure the rifle is safe to fire Caliber Etc, and start off with a box of Remington or Winchester. It will be in the $20 range but its excellent ammo. See how the gun preforms, if it is handling well, try to get your hands on some Romanian Surplus, it is excellent quality and fires 100% of the time. Make sure you dissemble your bolt before anything to make sure there is no cosmoline in it.

P.S. If you plan on shooting surplus I would adivise you to buy a Wolf Replacement Firing Spring.

10-11-2007, 01:59 PM	#1
cindypooh Registered User Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 1	8mm mauser worth I have an 8mm mauser that I'm not sure of history. I am trying to find out what this gun may be worth. The tip of the barrel has markings of M1938 German 8mm, c.a.l. st.albvt Bolt housing says TC asfa with the star and crescent moon, ankara k.kale1944 numbers on the bolt 3295 with a b over the 9. on the sights...634 on the sight housing 0634 on underside it has 9539 Looks to be about 3 inches of barrel outside of front stock. Have bayonet that came with gun. Anyone with info that may help me identify this gun and determine worth would be greatly appreciated. It seems to be in fair to good condition. I have never personally fired this gun nor know of anyone who has. But it has obviously been fired and the grain looks to be a nice walnut.

10-11-2007, 06:12 PM	#2
Big Dog Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Tallahassee, Florida Posts: 10,642	Welcome to G&G, Cindy. You've come to the right place for questions. You have the basic Turkish Mauser, made at the Ankara Arsenal in Turkey. The "K.KALE" marking is common to these rifles. They can be good quality, or real dogs. The Turks tended to use their rifles hard, as they were involved in many wars. These rifles were very popular imports a few years back, and were available for $80 or less. They are scarcer now, as these things come in waves. Prices would be higher - probably $150 or a bit more for a very good example. If you have questions about the safety of shooting it, have a gunsmith check it. He can verify the caliber, and check the chamber and overall quality, and especailly the "headspacing", a very important measurement regarding whether the bolt fits properly. Some rifles have mismatched pars, and the headspacing can be too loose, making it unsafe. Ammo is still fairly available, and the Turkish ammo would be best for it. Each nation has it's own loads, and the sights are regulated for that particular load. It could shoot high or low with other ammo, though all 8mm Mauser ammo will work okay. So, you have a decent military surplus rifle, that can give you lots of fun shooting! __________________ Moderator of: AR15/M16, M14/M1A, New/Beginning Shooters and Militaria/Collectables.

10-11-2007, 06:18 PM	#3
Triggerjerk Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: New Hampshire Posts: 978	Sounds nice...If you are going to stay with us, and we hope you do, check in with Texas T who unoficially runs the ladie's forum. __________________ We old dogs can learn new tricks. We just may not like performng them. TJ

10-11-2007, 06:27 PM	#4
TexasT No Whining Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Somewhere. Posts: 5,206 Blog Entries: 17	^Shush! Hello Cindy. Welcome to the forum! Hope you become active on the site (especially in the women shooters forum). __________________ I walk like this because I can back it up.

10-11-2007, 07:23 PM	#5
SPOCAHP ANAR Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: SC-upstate Posts: 4,225 Images: 1 Blog Entries: 6	Cindy, Welcome to the site. As BD says it is a Turk. They were selling for about 40$ a couple of years ago. BTW; how did you come across it? Sale, gift, inheritance, found in an alley? __________________ Spocrest Out!..........

10-11-2007, 08:04 PM	#6
Garand9015 Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 70	The Turks are not worth much "yet". They sell around 100 to 150 but have became scarce lately. My advice is to keep it. Also, it was imported by Century Arms International. Just to let you know. I know Big Dog says Turk ammo is the best and I agree 100% but is known to have slow primers and duds because of its age. My suggestion is to start off with the commerical Remington and Winchester then move up from their. I can't stress to you enough the pressure surplus ammo has on the rifle. New production ammo is downloaded a lot and is therefore alot better to fire in older rifles especially Turks because they have seen some Battle. To take the safe root make sure the rifle is safe to fire Caliber Etc, and start off with a box of Remington or Winchester. It will be in the $20 range but its excellent ammo. See how the gun preforms, if it is handling well, try to get your hands on some Romanian Surplus, it is excellent quality and fires 100% of the time. Make sure you dissemble your bolt before anything to make sure there is no cosmoline in it. P.S. If you plan on shooting surplus I would adivise you to buy a Wolf Replacement Firing Spring. Last edited by Garand9015; 10-11-2007 at 08:12 PM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost