The irreplaceable expertise of a good gunsmith manifests itself relative to
your question in several ways:
1. Knowing what to look for
2. Having the proper measurement and visualization tools to aid in the exa
mination.
3. Having the experience to understand what he sees and measures might mea
n.
The latter can not be adequately provided via internet BS from anybody. =20
My opinion is that it is always worth a few dollars to have a good professi
onal pass judgment on any used rifle before shooting. Unless you have reli
able information that a particular piece has been in recent active use, I c
an not recommend bypassing a smith's evaluation. I can think of no big reas
on why this step is less or more advisable with a 20 year old used weapon t
han a 100 year old used weapon. The small reason I can think of is that th
ere are no shortage of people (including at least on one this board at pres
ent) who stupidly reload vintage cartridges beyond cartridge and vintage ap
propriate pressure levels --- doing God know's what,
That said, I also think you should know enough to almost never buy a used w
eapon which might fail a gunsmith's evaluation for basic function and safet
y. Here are some of the basics.
1. It is always wise to consider buying only pieces in obviously good and
reasonably well cared for condition. Worn out junk is junk and it is almos
t never worth the investment to repair. Generally, I rule out anything tha
t requires more than cosmetic repairs. =20
2. No matter how good the rest, it is seldom a good idea to buy a gun where
the bore looks less than really good. Beyond this, a good gunsmith will l
ook very critically for any evidence of a "swelling" or "bulge" in the bore
/barrel. This is a killer find. When hoop strength of the steel has been
strained enough to bulge a barrel, a dangerous level of metal fatigue is po
ssibly present. Unless obscenely obvious, this is one of those things heavi
ly dependent upon lots of experience to see.
3. Any evidence of crack formation in the receiver. Experience in recogniz
ing this is really important and beyond most of us simply because we are un
likely to have seen enough examples to recognize the problem. Good light,
magnification, and a complete examination with the stock removed is require
d.
4. Any evidence of crack formation around the recoil lugs on the bolt.
5. Evidence of cracks in the stock wood behind the receiver or in the wrist
area. Such defects may be repaired so as not to pose any safety defect an
d if done skillfully will be almost unnoticeable. But if you lack the skil
ls to do yourself, are a significant gunsmith cost.
6. Assuming the above are in order, and particularly with service rifles, h
ead space should be checked. Masking tape might mean something to Clark or
any other gun crank that has calibrated his "feel" of force involved in bo
lt closure, but not to me. Passing a "no-go" gauge test is the minimum her
e. You can buy the gauge yourself for a particular cartridge from Brownell
s. Or, for about the same money, get a complete rifle evaluation from a go
od gunsmith.
At this point, we are pretty sure the piece in question is not going to com
e apart if fired. We are not sure that the rifle will fire, and we are not
certain that the rifle is safe to handle and use. Accordingly, before pur
chase, I recommend:
7. Checking out the trigger and firing pin at a basic level of function.
In a Mauser I would do so by cocking the bolt (on an empty! rifle) and drop
ping a pencil with newish eraser, eraser end first down the barrel. When t
he trigger is pulled and is minimally functional, the firing pin will usual
ly launch the pencil. You can be pretty sure a chambered round will go off
if this test is passed. Otherwise, a repair that will cost money is a like
ly necessity.
8. I always check safety function by first making sure that the rifle will
not "fire" as part of the "pencil test" when the safety is engaged and the
trigger is pulled. I then make sure that the rifle will not fire (empty e
xcept for pencil) when I thump the butt (padding may be in order) on the fl
oor with both the safety on and off. Problems detected here are usually re
pairable (at a cost) by a good gunsmith).=20
To the best of my ability, I do all of the above before I buy. Before I sh
oot, I have a gunsmith check head space and double check my opinion regardi
ng 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 above. =20
With the above in mind, I really see very little reason why one might a WWI
Mauser to be more or less safe to shoot that a WWII vintage Mauser. More
caution is in order for Pre-98 actions and some "non-German" producers.