Tell me what I have please.

[Hofs01]

I bought this at a pawn shop this week because I fell in love with it. It has a model 54 270 barrel and a Steyr receiver. I was told it was a mauser bolt. I do not know.

I am going to take it to my gunsmith tomorrow and let him have a look at it before I shoot it. It locks up a round very nice. I think the extractor is broken as the bullet remains once the bolt is brought back.

It may be a model 54 mannlicher stock??  I did a bit of research on a serial number found on the trigger guard and if it was a 54 it was made in 1926

I have a whole $200 bucks in it. Whadda think?

[GatCat]

It looks to me like you have an ex-military '98 action that has been fitted with a model 54 barrel. I am a bit confused about the serial number on the triggerguard, as the triggerguard should be from the '98 mauser, not the model 54. Maybe it was re-stamped??
I'm not sure if Winchester made a manlicher stock for their model 54, I'm guessing not. Probably aftermarket.
All in all, I think you have a very fine rifle, assuming the barrel was fitted properly. To do this, the shank had to be cut and rethreaded. One nice thing, is that if you want to attach a scope, there is no collector interest in your combination, a simple drill and tap for top mounted scope, and a low-profile safety, and you're set!!
For the price, you did very well, indeed!! I have a similar rifle, bought from a private party who brought it back from Alaska. It's a Czeck VZ24 action with a pre-64 7X57 barrel, which I'm sure brings collectors to their knee's, weeping. It was in the original Model 70 stock, which had to be butchered to fit the '98 action, so I had it restocked.
Let us know what the gunsmith says!
Enjoy!!
Mark

[Oldtimer]

The crest indicates that it is a Mexican Mauser, model of 1912. It was produced by Steyr of Austria in both rifle and short rifle configurations. The difference between the two was that the short rifle had a turned down bolt handle.  The rifles were chambered for the 7mm Mauser.  The action is of the small ring pattern, as were all the Mexican Mausers. A number never made it to Mexico, but were seized by the Austro-Hungarian government and used for their own troops in WWI.

[Rangr44]

Ditto, to all of the above posts - Mexican/Steyr Mauser, Winchester barrel and probably the Winchester bottom metal as well.

That adjustable trigger isn't issue Mauser or Winchester, either.

The mannlicher stock looks like a Fajen, although Bishop Gun Stock Co made them too - I have the exact same metal forend tip, supplied with mannlicher stocks by the stockmaker.

The bolt handle's been altered (bent/ground) for scope use - but not D/T'd for a scope. Curious.

.

[Victor3]

The action is of the small ring pattern, as were all the Mexican Mausers.

 I own multiple large and small ring 98's. The action shown is a large ring.

 The givaway is the step seen about 1.5" back from the front of the receiver in the L/H view of it out of the stock (5th picture down); small rings don't have this step.

[Hofs01]

So what is the best scope rail for this setup?  I was concerned about that step.

[Rangr44]

There's a few things you ought to consider, about scoping the rifle - especially since you used the term "rail" when referring to the mount base, which is not usually used on M98 Mauser receivers.

The first thing to consider is that the rear ring is lower than the front ring - which is why most users go with a two-piece base system.
If you do so, and also shop around for a short rear base, you can avoid having to grind down/off the clip loading "hump" atop the rear ring that usuall interferes with scope bases. (and the attendant refinishing after the alteration)

A one-piece base can be used, ala Burris/Redfield/Leupold/etc, but with most of them, IIRC, you're gonna run against the "hump" interference problem.

A third option would be a side mount which hold the scope centrally over bore, some of which require a bit of stock inletting for the lower edge of the base.

A fourth option would be a scout-type mount, anchored in the rear sight base and on the front receiver ring, using an intermediate eye relief scope/pistol scope..

Any of the above style mount bases (excepting the scout setup), labeled as suitable for a large-ring M-98 Mauser (or any commercial rifle using that action like the old Browning Safari boltgun) should also fit your rifle, with some D/T-ing and maybe the rear receiver ring alteration.

.

[mrbigtexan]

definitely a '98 mauser, possibly colombian. leopold one peice bases allow for the large ring in front and compensate for it , so it is perfectly fine to use one. columbian mausers were actually made in chzech. as far as i know. great buy!!!

[billy_56081]

Wasn't the Mexican mauser a small ring 98 style mauser? I think so I'll check my mauser book by Jerry Kuhnhausen

[GatCat]

So what is the best scope rail for this setup?  I was concerned about that step.

You can use any scope bases that are designed for the LARGE RING '98. As mentioned, the one-piece base will compensate for the different diameters of the reciever ring and the reciever bridge.
You can use any two piece base made for the Large Ring '98. They will be different,one for the front, and one for the rear.
The ONLY thing to keep in mind are the stripper clip guides ( the "ears" ) at the very rear of the open part of the reciever, on top of the face of the bolt, when the bolt is open. As mentioned, some of the rear  two piece are "short", so they fit in front of the guides. Other bases are longer, and require that the protruding "ears" be ground down to the contour of the reciever bridge directly behind the "ears".
If you take it to a gunsmith to have it drilled and tapped, it will be a piece of cake for him to do it, something he has probably done dozens, if not hundreds, of times before. He will basiclly be mimicking the FN Mauser mount pattern.
Mark

[Hofs01]

If you take it to a gunsmith to have it drilled and tapped, it will be a piece of cake for him to do it, something he has probably done dozens, if not hundreds, of times before. He will basiclly be mimicking the FN Mauser mount pattern.
Mark

The gun is at his place, I took it to him to check the whole thing out as well as D/T for a two piece scope mount.

Thanks guys for all the help.

Now to find the scope worthy of it.

[billy_56081]

I'm now willing to say it is a customised Mexican small ring 98 either a model 1910 or 1936. A very nice gun and one heck of a deal. I'll give ya your money u got into it for it. I love tha fact that it has a winchester 54 barrel on it.

[GatCat]

I'm now willing to say it is a customised Mexican small ring 98 either a model 1910 or 1936. A very nice gun and one heck of a deal. I'll give ya your money u got into it for it. I love tha fact that it has a winchester 54 barrel on it.

Billy, look at the pics of the action in the stock. Check out the wood line around the reciever ring, then follow the wood line forward, see how it steps down to the small diameter of the barrel. It is a large ring. A small ring would be the same diameter.
Also, look the picture of the action out of the stock, with the bolt to the rear. You can see the step from the reciever ring where it tapers down to the side of the action, in front of the thumb notch. Large ring. Again, the small ring doesn't have this "step", the ring is the same diameter as the side of the reciever.
Mark

[Hofs01]

Thanks guys,

I am supposed to pick it up from the gunsmith this week. I look forward to refinishing the stock now.

I also want to upgrade the safety. I have seen a few. There is actually one on ebay I like. What do you guys think of that one? Is it to much, can I get the same thing cheaper?

This auction is over but he seems to have them alot
http://cgi.ebay.com/MAUSER-98-BOLT-SHROUD-WITH-CUSTOM-TWO-POSITION-SAFETY_W0QQitemZ220298769649QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item220298769649&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A13%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

[GatCat]

As far as your safety goes, I would go with what the gunsmith wants to install. Again, he's probably done hundreds of them. Since you already have an aftermarket trigger, I'd just have him replace the stock safety with a low-swing safety; again, it would mimmick many of the F.N's that were based on the 98.
Mark

[blackpowderbill]

My take is the bottom metal is GI or commercial, but Mauser, not Winchester. The Win 54 had stamped sheetmetal on the bottom. The serial number on the bottom then is likely from the service rifle it was taken off of. That it corrisponds with the Win54 range would be coincidental.