Ovied0

Question
I received a few guns through the passing of my father.  Right not I'm following up on a rifle he had.  I believe it to be a 7mm Mauser.  The only markings on the gun are:  "Fabricade Armas 1926" on top of the breach, and the S/N RE5266.  It has a peep site with windage adjustments.  Exactly what caliber and rifle is it and can I obtain a user's manual?  Any guess as to the value of the rifle? Thank you so much.

Answer
Hello Philip. There are so many variations of Mauser military rifles that to give you a definite answer to your questions will be very difficult. However, from your information, I am most sure it is a 1893 Spanish Mauser. I will give you a description of one of these. This may help you know what you have. There are seven descriptive points.
1. 'OVIEDO' logo consisting of a crown with FABRICA de ARMAS OVIEDO and the year of manufacture on top of receiver.
2. Most have 29" barrel.
3. Folding leaf (flip up ladder) rear sight.
4. No thumb cut-out on the left side of receiver rail like some other models have.
5. A gas escape hole in left side of receiver.
6. The bolt has a flat surface on the bottom of bolt face.
7. The original bolt has a straight handle that sticks out to the right.
The serial number on your rifle, RE5266, shows that this rifle was a Re-work i.e."RE". This means it was taken in to have the barrel or other parts replaced. As far as a price, the 1893 Spanish Mauser is not a highly collectable gun. It's value is between $50 and $200 depending on condition. There should be serial numbers on several other parts( barrel, bolt, finger-guard, butt-plate). If these numbers match the numbers on the receiver, the value of your rifle may be increased by up to 50%. "GUN SMITH ALERT".. The original caliber of this rifle was 7mm(7x57)Mauser. However, some of these rifles were imported to the U.S. and re-barreled to fire other caliber cartridges. This is why I recommend having a competent licensed gun smith check it out. I have a man making a comprehensive list on Mauser rifles. You can contact him at [email protected], if you like, to give him your Mauser information.
I hope this information will help answer your questions and thank you for asking for me. Charles Gage