German Mauser 16 bore questions

[Randy F]

My local shop has this intriguing German Mauser 16 bore on the rack.

After researching it some, there seems to be some differing opinions on the date of its conversion from rifle to shotgun. I think it’s post WWI but some say WW2.

Some say safe to fire…after close inspection. Some say don’t fire them, or at least not to load two so as to check the bolt face after firing. They add that they might not be safe to shoot because so much mI doubt I’d shoot it anyway but it would be nice to know either way.

Some say it was converted after the war for hunting and survival for Germans as they couldn’t own rifles. Some say that because it is stamped Germany on the receiver instead of Deutschland, it was converted solely for export to England and the USA. Also because the barrel is stamped Nitro with a mark beside it that I haven’t been able to identify.

Lastly, there seems to be some debate on the value of these old 16 bore conversions. The range I’ve found is from $200 to $700. This one seems to be in descent condition for its age.

He has gea written on the tag so I believe he means Geha(?) but the metal discs that should be on the stock are not there. He admittedly knew nothing about it.

I don’t know who to believe anymore so I’ll throw it out to the experts here. What say you?

 

[leslie hetrick]

a friend has a 12 ga and it shoots pretty good, he only uses low field loads in it.

 

[Randy F]

@Red Leg ,any thought's on this one?

 

[Red Leg]

@Red Leg ,any thought's on this one?

It is my understanding that they were indeed a post WWI creation. You find them marketed under the name GEHA, Remo, and Hard Hit Heart - sometimes a mixture with the metal bearing GEHA or Remo and the stock with the Hard Hit impression. I do not know anyone who has actually used one very much. The 12 bores have quite a bit more metal removed from the action than the 16 which is worrisome to me. In other words, the 16 has a stronger action. But then again, I have never heard of one actually blowing up. Perhaps this one will be the first! Another concern to bear in mind is that the military 98 was surface hardened and removing much of that exposes metal with a much softer temper.

I have never measured the chamber length of one, though even if it were 70mm (2 3/4 inch) rather than 67mm (2 1/2 inch), I would use fields loads in it rather than 1 1/4 ounce loads. I think that would limit its application as a dedicated turkey or slug gun.

They are an interesting relic from a fascinating period in history as the German arms industry regained its footing following the debacle of WWI. By the early thirties Suhl and Ulm were again producing some of the finest hunting rifles and shotguns in the world.