HUNTERS LODGE M1916 Spanish Mauser | HIDDEN RUSTY DISASTER | C&R Milsurp Price Too Good To Be True? 

I hope that you realize that the cleaning rod keeps the band springs from being depressed. You are supposed to remove the cleaning rod before attempting to remove the bands.

That right there is what the firearm collector sees in their nightmares. Unfortunately, when I rubbed my eyes, I still saw that absolute tragedy onscreen

You bought despite all the bad reviews and warnings.....you deserve this.

Note to self, never order from Hunter's Lodge

These were the kind of rifles no one bought back in the 80s and 90s, even in absolute awesome condition. They almost had permanent residence on the used racks at the local gun n pawn. I just bought an 1873 springfield trapdoor, (1874 manufacture) untouched and it wasnt even close to this much trouble. I love your no nonsense take on these old ghosts. It takes me back to my 20s when i collected these kind of rifles because it was a very inexpensive collector market for young guys with no cash. Times have changed i see😮.

Another fantastic review! Keep posting

Nice video. Very helpful. Thanks

You're right about your assessment. I got my Spanish Mauser for $290 plus FFL fees and haven't run into any issues besides a little bore corrosion.

Wow...you've got me thinking, now I really need to dig into my M1943 Spanish Main Battle Rifle that I got from them that I did my video on...

Actually, that will clean up nice. I've had worse. It's not so bad. If you enjoy cleaning on these old milsurps, this one can be a fun project. Agreed you can find a nicer example for not much more money. Looking forward to the updates!

I picked one of these up at a sweet store in Dallas back when I first got stationed out that way. To this day, it's still one of my primary hunting rifles. We actually thought it was a 7mm, given the Spanish origins, and so did the store. Found the "308" stamp under the cleaning rod after getting home LOL. I tend to stick with Remington 308 ammo for it it, with no issues at all. I did strip it down and completely refinish it, as I thought the gorgeous tiger striping being hidden by that drab Spanish stain was outrageous. After that, though, it's been a real fine and handy rifle. Certainly worth picking them up in good condition, but I wouldn't recommend ordering one. Always be able to pick it up and physically see it in person.

These were chambered for 7.62 NATO according to the original Spanish manuals for this rifle/conversion. So they were never meant to be CETME only. I would try the steam method, convert that rust back instead of using chemicals or abrasives. Mark Novak's channel has a good vid on how to do it, I think he even did one of these same rifles now that I think about it. That should be a 100 dollar rifle max, even in 2023.

Hey READY.. I just ordered one from H L on 6/20/2022 I dont except much at $166.88 LOL. But i hope i can take it apart to clean it. Glad i ran across your video on how to take it apart and what to expect. This will be a project for sure, and a video for sure. THANKS

Hunters Lodge has always been a gamble. It being run like a 1960's mail order business also turns people off. Before the internet "Allow 6 to 8 weeks for delivery." was standard for mail order. It drove me nuts as a kid when I ordered something out of a magazine or comic book. It took more than 2 months to get my Pocket Fisherman! Buying any used gun sight unseen is risky and that goes double for surplus. Sadly, we are at the bottom of the barrel for surplus these days. Every 1916 Spanish Mauser I have owned or dealt with has had pitting on the wood line and needed a lot of clean up. Even back in the 90's. It just seems to be if you want to risk the cash on the roll of the dice. The M43 looked good, the Gew 88 was supposed to be junk, and the Enfield was listed as rough as well.

Thanks!

A few years ago at a gun show I bought a M 1916 , tagged 7mm . After I arrived home and really looking at it , it was stamped .308 . I use the 7.62 NATO ammo in it , no problems . I just recently acquired anther M 1916 , this time in 7mm , it also took me awhile to loosen up the front nose piece

I ordered some FRENCH/GERMAN MAB D Hand guns and colt revolvers would be cool to see a review on them and keep up the great videos!!

What hurts me the most is that it was made in 1922 and the mauser oviedo was widely used during the civil war, so this rifle most likely saw action during 1936-1939, it's a pity to see it in such conditions, also many rifles were offered to civilians during the civil war too

Well I do enjoy doing conservation work but, I’ll be honest the cost to time ratio for hunters lodge is beyond ridiculous. I would probably pay 100-200 at a gun show for it but waiting for months to get that is just.. wow. Hopefully the barrel isn’t too pitted/ rusted through.

I like rolling the dice. If Hunters lodge would accept credit, I'd take a chance even more. Wow, they might have liability issues based on wrong caliber stamping. I'd probably take off the "308" and stamp 7mm.

I got like 4 of those crazy (orange rust) super rusty 1916 with those Lange Vizier sights for $100+ from centerfire (with flat rate shipping, still cheap if buying bulk). I don't know if they got that huge batch from Hunters lodge, but it sure is in that rusty condition. It was a pain to take it apart, I messed up the screw (which is still easy to restore back to functional condition) and damaged some of the wood, but repairable. It took days to loosen everything up. Those band springs were difficult. But... Given how those stocks are selling for 200+ and the handguard selling for 75+ in ebay. I say it is worth it, since I have so many barrel+action+Bolt that I got from OWS a few years back for 30 bucks each. The barrels are almost in the same condition as well, but at least showing the a small portion of the bullet (in the bullet test). One thing that is cool and surprising is that those rifles were all matching, from stock - trigger guard, barrel, to action. (bolt not included)

I bought mine in the early 90s for 166 bucks from S.I.R. here in Canada 🇨🇦 and it shoots 308 just fine,all the action was fine but the stock i had to refinish it 🙂👍

Very good review of this rifle. Well done. I'd like to see a similar review of the Indian Ishapore 308.

That's not that bad.....give it a good boil and carding. Maybe 2 cycles. I bought a pair of them from Samco a few years ago. Great bore but chunky with rust. After a bit of work cleaning rust and blueing it came out nice. Still have the second one waiting it's turn on the bench.

My old SAMCO-bought "Guardia Civil" FR-7 in 7.62/ 308 was pretty good, but the band retainer springs were somewhat rusted into place. I had to use a wood dowel and a light hammer to break them loose. After cleaning off the rust they were OK It seems the Spanish never removed the wood with these when cleaning as they're all rusted where you can't see it; only how badly varies. Mine is not stamped with the caliber anywhere. It headspaced good and both locking lugs bear evenly, but the poor bore doesn't shoot the best. Good enough for southern woodland deer hunting ranges and safe with commercial 308Win. Mine does it's best with slightly underpowered reloads; deer don't notice the difference. Military ammo is best avoided with these conversions as it runs at a somewhat higher pressure than the commercial 308 loads; certain rounds especially so. The 7mm runs at lower pressures so if the gun is good there shouldn't be any safety issues with those. My guess is that the ones showing up on the market now are the last and worst examples from storage with all the better ones long gone by now. If my guess is right some of these might not be safe to fire as there might be some rejected examples mixed in inadvertently. These have clearly been stored with zero attention for quite some time so confirm the chambering, headspace, and lug engagement before putting effort into it. Even with the old SAMCO guns examples of mis-matched bolts and unsafe headspace have been found so excercise extra caution with these.

the m43 I bought, had a cracked stock, along with a shot out barrel and no blueing and the head space closes on a field gauge. Hopefully you head space your m43. hunters lodge tried to fix the crack stock by putting brass screws in.....THEY WENT THRU A PERFECTLY GOOD HAND GUARD WITH THEM! The only part of the rifle that was in good shape and they messed it up...That and it took 6 months and numerous calls to get them to ship. I finally contacted the firearms news ad department and they got them to finally send it.

That thing looks like the wind blew it together.

I didn’t realize that hunters lodge was even still in business

Sorry you got a big project. My ugly truck gun is an M1916 7mm I picked up at an estate sale. Lots of rust from the past was evident. But the prior owner thankfully hosed it down and oiled it down very well. It shoots pie plate accuracy at 100 yards. My only grumble is I will replace the rear sight with a Mojo click peep at some point. Maybe give it a new sporter stock too. Lots of folks down these old rifles. But they are great farm guns for the truck. Where you know it's going to take a beating.

As a British person who enjoys your videos its nice to see Winston Churchills famous speech on your shelving

Did you the upper hand guard off? I have one from the same time period and can't get past the sight. Love too see a 'how to' video

I recently bought a M1916 Oviedo Mauser from Hunter's Lodge. I paid for a hand select, with a cleaning rod and a sling. On the outside it looked to be what I would expect for a rifle made in 1930. The safety was stuck in the fire position, and It was next to impossible to remove tha action screws. I had to use a hand impact screw remover, but I finall removed it without damaging the screw heads. I still haven't been able to remove the butt plate screws, or the screw holding the front sling swivel/front barrel band. I used several applications of penetrating oil and even a small butane blow torch to apply heat to the screw with no results. God only knows what I'm going to find under the wood line, IF I can ever separate the barreled action from the stock. I don't mind doing the clean-up work, but I do need to be able to break the rifle down to do it. I could probably use the hand impact screw removal tool, but the bits are much too big for that small screw. I am seriously thinking about demanding a refund. I don't think I'll ever buy anything from HL again. The walk away price for this rifle with the options was around $300 dollars + shipping. For what I received, I was robbed. So don't let the low price suck you in. For what you'll pay, you get crap.

If you have a tub big enough I’d throw that whole barreled action in some boiling DI water and card away

Note to self..NEVER order from hunters lodge, mitchell's mausers, or rti...the 3 stooges of the gun world.

All of us want to see a tear down and complete cleaning of ALL the surplus stuff you get .

The magazine release is unlike any I’ve seen on a 1916. I have a 1917 production which uses a button in the floor plate itself.

The three stripes means an inert training rifle not meant to be fired. Some of them had a fused or blocked breech to prevent people from inserting ammunition to it.

Soak the hand guard in Acetone. The use accureglass to repair cracks. Don’t use the gel kind. Standard gets into the cracks way better. Gel is better for bedding. Give the hand guard a coat of linseed oil.

My Enfield No.4 Mk.1 just came in from Hunters Lodge.It took 22 days to get here..I'm going to need about 10 parts . I just posted the video on my page...

I'm betting someone will watch this video and go out and order a few of these nice rust heaps. RTI and Classic Firearms have some that look like this and "oh well, lets roll the dice" and Boo Hoo mine is a rust heap. and on and on it goes.

may be late, But ever you find yourself with a stuck screw on a gun again like this, they make something called a manual impact screw driver I believe? Long story short its a screw driver you use with a hammer and its acts like a impact driver but dose not break the screw. It ha saved me meany screws and time with such items like this and I thought I would just share the info. Looking good my man stay safe and shooting!

Seeing that 7X57 mm is originally a relativity low pressure round and it is now loaded commercially to lower pressure yet it may be safe to shoot. That is if the pitting is not deeper than 1/16 inch, or 0.0625 inch/ 1.58 mm. Or heavily grouped in any area. Even then I think I would shoot cast bullet loads

I really think the bore is Correct for the 308. The rifling is too tall to be wore out. Really clean and examine the chamber. Maybe the 308 will fit after that. Btw, I have a 308 1916. It’s a great shooter. If you’re worried use 7.62x51 nato. They create about 1000 less lbs of pressure. The wolf 308 is the exception. It creates 1000 lbs of pressure less than 7.62x51. They download their 308 ammo

I've ordered several things from them and have had great experience with dealing with them. It's takes them some time but for the reasonable prices they have for this stuff you can't really complain about the timing. I enjoy taking these things apart to clean and retouch so I have enjoyed my rifles, I just wish my 1916 had a crest on it like yours but tons of them were scrubbed off so it's no fault of hunters lodge on that. Have fun with your projects and thanks for posting your experiences

to see if the bore is good i like to just look at the inside of the crown. if u can clearly see the rifling touch the end of the muzzle it should be good. if not well use flat based bullet lol

They should offer a box of rubber gloves with the order. 😊

I have 1 that is way worse. Painted gloss camo with a paint brush. A crazy amount of pitting. Stamped 308w on the barrel. Has 308 and 7.62 carved into the stock with a pocket knife. A 30 cal bullet fits like your did in the muzzle test

That is a roached rifle man. I don’t even think Anvil would worry about fixing it up.

Love the variation of your collection. I feel your pain on caliber guessing. I once bought a large ring 8mm Mauser barrel on ebay. After installing it I could never get it to chamber 8mm. Took some calipers to it and found the bore to be 7.62mm. I then shot a 7.62x51 out of it only to have it morph itself into a straight wall cartridge. Did some more measurements and it turned out I had somehow bought a 30.06 Mauser barrel that had the military style steps cut in it. I still have never been able to figure out it's country of origin. Any ideas where to research?

I have one that I have not yet fired . I is also marked 308. I would like to hearwhat a gunsmith would say about the pressures . Also if it would be feasible to re- chamber it to 7.62 x39

You just saved me some money

Its like ordering out of a jc Whitney catalog in the 80s except you are getting screwed. Plus a 6 month turn around

ABBA said take a chance on me.

Man that sucks.

There's this new invention; it's called Kroil and is a penetrating oil that works well at loosening rusty screws. I bet if you used some of that or an equivalent product those rusty screws would come out easier. Most of the RU-vid gunsmiths and tinkerers use it. Good luck.

Even if the front band springs were in good shape isnt it a 2 person job getting it apart? I tried to depress the spring and use a rubber mallet to get it off but i had to have a friend help. and the thing was in like mint condition.

Mine has no markings besides S8281 any info or year mfg?

I have a 1916 Spanish Mauser In 308and it's a great shooter...

Wouldn't these be the upgraded 1893 Spanish Mausers though? Mauser did the same upgrades to the Turkish Mausers of the same year as the 93 Mausers.

That why I can't find a bamboo scewer anywhere hunters lodge bought them all...

Looks like a 40 buck rifle

Those black stripes means this rifle at a time was a drill or training rifle.

Well I'm in lol....I rolled the dice this week with HL. A "hand select" Oviedo in 7x57 for $250 and a Carcano carbine "in cosmoline" for $109. If they actually show up I'll try to remember to file a report here 😂

Ive had the. 308 1895 mauser chileno small ring since sportsmans guide sold em in the early 80s, never had any issues. That whole dangerous to shoot rumor is crap. Same with my gewehr 88s, the turk barrels and czech bolts are new, theres no original . 318 bore barrels left, theyre all. 323 replacement barrels from the 1930s and 40s. Wives tales

I wonder if that black paint signifies a DP rifle. Though usually they will pour slag into the chamber of those. And this is what I'd expect of a DP rifle, pretty up the outside and who cares about the underside...

No offense, but I've picked up working Mausers for considerably less than their asking price for their junk Mausers. Went to a Family reunion a few years back. A cousin who lived close by offered to let me see a Mauser he'd picked up from Hunter's Lodge for $595. I didn't crack a smile when I saw it. Just remarked he had a lot of work ahead of him. He asked if I thought they "took" him. Since he asked, I answered in the affirmative. He also made the mistake of asking what I'd have given for a rifle like his. I told him a hundred dollars would have been pushing it. Throat erosion, parts destroyed by rust, etc. is not something I take lightly. No one else should either because such things take time and good money to put to rights.

The "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" rifle. 😀...😒...😈

Boy do they have a return policy lol

Is there any place that has 1895 and previous style firing pins? I have a really nice 1893 turk mauser and id like to have a spare for it. numrich, apex, and liberty are out of stock.

That doesn’t seem horrible… not great but I could live with it.

I would say NO.

Picked up my 1950 FN mauser in 30.06 today, has no country markings just the belgian FN marks. Cleaned it up looks snick can't wait to shoot it

That is the worst condition 1916 I have seen. Sad too because it is the older model with the roller coaster sight

Very worth the risk if you have unlimited time for the seller to give you the runaround, while figuring out their broken antiquated fulfillment "department", and to be shined on by their unprofessional and rude staff. In all fairness. The latter is probably a symptom of the former

Sorry you got a lemon

Get yourself a tub or tray long enough to drop the entire gun in, and cover it in Kroil. I generally would not soak wood in oil, but I don't think it will retain anymore oil, grease and dirt than these old mil surps already have on and in them.

How are you able to get ahold of them they never answer the phone

HL didn't do any repairs or maintenance on any of the guns they sold. No dealers do that. Also rust is fairly easy to deal with. Remove as much as you can with oil and a brush, de-grease in acetone, then boil in distilled water. That will convert the rust and stop the corrosion.

Looking forward to the restoration video bud! sorry you got a dud

I'd get that chamber cast anyways.

It wouldn't take that much to clean the rust. Either soak it in vinegar or an electrolysis bath

I ordered 2 of their mine shaft specials. A M1916 & a M1943. Got 2 M43s but they got the bolts right. 1 is for a 1916....😮‍💨 I might get shoot them an email and just order a 3rd rifle. A 1916 and ask them to ship a 43 bolt with it. Instead of paying for a bunch of shipping fees to get the right bolt, might just be easier and cost effective to get a 3rd rifle. I was already thinking of just fixing up the extra 43 for funnsies and sell it to get my money back for the 2 rifles.

wow that Rifle is a mess!!

I have two old rifles.

Do you really expect a spotless rifle with that age? I wondered what type of condition their products. Expecting anything . Surplus is surplus

well , get cha a wire wheel on a grinder , then proceed to 120 grit sand paper and oil , degrease re-blue and order a new stock ... worse case scenario you get a cook off and its bye bye nose ...

😳😳😳

Did you find out anything more about the "Bore" ?? Ive had many of these rifles in the past.... And if your bore is still good you can fix or get another stock from "Sarco Inc." in Pa. and parts are still kinda easy to get from the usual places online for this rifle.. Let me know how ya make out..... be well..... K.A.G.

425 is a deal? LOL

Are you sure that’s a 1916 Spanish Mauser because I have one and the front sights are not like the ones on yours Your rifles sights look like the sights from a gewehr 98

This looks like cast off junk from Century International Arms that WAS in St Albans Vermont. In 1995 they moved to Florida, so how long has this junk been sitting around over here?

That's an absolute trash found in junkyard

Hunter's Lodge? They should be called Rusted Stuff.

DUDE ! NEVER EVER NEVER EVER do bench testing with LIVE AMMO! What the H**L? If you can't figure out the caliber, do a chamber cast with Cerrosafe. applies to the barrel bore too. cast and measure. And you guys that shoot a .308 and hope for the best.... sheeeesh!

I've got a couple dozen bolt-action milsurps, including a M1916 Spanish, and yours is, by far, the worst I've ever seen.

How and why people buy this junk from Hunter's Lodge and RTI is beyond me. Yeah, some may function but bringing most of them back to life, considering the lack of parts anymore is kind of sketchy. Back in the day buying from places like Century was a crap shoot as to what you would get but most of the time you received a pretty solid piece. The only issue then was the grease and not knowing any information about the rifle's production armory or date. My biggest gripe and lack of understanding of the "new" collector is how much you pay for 99% of this stuff, especially to RTI. In fact, I suspect you could often do much better at GunBroker. Bottom line is that the golden days are over. You missed it. No amount of junk will bring it back.

Conclusion: Hunters Lodge is dodgy, at best. Got it.

For safety purposes, you should have put the " flag" safety in the middle position or better yet, removed the firing pin/ spring/ safety assembly by simply unscrewing it. Seeing the condition of milsurp weapons these days, it is sad to see that they are scraping the bottom of the barrel for guns to put on the market. I feel sorry for those who missed the heyday of the surplus market.

what a big crybaby.