Mauser ES340B

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  • mawkie

    C&R Whisperer
    Sep 28, 2007
    4,337
    Catonsville
    -Some time ago I started the search for a Mauser .22 sporting rifle. Brought back in decent numbers by returning GIs and also sold on the commercial market in the 20s and 30s, they aren't terribly difficult to find. But cheapskate me wanted a nice example for a good price. Current market prices for a VG example have them start at around $600. So the goal was to find something for less than that.
    -Fast forward a couple years later and I'm at the computer on a Saturday afternoon where a fair number of auctions are running live. In the midwest there's a small auction that gets my attention with an Astra 900 broomhandle, another bucket list item. But on closer inspection it's too rough to suit me. But I've learned it's a good idea to go through the complete catalog and see if there's anything good hiding in there. Sure enough there's a nice looking ES340B and pre-auction bidding is extremely lackluster. Taking a closer look I can't see anything that would warrant such disinterest. So when it comes up after a brief wait I watch for an opportunity. Bidding stalls in the mid $200 range so I join in and it's mine for just a couple bids. Crazy cheap score!
    -Picked it up this week and damn if it isn't better than the auction photos showed (When will most auctioneers learn that to get the most from an online auction you NEED quality photos? Cheaper and easier than writing multiple paragraphs). Matching, original bluing in excellent condition. The stock shows signs of a past very light refinish. Thank God the Mauser cartouche is intact. I would have preferred an original finish but can live with this.
    -Now the search goes out for either a German period scope or a quality diopter sight.
    -Production of the single shot ES340B ran from '37 to '39 with roughly 50k built, making it the most commonly found example. According to Jon Speed about 25% were exported. Mauser offered a wide range of rear sights but this one has the more common adjustable tangent sight with reversible blade. Nothing rare or noteworthy. You'll find them with an without finger groove stocks. Ditto for wrist checkering. The pre-war build quality is excellent and Mausers were not cheap. Cannot believe that they fared well in the US market against the Winchester 52 and Remington 37, both of which had superior sights and equally good build quality. But it is a beauty, heavily weighted and solid. I just know it's gonna be a joy at the range, no different from my ERMA pre-war .22 sporter which shocked me with its accuracy.
     

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    Czechnologist

    Concerned Citizen
    Mar 9, 2016
    6,522
    Amazing. :drool:

    I've seen a few on Simpsons but none were as nice as that. Beautiful specimen. I'll bet it's a great shooter too.
     
    Jul 1, 2012
    5,711
    Man that's a nice rifle!
    It takes a lot of time and effort to hunt stuff like this down and it's nice when that is rewarded in such a stellar fashion :)

    Simpson is starting to let go of his personal collection so you'll probably see some high-quality (and high dollar) rifles with a lot more frequency.
     

    mawkie

    C&R Whisperer
    Sep 28, 2007
    4,337
    Catonsville
    -Scrounged for a vintage German scope and mount for a while. Was able to get a cracking GECO Zielklar 4 scope. 4x15, 19mm tube. Sadly vintage mounts are much harder to find than the scope so I'm expecting a long search. But in the interim I grabbed a 1" see-through mount set and delrin scope reducers from Brownells to get the roughly 0.75" tube situated in the rings. Had to go with something this tall to clear the bolt handle.
    -Scope I stole on Evil Pay for under $100 and the mount set with reducers set me back $25 in all. This should work for now!
     

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