Like pre-war .22 rimfires? This here is my 1937 Mauser ES350B sporting rifle. The 'ES' stands for 'einzelschuss' - 'single shot'. The five-shot magazine version is called the MS350B - 'MS' stands for 'mehrschuss' - repeater. The scope is an early 1950's Ajack x2.5 power on high, see-thu' mounts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBBKMKSbJbg

This is the rifle I 'stole' from the dealer, after jonesing after it for about ten years. To his great amazement, and annoyance, as he wrote it off his own register and on to my FAC, his wife produced the scope, which had, until then, been conspicuous by its absence.....teehee.

'Didn't you do well...' he said through gritted teeths.

I surely did, I told him, I surely did. It was the best hundred bucks I'd ever spent.

Nice looking gun.

Any idea what production of civilian firearms was like in that era? It’s not something I’ve ever thought about before, but I assume the military was getting most of the output by then—? I have read a lot about Nazi Germany, but not much discussion about how the military buildup affected ordinary life.

Is the scope German? And what sort of reticle does it have?

Added: What sort of precision is achievable with that? I.e., group sizes?
(And I found the answer about the scope, except for the reticle question.)

$100 well spent indeed. Beautiful rifle and scope Tac.

Merry Christmas

single shot 22lr's are a fun gun to shoot. an afternoon can be had for 100 rounds.

SCHWEET!!

quote:

Originally posted by sigfreund:
Nice looking gun.
Any idea what production of civilian firearms was like in that era? It’s not something I’ve ever thought about before, but I assume the military was getting most of the output by then—? I have read a lot about Nazi Germany, but not much discussion about how the military buildup affected ordinary life.

Is the scope German? And what sort of reticle does it have?

Added: What sort of precision is achievable with that? I.e., group sizes?
(And I found the answer about the scope, except for the reticle question.)

Mauser, by the middle 30's was making three distinct series of sporting small calibre rifles like this. This particular model was the top of the line single-shot version of the 300-range, and in the hands of sporting target shooters won many prizes in the 30's.

My rifle weighs a healthy nine pounds as you see it - and will shoot most everything into ten-shot 3/8th groups at 50m. It particularly likes Eley TeneX, but show me a .22 rifle that doesn't, but the regular Eley Match is good for that kind of grouping. In the New Year I'm expecting a 1930's-era Zeiss Jaguar and mounts, which is a x4 - as you will have discovered from your reading, MY Ajack scope is only a x2.5, and has a flat-topped post reticle, with a same-width bar at each side. It is as clear as anything I've looked through, ever. I have four other similar pattern Ajack scopes, all with very fine cross-hairs.

My all-time favourite older scopes are the El Paso Weavers - I've never had one that didn't have a look-through like a newer high-quality and costy device. I currently have around thirty of 'em.

Thanks for all that, tac!

quote:

Originally posted by sigfreund:
Thanks for all that, tac!

You're welcome, Sir. I write a ton of stuff on northwestfirearms.com, most of it to do with guns I have or have shot, and how we get along here in the yUK with regard to it all.

We have folks from all over the PNW, and the odd interloper, like me. You and anybody else are more than welcome to join us. It's good to have some kind of connection with the PNW - we live there for part of the year - but it's not compulsory!

Last Saturday one of our customers brought his prewar civilan model in to show it off to try and sell it to the shop's owner. Only problem with that one was the front sight hood was missing. About a week before that another customer brought in his military trainer. When I remarked that I had never seen one the shop owner said "I've got one too" and at closing brought it out to show me.

So in two weeks I have gone from only seeing photos and reading about them to actually holding three of them.

I was impressed of the fit and finish of both the civilian and the military models.

tac - Congratulations on a fine looking rifle. Could you please explain "FAC" as referenced in your post? I assume its some type of ownership log. Thanks in advance for the tutorial.

Well, I have to admit that in my almost 10000 posts here this abbreviataion has been mentioned quite a few times. It is the UK legal firearms ownership document, the Firearms Certificate, without which no LEGAL firearm ownership can happen. Details of your firearms are entered on it, as are the amounts and types of ammunition that you are permitted to have at any one time. There is also a shotgun certificate - the SGC.