Mauser 1910/14 pistol

[polamalu43]

This little 6.35 pistol belonged to my father, who got it during WW2 as a soldier. It was kept in a closet at our house for over 45 years, and as a kid I never knew he had it. After my dad passed in 1997, my brother apparently found the pistol, and has had it since then. I found out he had it, and I asked if I could take it for a while and try to clean it up. It looks to be in pretty good shape. All the lettering and markings are clear. The gun is just a little dirty.

A couple questions:

1- Is the gun worth much? ( I am not selling it, just curious)
2- Is 6.35 the same as 25 ACP?
3- Can I clean it the same way as any other pistol? (Kroil, good oiling,
silicone cloth wipe-down, etc)
4- If the gun is cleaned up, is it OK to shoot it? ( I will not do this if the
gun has any value)

Thanks for any help that anybody can offer.

[polamalu43]

Sorry, I forgot pics. This is a direct function of advancing old age.

[BETH]

nice looking i am sure someone will be along to help

[RJay]

Yes, 25 ACP is the same cartridge, manufactured from 1910 until 1934, Model 1910 but also called the 1910/14 { the 1914 was in 7.65 or .32 ACP }. That pistol, I believe was made for export becasue it is marked " Germany ". I wonder perhaps your father picked it up after his return from Europe? That gun looks as new as if it came out of the box, I don't like to give values beause I'm always wrong, however I would say the value was between 800 and 1000$. Shoot it? there is no reason in the world you can't shoot it, yes it is worth a few dollars but I don't think you can shoot it enought to lower the value appricabley. Shoot away. If I'm wrong on the value, somebody jump in

[Jim K]

I agree that that gun was not a "bring back" since it has the country-of-origin mark that was put on commercial imports. But it is in very good condition and I agree with RJay's value estimate.

Jim

[polamalu43]

According to Wikipedia (I know it's not a trusted source), the serial numbers put the date of manufacture between 1919-1934. Could it have been an export between the two WW's?

[Jim K]

Yes, very likely. Those pistols were imported into the U.S. before WWI and then after the war into the 1930's, with a later variation (the 1910/34) coming in up until 1941.

Jim

P.S. GO STEELERS!!!!

JK

[3/2 STA SS]

What a great looking Mauser!! Enjoy it.

[polamalu43]

Thanks Beth, RJay, Jim K., and 3/2 for your advice. Any suggestions on some detailed field strip instructions? I looked at YT, but thats not very concise.

And JIM K.----Love Those Steelers!!! Thanks!

[Jim K]

I advise not detail stripping that gun, not because it is so complicated but because those springs tend to break, and the stocks are prone to crack. Just about everything you can see will be visible if you just push up the sideplate.

Jim

(Just looked at the 2012 Steelers schedule. Ouch! Three games in 14 days.)

JK

[Ken W]

Originally Posted by polamalu43

Any suggestions on some detailed field strip instructions?

How to field-strip (disassemble) Mauser 1910: 1) insert an empty magazine into grip 2) pull the slide back until it is locked open; inspect the chamber for remaining round 3) remove magazine 4) depress the small retaining latch located on dustcover below the barrel to release retaining rod 5) rotate barrel retaining rod until it is free from frame 6) pull the barrel retaining rod forward and out of the gun 7) pull the barrel up and out of the frame 8) while holding the slide against the frame, insert empty magazine into grip 9) press the trigger and carefully slip the slide forward and out of the frame

(I had to take the mag back out before the slide would be removed)

Reassemble in reverse order


I've also attached a couple of pdf files that should give you some added info on these interesting guns. I have a 1914 I recently acquired.

[dcriner]

I notice that the lettering on the left side seems slightly askew, and the Mauser logo seems crooked. Is this significant?

As RJay posted, the "Germany" on the right side tells me it was intended to be exported to an English-speaking country. Did your father supposedly acquire it in Germany during WW2? The story behind it would be very interesting.

[polamalu43]

I do not know how my father acquired the pistol. It is possible he got it after the war was over, as he had neighbors and friends who were in the European theater during the conflict. My father served in the US Navy in the Pacific theater. Since he passed away in 1997, I cannot ask him. I never knew he had the pistol until after he died.

Now, I have a further problem. I managed to get the barrel off. On the advice of Jim K., I did not remove the slide. I cleaned the barrel, and it was the dirtiest I have ever seen. It took about 3 dozen passes of soaking and wire brush before the patches started to become clean. I ran some Qtips into any areas of the slide I could get into. I put the barrel and the barrel pin back in. Now, the slide won't retract. Something is stuck inside the slide. I don't want to force anything. Any suggestions?

BTW, thank you to all who have commented or given advice. It is appreciated.

[polamalu43]

Now that I look at the pistol more closely, the lettering does seem very slightly askew.

[Jim K]

OK, first let's see about the disassembly. BTW, I didn't say not to disassemble it for cleaning, I said not to detail strip it, which means taking it all apart.

To field strip for cleaning, you retract the slide. Then push in (up) on the little spring at the front of the recoil spring guide, turn the guide and pull it out to the front. That allows the barrel to be removed just by pulling it straight up and out of the frame.

Then, if the magazine is still in place, hold the slide and remove (if needed) and insert the magazine. Inserting the magazine, whether empty or loaded, will release the slide to go forward and off the frame.

Now on the "Germany" marking. That is what is called the "country or origin" (COO) mark and has been required on all foreign products imported into the US since about 1900.* It can be put on at the factory, in the exporting country, or in bond in the US before being released for sale. The type of mark shown was/is generally of the latter type, put on when the item was physically but not legally in the US. It would not have been on a pistol brought into the country by a returning serviceman or someone who bought the pistol in Germany; it was only put on by commercial importers.

Jim

*Under GCA 68, the import marking for firearms (and only firearms) was changed to the familiar "import mark" showing the importer's name and address and the caliber. That information for commercial firearms is normally put on at the factory, so we see the "import stamp" mainly on milsurp firearms.

Jim