Finally got the Mauser '71 to the range

[David LaPell]

I finally got a chance to get the Mauser 1871 rifle to the range. I ordered a box of twenty rounds from Buffalo Arms, these are blackpowder with 385 grain bullets. I do have dies and bullets now so I can at least reload the empties.

I set out a cutout target at 50 yards. The first three shots I aimed dead center from a rest, one shot clipped the target frame and the other two were in the "head". I fired two more, this time aiming towards the bottom of the target and got two hits dead center. Recoil isn't at all bad, but it seems like a mile from the rear sight to the front, but the gun overall was very pleasant to shoot, better than my last big rolling block in .43 Spanish. The Mauser though just seems much more fun to shoot, can't explain why.

I have already decided that one day during hunting season, I do want to take this thing out hunting, just to say I did it.

 

[Dantforth]

Every military rifle of this era will shoot high. The thought then was to have them dead on at 200 yards and closer would still hit with a centre mass hold. I have to fashion a higher front sight on my Snider Enfields and Martini Henrys. On my shooter Snider I had a gunsmith remove the front sight and replace with one which was 1/4" higher. Now it shoots dead on at 50 and 100 yards. Dave

 

[TDF]

Does your front sight have a pinned in blade? On mine the front sight is a two piece affair. There is a small blade that is pinned to the sight, and the whole sight is then mounted in a dovetail on the barrel. Not 100% sure that is original on mine, but I just knocked out the pin and fashioned a taller blade from a piece of steel to get it on target at more reasonable ranges.

TDF