Ted, your mind is with no leaks or airgaps, I can't believe you have busted me for that photo of me in a cowboy hat from what must have been 4 years ago, "one e-mail".
No one is safe from this man's capability, now proven to all, LOL.
Literally late the night before John Sabato's and Ted's posts encouraging me to save up for a shooter grade, around 2 or 3 AM (don't ask) I happened upon that auction on Gunbroker for a 1913 "rebuilt at Mauser" mongrel, not bad looking, mismatched / force matched by Mauser #'s, S/42 toggle etc, got it for a hair over $600, with original mag.
Not a "fantastic" buy, but definitely a shooter, and it will allow my (gosh I lucked out and got a mint original one) 1917 Artillery and (mint, dead mint) 1970 6" 9mm Po-8 grip Mauser re-issue to feel safe in their boxes...
Sieger, I'll take you up on at least shooting the 70's Mauser, but man, that artillery is just SUCH a "time machine, new in the box" unit, I'll probably spare it and let my 2 year old son inherit it just as it is now. There's not even a mark on the back of the receiver from the toggle coming back, and it's that old DWM bluing, sharp corners, about 92% guessing on the straw, all matching including the wooden bottom mag #, military proofs not a commercial, "sigh".
That was my first purchase, an AuctionArms "fuzzy auction picture" luck-out. (Bought it after the auction with no bids actually, offering a bit more than the asking price if he'd wait a week for me to get my money together, wow, what a gun this ended up being, wow...).
Let's hope this impulse purchase shooter I bought early last night is with similar luck, but it will no doubt be a shooter. If it's a good enough shooter, I'll have to send some parts to Ted for strawing, put some lipstick on this thing!
http://www.gunbroker.com/auction/Vie...?Item=19561181
Thanks all, and I am addicted...
Frank H. in L.A.