to Brett Havlin, Havlin Firearms Finishing in Brownsburg.
After reading a two year old thread on Ingo about chamber casting a Mauser rifle I contacted Brett about two firearms my father had brought back with him at the end of WWII. Brett replied quickly that he could take care of what I wanted and I set up an appointment on his online calendar and made the trip from Beech Grove to Boone County. Picked both firearms up today along with a bunch more knowledge than when they were dropped off.
The rifle has a Mauser action and has been re-barreled and chambered in 8X50Rmm Austrian Mannlicher. Believe it or not, I may have found a source for a box of this ammo.
The 20 gauge double barrel drilling has the rifle barrel chambered in .32-40 Winchester.
My goal in this endeavor is to shoot both firearms before they are put away or sent off to new homes. To the best of my knowledge, the rifle has never been fired since it was brought to the United States. The 20 gauge has been used for deer hunting with slugs, but I never remember Dad bringing home a deer. I also never remember any rifle shells for either gun.
If you have a need for a gunsmith in the Central Indiana area, please give Brett a call. He treated me more than fair and I enjoyed the brief time we got to talk. He showed a real interest in these old guns and the back stories that when with them. It was a pleasure to meet a young man that really has a passion for what he is doing.
Just a note, what looks like pitting or corrosion in the shotgun barrels is really lint from the gun case.
View attachment 63941 View attachment 63942
After reading a two year old thread on Ingo about chamber casting a Mauser rifle I contacted Brett about two firearms my father had brought back with him at the end of WWII. Brett replied quickly that he could take care of what I wanted and I set up an appointment on his online calendar and made the trip from Beech Grove to Boone County. Picked both firearms up today along with a bunch more knowledge than when they were dropped off.
The rifle has a Mauser action and has been re-barreled and chambered in 8X50Rmm Austrian Mannlicher. Believe it or not, I may have found a source for a box of this ammo.
The 20 gauge double barrel drilling has the rifle barrel chambered in .32-40 Winchester.
My goal in this endeavor is to shoot both firearms before they are put away or sent off to new homes. To the best of my knowledge, the rifle has never been fired since it was brought to the United States. The 20 gauge has been used for deer hunting with slugs, but I never remember Dad bringing home a deer. I also never remember any rifle shells for either gun.
If you have a need for a gunsmith in the Central Indiana area, please give Brett a call. He treated me more than fair and I enjoyed the brief time we got to talk. He showed a real interest in these old guns and the back stories that when with them. It was a pleasure to meet a young man that really has a passion for what he is doing.
Just a note, what looks like pitting or corrosion in the shotgun barrels is really lint from the gun case.
View attachment 63941 View attachment 63942