Hi Gang
I recently won an auction for a Steyr 1893 stalking rifle. Today was the day that I was able to pick it up and give it a thorough inspection. I hoped that this will end up being a "diamond in the rough" and my initial inspection suggests that it will be. I'm going to have to do a complete conservation of the rifle going forward.
This rifle is chambered in 6.5x53R and appears to be Birmingham proofed. There are no markings to give any indication as to who made the rifle but it is well constructed. The bore is in excellent condition.
The wood and metal have been covered in some form of preservative that was thickly applied. So far, I've tried NAPTHA and Turpentine but neither one softened the material. I can see hints of tiger stripe on the left side of the buttstock. I'm going to try mineral spirits tomorrow. I suspect that I will need to boil the metal parts to assist in removal as well as rust conversion. Pitting of the metal is only present on areas that were under the forearm.
I've included pictures of the proof marks and stampings under the receiver. If anybody has any information regarding the proof marks or other stampings on the receiver, I would love to learn more info about this little rifle.
I will post more pics as I start down this rabbit hole. Thanks for looking.