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This is a very special Mauser, and likely the rarest you'll ever encounter. There are only two known Kurz Small ring Mausers, this one which is the first, and one other from a year later in 1902.

I gave my information and photos to Axel from here, a Mauser collector and friend of Jon Speed who of course literally wrote the book on sporting Mausers. He and Mr. Speed came back to me with this,

[quote= Axel]Nearly all the short Mauser K actions are radiused behind the recoil lug, some have the small flat too. But, nearly all are small ring actions. The only other known large ring K action, serial Nr. 5340, has the flat behind the recoil lug common with the larger actions. That action is dated 1902, while this one is 1901.

As you wrote, it is marked "V1". This may be a Mauser factory toolroom number. Several other one of a kind Mauser actions are known with such low, V-prefix serial numbers. "V" most likely stands for "Versuch" = test or experiment. So it may well be a toolroom prototype action.
Richard Mahrholdt then was a very influential gun authority besides being a "name" gunmaker and -retailer. He was the original author of the "Waffenlexikon" = gun encyclopedia, a book that was for decades and at least 7 editions "the bible" for German speaking sporting gun enthusiasts. So a Mauser toolroom prototype may well have ended up in his shop.

[quote=Jon Speed]Axel, Now I see the bottom correctly in this image and note the set up looks quite a bit different than on the 1902 system in my book. It appears as the Mauser folks were trying to figure out how to handle the Large ring position in regards to the opening for the magazine box portion of system thus creating the flats under the action we see here. In this case the layout of the system has the lower ring machined flat to mate with magazine box contours etc. This is in a different form than there 1902 system so maybe this 1901 was a preliminary form befor the final production versions like the 1902 example . Thats what the V 1 would indicate as we mentioned before. Regards, Jon

The rifle is today chambered in 7x57, with an excellent bore (rebored original barrel, it shipped as a 6.5x54, and yes x54 not x55, then chambered to 6.5x57, and finally bored and chambered to 7x57). The rifle being a Kurz requires 7x57 be hand loaded and seated to a shorter OAL length to fit the Kurz magazine (true short action, .250 Savage class), or single loading standard length rounds, a single round can be put into the magazine with the nose high. I have had it explicitly explained to me this rifle's value could be astronomical, being one of two known, and the first of the two with a "Test 1" serial number. It is however customized with a wing safety, the clip guide was removed, though tastefully, and it was drilled and tapped for a scope at some point in the past. It was of course though beautifully done, case coloured, so I'm pricing it at levels us mortals can afford and somebody will have one of the rarest rifles in the world. Whoever did the customization did it very well, small components are beautifully fire blued, and the case colours are gorgeous. Uncustomized, its value would be astronomical, as she sits she is a beautiful rifle and very good value to a collector and hunter.

The rifle lives here in Canada with me, export to the states is simple and no challenge, I can provides hundreds of positive feedbacks on me, zero negatives from a Canadian forum I frequent, I also have strong ebay feedback and I'm on gunbroker.

Cheers folks, selling to fund Leopard.

$8,750 including all shipping and export costs less for any sales taxes charged your end on smiled items if there is any, that's the final cost to your door.

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www.morrisonarms.com

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