Question about MGC Mausers for the Solo ANH experts

[HeartBlade]

Been looking through threads and have some questions regarding the MGC Mauser C96. Would appreciate some insight in the matter.

I see alot of people on the forums here have MGC Mausers that have that dark black patina that looks like a real mauser/gun. In Japan, due to strict gun control laws, guns are painted in a gaudy color (gold for MGC Mausers) that look more like something from GTA than Star Wars to show they arnt real guns. Do people here blue their MGC mausers to get that right color or are there different variants?

What are the expected prices we can expect for MGC Mausers now? I dont think they run cheap and probably arnt getting any cheaper as Star Wars remains popular (I see people post $300 range).

 

[teecrooz]

There are different variants. Some came gold plated and others are blackened. You can strip the gold and re-finish it, but it’s a tedious process.

As far as price, you can get lucky and find them for under $500, but they go for more than that in the junkyard and on eBay.

 

[thd9791]

Yes, I think the older they get, the better the chance for the blackened zinc MGC Mausers. I have some from the 70s and 80s that are gold. Well, were gold.

I did strip them. You have
1) yellow/gold wash
2) Chrome plating
3) copper plating
4) the raw zinc gun.

I hand sanded through all of that, lost some detail in the edges of the gun and cramped up my hands and arms! You can technically bead blast them but that also removes detail.

To be honest, I stopped when I got most of the chrome off and it was still kind-of pink because I just wanted paint to adhere. I did a flat black or a black primer and buffed it with steel wool to get a gunmetal color. It worked decently well. Paint will have a hard time gripping the chrome plating, that's the only reason.

They used to be $500, like teecrooz said. People are selling them for at or over $1000 now. Price Bashing isn't allowed on the forum so I won't express my opinions on this. My recommendation is to hunt them in the wild instead of within the community. I found one in italy that was in beautiful condition! Nobody would ship it out of the country though.. bummer

 

[HeartBlade]

Thanks for the info. I guess the blackened ones were made before the Japanese gun law was passed to force guns to be painted gaudy.

 

[coolhanluked]

I media blasted mine with walnut shells. Worked like a charm and didn't loose any details.

 

[mortifactor]

I have 2 and a half MGC Mausers, 1 gold, 1 gold but well worn/partially stripped, and the half is a media blasted lower. I live in Japan though, I would like to sell at least 1 but not sure of what would be required to ship it to the US, for example. The Han Hoth dl-44 was actually an MGC base, as was the ROTJ iirc.