I had an impulse buy at an auction today. It was a nice big military rifle that had a name, "Lista" whittled into it a few times, but the barrel had a nice patina, or so I thought, for a gun that had 1879 stamped on it. After doing some looking online, I've found I picked up a Mauser model 71. So I called a friend and he directed me to this site as a place where someone could help me with all the interesting markings and maybe give an idea as to the value. It has some waxy stuff all over the receiver and bolt, and I don't know if I should clean it off or not, in that area it makes it look pretty crusty, but I can tell underneath it is clean. It also looks like there were some numbers on the stock in a paint at some time. Here's some photos and I would appreciate any info and opinions on how to clean this up without diminishing the value!