WWI GEW 98 Serial Numbers

[Cosine26]

There was a discussion on the M1903/ A3 page about serial numbers of the Remington M1934 built for Honduras. It seems as if there were only ~3000 built but the serial numbers go higher than 3000. I provided the following info:
" Perhaps the serial number sequence started at 1000. Some countries did not want anyone to calculate how many rifles they had. During WWI the Germans with their GEW 98 used a 4 digit system. I do not know where they started but I believe that they started with 1000. The first 10000 started with 1000a and ended with 9999a, then the next sequence started at 1000b to 9999b, etc."
Is this a fair description of the GEW numbering system?

Information

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[Patrick Chadwick]

I think so. For the South American Mausers the numbering started at 1 (no leading zeros). I had a Brazilian 990 and on the old CMP forum someone once posted photos of No. 16 (and it was in very good condition!). For Gew.98s I have not (yet!) seen one with a number of less than four figures, and my very authoritative book on the German numbering system does not clearly state at which number they started, but refers to blocks of 10,000, implying that numbers below 1000 did exist.


Simple question: has anyone out there got a Gew.98 with a number below 1000?


Your are correct in that the blocks repeated, going through the alphabet and then starting round again. With wartime production this must have happened within a year. So it is conceivable that more than one Gew.98 has the same number and year, although without a world-wide register of all surviving rifles we shall probably never know!

[fjruple]

Patrick--

I have a 1899 dated Imperial Navy Gew98 with serial# 303. This one is all matching. The Unit ID disk had W. K. 5022

--fjruple

At one point I also had Serial# 409 and 467. Both dated 1899. #409 had a mismatched bolt. #467 appeared to have been rebuilt during WWI as it had a stamped trigger guard and mistmatched bolt. These rifles were a group of ten Imperial Naval Mausers that I got in trade about twenty years ago. The serial numbers ranged from 303 to 7951a and were dated 1899, 1901, and 1902.

Patrick-- I also understand that the German Navy Museum has serial# 1 in their collection.

[Patrick Chadwick]

W.K. 5022 is firearm No. 5022 from "Werft Kiel" i.e. the naval arsenal in Kiel. Home of the "Marinestation der Ostsee" i.e. the Baltic Sea Station of the Imperial Navy. But you knew that, didn't you

Thanks for your post, which confirms that Gew98s were indeed numbered from 1 up, with no leading zeros.

[boltaction]

I have had a number of Gew 98s over the years which have had 3 digit numbers, and still have one. I can confirm when I get home.

Cheers

Ed

[Promo]

I have a fully matching Gew98 with two digit serial number (and suffix), if this helps. And a friend of mine bought today a BYF42 K98k also with a two digit serial.

[Sarge]

ALL German firearms - WW 1 u. 2 - ser nrs started with 1.
I have several WW 2 with 2 u. 3 digit ser nrs and no letter.
Sarge