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I posted this a couple of weeks ago but didn't get any response so I'll try again with a picture. A friend of mine purchased this rifle about a month ago. It has a small maltese cross stamp on the bottom of the stock just below the first band. I believe this is a post war German army property mark but I want to be sure I'm right. Can anyone confirm this mark is a post war German army mark? Thanks in advance!
If this stamp were to be found on a Canadian made Long Branch No4MkI*(T) Lee-Enfield sniper rifle it would indicate that any part so marked was NOT to be seperated from the rifle it was found on.I have seen it on rear sights,forends and scope mounts.
I have seen plenty of Bundeswehr small arms in my day and do not recall having seen any with Maltese(Eisernes Kreuz)Crosses.
I have my grandfather's inspection stamp dating back to the 1920's when he was the Chief Inspector at Canadian Ingersoll-Rand's Sherbrooke Quebec Workshops.It is a Diamond with a conjoined JR inside.I used to mark all my personal small arms with it as well as all rifles that I personally inspected as OC of a small arms repair depot "back in the day".That might be the case here where somebody has the stamp and decided to use it.
It IS interesting and doesn't hurt the value of what appears to be a VERY nice rifle looking at the stock.
Your right John, it is a very nice rifle. MW 3, TE 3 nice DAS stamp and in the 5.4 mil range. He payed $550 for it which I thought was a great deal. It has an import marked barrel but he wanted a shooter not a safe queen.