Post Versailles Treaty "Double Date" 1916/1920 GEW 98
Can find no real info on this matching (as reworked) 1916 Danzig. It's not a Kar 98b with the bent down bolt handle and side sling mounting. Just a tangent sighted GEW 98. Any insights?
Photos may be a problem, but here goes...
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...stuff011-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...stuff019-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...stuff076-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...stuff084-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...stuff092-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...stuff065-1.jpg
The follower looks to be modified to allow it to rise high enough in the bolt raceway to act as a stop even though it has the WWI type bevel in the rear. Like the rest, it's S/N matches.
Having dramas editing photos. :banghead: So I'll bail for now. But here's a link to the entire album in slideshow format:
Image hosting, free photo sharing video sharing at Photobucket
Hopefully, it'll be a bit more viewable as the week progresses!
A bit of a Mauser rarity!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
jmoore
but this rifle isn't really mentioned in my few Mauser books.
Simple - you need that fine example of bedtime reading - "Handbuch Deutscher Waffenstempel" by Wacker & Görtz !!
P.222 shows the Reichswehr marking plan. The reference provided by Badger is correct. The 1920 is the mark that indicates this is one of the rifles "officially" taken over by the Reichswehr. The arms limitation according to the Versailles treaty allowed the German Republic to have 21 Infantry regiments, and each company had a contingent of 166 Gew 98 - the Kar98 was not yet the standard infantry weapon.
The 1920 mark should also be visible on the left side of the butt, about halfway between the takedown throughbolt and the buttplate. Have a look, it may be faintly marked. If there is a regimental marking anywhere, it should be in the style: 1.J.R.2.3, where J.R: stands for Jnfantrie Regiment, using the capital J to avoid confusion with a number 1. If you find such a mark, please post it here, and I may be able to tell you precisely to which unit the rifle was assigned.
Bearing in mind the Versailles treaty restrictions, and the fact that the army was gradually equipped with K98k in the following years, I think that you have found a rarity. Congratulations, that is a keeper. Not quite hens' teeth category, but definitely uncommon.
:wave:
Patrick
---------- Post added at 09:59 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:52 PM ----------
Just looked at the photo-album. As far as I can see, a fully marked and all matching Gew. 98 from 1916, apparently arsenal overhauled and assigned to the Reichswehr, judging by the stock repairs and the occasional post-1920 eagle stamps which replaced the imperial crown. Please check out the butt and the buttplate for other markings as explained previously. And the rifling at the bore looks excellent for the vintage!