1941 CE Mauser, J.P. Sauer & Sohn Suhl Question

My Dad gifted me a CE 41 Mauser with an unusual upper sling mount.

Rather than being on the side of the barrel it's directly under it. The lower sling mount is on the side of the butt stock like a normal Mauser.

I have never seen a Mauser with this type of sling mount. The numbers on the sling mount match the barrel and receiver.

Is this rare or altered? I have done many searches on this and can't find anything like it.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSC03573-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSC03574-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSC03575-1.jpg

Post war made sling band. Don't remember, but either Bulgarian or Romanian.
Is there an import mark under the front of the bbl? Any markings on the left side of the butt stock?
Sarge

Sarge13,

There is no import mark anywhere on the rifle.

All the numbers match except for the bolt and trigger iron.

The upper sling mount is numbered and matches the barrel and actions serial number.

The wood has no deformities so I believe this sling mount is original to the rifle. It is the only Mauser I have ever seen with one like this.

There has to be a reason or explanation!

Thanks for the reply,

Steve

I have seen a few of those bands, both on rifles and in someones parts box.
Sorry, But that sling band is Not native to that rifle! That type band was never used by the Germans durring production of the K98k rifles. As I said it is either a Bulgarian or Rumanian post war modification.
As there is no number showing I presume it is on the other side. Since I can't see it I don't know if it is a restamp on a new made band or the original nr and the sling loop was modified.
Sarge

Thanks for the photos.:thup:

It's new to me, which means I'll be no help at all!

A very important clue would be the answer to the question: Where exactly is the number stamped on this strange upper band? Please, we need a photo! And a frontal close-up of the whole band when it is removed from the rifle.

My thinking: In the first and second photos the left side of that band looks curiously flat. Which indicates that it could be a standard band that has been bent to fit in that curious manner. I.e. basically put onto a mandrel and whacked into shape. If the number is now is on top instead of on the side, or there are signs of such a number having been erased, that would confirm my suspicion.

:wave:
Patrick

That is the original band that has been altered so that the sling fits under the rifle rather than on the side. Does it also have a sling swivel added to the stock? Can't recall at the time where those rifles were altered, but it was post WWII.

Ok, these are the best photos I can get.

There is no import mark so I'm kind of leaning toward a bring back (?) or something brought home by a GI who was stationed in Europe after the war. Who knows???

What do you think of these?

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSC03615-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSC03616-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSC03617-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSC03618-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSC03619-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSC03620-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSC03621-1.jpg
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSC03622-1.jpg

Sure doesn't look like a GI bring-back. Been rode hard and put away wet. Bulgarian/Hungarian/Polish Army? No idea, but well used post-WWII.

Thanks for the photos. The fact that the number is now on the bottom - and the appearance of the loop - confirms my suspicion expressed in the previous post. I.e. it was a perfectly standard K98-style upper band that was "beaten into submission".

It's 70+ years old Homey and from the losing side. Yet I don’t think it was ever in an arsenal of the Eastern Block.

Are you in the Sacramento area? Always looking for fellow MILSURP collectors who are local.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Patrick Chadwick

Thanks for the photos. The fact that the number is now on the bottom - and the appearance of the loop - confirms my suspicion expressed in the previous post. I.e. it was a perfectly standard K98-style upper band that was "beaten into submission".

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The good close up photos seems to show planishing marks from a smooth face hammer. It may be possible to feel the hammer impressions as irregularities in the contour. Pretty well executed, and not recently. Also note the less than precise fit of the band to the stock in places.

But why?

Mr. Mister: I'm in the Bay Area. We have 2-3 Military Bolt Matches per year over here. Lots of Sacto guys drive over. The Swiss guys are having a Swiss G1911/K31 match next (?) month in Salinas. Im driving down for it. All prone match 30 rds. Sounds like fun to me. By the way, I shot my 1917 Oberndorf G98 at the last Military Match. Just plain fun.

That sounds like fun Steve.

My old hunting club use to have MILSURP shoots out at the Ione Range (Folsom Gun Club near Ione Ca.).

I placed with my Enfield as was respectable with my Carcano and Mosin. Lots of fun.

We also do a poker shoot. That's when we take a poster with all 52 playing cards on it in random order and get 5 shots to make your best hand. It's 100 yards open sights, the bullet hole has to be within the whole card to count. Each shooter has a hand held copy of their target showing where the cards are on the target. Sounds easy but it's harder than it sounds.

The Lincoln Ca. range has a M1 Garand Hi-Power shoot too. I've never shot in it but watched a match once.

Keep in touch.