Dwm m1908 knowledge

Attachment 80596Attachment 80597Attachment 80598Attachment 80599Attachment 80600Attachment 80601

Best members,

I am having trouble to identify the history on my fathers rifle. Its a dwm m1908 (obviously) but when i research the rifle i never found one where the crest is the monogram of dwm. All other m1908 have a crest of an south american nation (brazil...). I like to know more about the manufacturing date and if it was a commercial or military or what kind of rifle. My father baught it from a german marksman champion and it has one of the smoothest triggers i have ever had the pleasure of shooting with (also extremly accurate)

Greetings and thx for the info

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Woody99

Attachment 80596Attachment 80597Attachment 80598Attachment 80599Attachment 80600Attachment 80601

Best members,

I am having trouble to identify the history on my fathers rifle. Its a dwm m1908 (obviously) but when i research the rifle i never found one where the crest is the monogram of dwm. All other m1908 have a crest of an south american nation (brazil...). I like to know more about the manufacturing date and if it was a commercial or military or what kind of rifle. My father baught it from a german marksman champion and it has one of the smoothest triggers i have ever had the pleasure of shooting with (also extremly accurate).
Also almost forgot, its a full lenght infantry rifle not the carbine version

Greetings and thx for the info

---

I would bet that it is a prize rifle. Not having been issued to an army, it shows the initials of the manufacturer.
I'm pretty sure that is a very valuable and rare piece.
Congratulations!

Thank you very much. Still its a shame that it is impossible to retrace history. Beeing a prize rifle is almost the only thing i havent considered

There could be more, if you show us the whole rifle we may be able to help. The fine info may be in a Flayderman's catalog for instance to show what years it was made and what it would maybe be worth, thing is, we need to see the whole rifle I think.

Attachment 80692Attachment 80693Attachment 80694Attachment 80695
Here are some more pics like requested. I contacted the previous owner again but he is old and near dying. According to him it was like 10-15 years after ww2 that he was at a competition for german rifle championship near a small town/village (he cant remember wich one) that in between the competition he had a break for some time that he and a buddy went walking around and found a local armsshop. The dealer opend a brand new crate of them and sold them 2...thats all he could remember but he is certain that it was not a prize rifle.

You could have sold the story of the prize rifle if you hadn't asked too much around;-D
Joke.
It is still a wonderful rifle.
I can then only guess that DWM made some with military specs for the civilian market.
Actually, I'd really love to have one of them to add to my Brazilian.
They are simply the most beautiful rifles around, together with the Persian Mausers from CZ.
Working those actions is pure pleasure.....
I'll go home now and cradle them a bit!

My opinion:

Original Model 1908 Brazil Mauser in 7x57.

Re-imported by Frankonia Waffen Würzburg (The logo after 7x57)
and proofed in Germany (the eagle) at Munich (the shield) in April 1978.

Frankonia imported cratefuls of Brazil Mausers, many of them obviously unissued, some with matching mint bayonets in their scabbards..

The Brazil crest has so much fine detail that it is easily worn into illegibility. I think the original crest was scrubbed post-1978 (note wear on the top of the proof marks and the B in a circle) and the DWM then applied. Roll stamping would not have been feasible without industrial equipment, so it would have to have been done by engraving and/or etching. The slight raggedness to be observed on some over-sharp edges leads me to think that it may have been etched.

A very fine rifle.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Patrick Chadwick

Original Model 1908 Brazil Mauser in 7x57.

---

I tend to agree, that's what it looks like.

Convincing, all-round.
Just the timing seems wrong if the rifle has been purchased roughly 15 years after the war, but there might be some explanation.
Is that 478 meaning April 1978 or could it also be something else?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Patrick Chadwick

My opinion:

Original Model 1908 Brazil Mauser in 7x57.

Re-imported by Frankonia Waffen Würzburg (The logo after 7x57)
and proofed in Germany (the eagle) at Munich (the shield) in April 1978.

Frankonia imported cratefuls of Brazil Mausers, many of them obviously unissued, some with matching mint bayonets in their scabbards..

The Brazil crest has so much fine detail that it is easily worn into illegibility. I think the original crest was scrubbed post-1978 (note wear on the top of the proof marks and the B in a circle) and the DWM then applied. Roll stamping would not have been feasible without industrial equipment, so it would have to have been done by engraving and/or etching. The slight raggedness to be observed on some over-sharp edges leads me to think that it may have been etched.

A very fine rifle.

---

Patrick is 100% correct.

I would also comment that many of the earlier South American owned rifles had their crests ground off or removed when they were released by their owning country.