Mystery Mauser Stock

[jmoore]

Mmmm, lots of features to combine!

No finger grooves , but takedown tool hole- Hard to be a regular Gew98. (are there exceptions? I'm guessing... "yes".)
That's about as knowed up as I get in this area.

I reckon the inletting's different for the handguard retention features, too, but can't point a finger to what's what.


One of my two "long" 98's- No photos of the one with the finger grooves yet. A meager "collection"!


- ....But wait.... there's another that I forgot...Not sure,... Nooo-don't think so...hmmmm.




---------- Post added at 04:12 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:10 PM ----------

Oooh, butt swivel placement! Much further forward on the early stock! (It's about hidden by the wooden stand.)

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[m4a3sherman]

There are later pattern WWI Gewehr 98 stocks with the bolt take-down washer, these also had finger grooves if I'm not mistaken. This happened late 1916 I think...
And very cool jmoore; I've got a G98 as well though it's been to Turkey but not modified ( still has Lange vizir) and a Kar98az, one of my prized possessions...

[jmoore]

There are later pattern WWI Gewehr 98 stocks with the bolt take-down washer, these also had finger grooves if I'm not mistaken. This happened late 1916 I think...
And very cool jmoore; I've got a G98 as well though it's been to Turkey but not modified ( still has Lange vizir) and a Kar98az, one of my prized possessions...

Quite right about the 1916 change (I think!)- That's my other, less pretty, Gew98. Poor thing's never been photo'd...

I think you ought to do a photo thread on your WWI Mausers! Much more interesting to me than the later models- except possibly a mid- '30s Standard Modell...

[m4a3sherman]

You know, I had seen a Standard Modell Mauser in a pawnshop recently; it had been thoroughly bubba'd and was drilled and tapped in all sorts of places along with a missing rear and front sight and chopped wood... Broke my heart.... I have been looking for one for a long time that isn't obscenely priced or in ratty condition from extended Chinese service. Did you know that the Standard Modell export rifles were assembled in the lower levels of a Swiss lingerie and underwear factory to keep them secret from the enforcers of the Versailles Treaty of 1918 which prohibited such activities. And maybe I will start a thread...

[jmoore]

I have been looking for one for a long time

"Long time" at 22... OK, then! Longer than you've been "on planet", looking have I for such an artifact. --Where's my cane?
First one I ever saw was beautiful, except it was missing everything behind the wrist! Planted the seed of coveting an example, though...

[m4a3sherman]

OK, so maybe not quite as long as others... Actually, If I am honest, the one rifle I have been coveting (well... the one now that I was able to nab at K43 at an insane price!) is a Norwegian Krag M1912 Engineer Carbine.... So beautiful and hard to find... everyone I locate is chopped or goes for insane high prices.... That rifle has been my longest hunt.

So now I must decide what to do with my stock... I will probably leave it alone since it is rare to find Turk rifle that has outlived its furniture and is worthy of all new wood...

[m4a3sherman]

What a twist! Haha, which would have been my first guess only I've never seen one with the rear band spring. Most I've seen have a through pin or under spring.

[m4a3sherman]

Well, As I understand it, there is no such thing as a Turkish 1903 or M38 or any of that; those are terms made up by importers, Century I think. There was, as far as I have understood it, no separate nomenclature for the various Turk rifles as the armorers all strove to make them look the same even though it was a rag-tag arsenal of converted hand-me-downs. I have even seen Lee Enfields converted to look like and act like Mausers! However, this model designation is a matter of convenience for the collector and importer alike so it sticks. Generally speaking, the M38 is the shorter carbine and the 1903 is the long rifle, and is most commonly encountered. There is also the Commission 88/05 to contend with but that's another story....

[Patrick Chadwick]

As I understand it, there is no such thing as a Turkish 1903 or M38 or any of that

Please inform Robert W.D. Ball, author of the standard work "Mauser Military Rifles of the World" that he is in error. And please cite your authority for that statement. If you cannot quote an accepted source, and the statement was based on hearsay, I respectfully suggest we all go along with Mr. Ball's nomenclature. The rifle described as a Turkish Model 1903 is described on Page 337 of the 3rd Edition, which also includes a good photo in the color section. And please take a look at P.205, which presents a list of Mauser production data for export contracts from 1887-1914. This specifically lists a 1903 contract model for Turkey. A contract for 200,000 rifles is not a "rag-bag of hand-me downs", although they may certainly look like that now!.

There is also a picture and a description of a Turkish Model 1903 on P.138 of "Mauser Bolt Rifles" by Ludwig Olson (also 3rd Edition), although this looks a bit different (no take-down ring, nosecap spring at side) So that makes two internationally recognised experts who are wrong, according to your unnamed source who claims there was no such thing as a Turkish 1903.

BTW, one of my pet hates is the kind of person who says they know better than what is in the book. If you then ask them if they have actually taken the trouble to pass on the information to the author, the response is likely to be silence. The appropriate English expression for this situation is "put up or shut up". Please note, this remark is not directed at you, but at whoever fed you this opinion.

Patrick

[m4a3sherman]

I did not mean to offend, and I hate to pass on information heard as absolute truth which is why I framed my statement in "As I understand it." I am absolutely OK with being wrong and corrected as such; it's one way to learn. The issue of model designation was one that I had seen mixed reports on several different forums and from a number of people, some of whom agree with Mr. Ball and others who suggest an Importer origin for the models. As Mr.Ball's book is the go to source for information, let me express my apology for expressing an ill informed statement about the subject.

So, it looks like the general consensus is some variety of 1903 Turk. Well, there we have it, mystery stock no more. Thanks to all who have helped.