K98 stock "holes"

[matthanne1]

A rod would not have worked in the barracks wall racks used in WH garrisons. The wall rack is set into the wall, the rifles are placed into the rack butt down into a canted well, and leaned back to the wall. There would be no room to insert any stiff rod.

[Flying10uk]

I've been trying to figure out a picture in my head of how this locking system could have looked and worked, if it actually existed. I was wondering rather than a long rod running through all the butt holes locking them to the rack if each individual rifle could have been locked to the rack by way of the butt hole, independently of all the other rifles in the rack? Each rifle would then require some sort of special lock/hasp with it's individual key, presumably.

[browningautorifle]

I've been trying to figure out a picture in my head

Save the conjecture and just search for a German barracks rifle rack for the K98. You'll see they're set back like described above. No rods through the butt. This is exactly how these rumors start. Hunt through the internet and on all forums this is exactly the same answer. No rod through the butt.

[Flying10uk]

Save the conjecture and just search for a German barracks rifle rack for the K98. You'll see they're set back like described above. No rods through the butt. This is exactly how these rumors start. Hunt through the internet and on all forums this is exactly the same answer. No rod through the butt.

I haven't got the time or the inclination to start searching the internet for information on something that may not exist. Sarge suggested that the butt holes may have also been used to lock the rifles to the rack and I have tried to figure out how this may have worked and looked in practice and in an alternative way to having a long rod running through the butts. I didn't automatically assume that Sarge was wrong.

[philb]

stock holes for bolt disassembly

[browningautorifle]

I didn't automatically assume that Sarge was wrong.

Neither did I. See post 15...

[Flying10uk]

I think that the butt holes could have been used to lock the rifles to the rack but there would have practical difficulties in doing so. A long rod would be awkward to insert/line up with a rack full of rifles and my alternative suggestion of individually locking each rifle to the rack would also present problems if each rifle had it's own individual key and identifying which key unlocked which rifle. But that doesn't mean it never happened at ant point during the period of the Third Reich or it wasn't tried out.

[browningautorifle]

I think

Really?

[Flying10uk]

Really?

??????

[Aragorn243]

Point 1 - The Germans were a very practical people and very experienced in the making of firearms
Point 2 - The listed designed purpose for the hole through the stock is disassembling the bolt
Point 3 - There is no practical way that same hole could be used to either hang or lock up a rifle or a series of rifles

Do we really need to argue the point?