I recently came into possession of a rifle marked "G33/40" with a date stamp on the reciever "1942" with a four digit serial number.. The proof marks have the Nazi eagle.. I'm not very familiar with German rifles so can someone tell me what I have? Unfortunatly some one "sporterized" it long before I knew it existed but even though the collectors value is non existant would like to know about it so I can get it checked out for sarfety and be able to shoot it.. Anyone with info can reply to nhpawildfire@yahoo.com
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Jim,
When you say sporterized what do you mean, I have a spare stock.
Robert -
Hi Jim
You have a German WKII rifle called "Gebirgsjäger". Its a hard to find rifle
in origin untouched condition.
It is made from the Vz24 rifle in tschechoslovakia. Maybe you have some Code
stamps like "dot" or "945" on the top of the receiver. Caliber is 8x57
Check this link for more infos
http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9210
Greetings
OstmarkComment
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The G33/40 was a continuation of vz33 production under German authorities(the vz24 was continued under the German designation G24t- which is a much more difficult rifle to find unaltered imo, much more so than the 33/40 which is tough also as they were popular for sporters20+ years ago…).
The Germans adopted the G33/40 on Oct 16, 1940 & with the exception of the sling mounting arrangement, bayo mount & proofing it is identical to the Czech vz33.
The G33/40 was primarily issued to German mountain troops (Gebirgsjager) because of its shorter & lighter configuration.
The G33/40 was produced for 3 years; 1940, 1941, & 1942- in 1943 Waffenfabrik Brunn (dot) went to 98k production…
Robert Jensen did several articles on both of these rifles for the KCN & much of the above is from one of these articles (I condensed the information as I am too lazy to type it all out & much of the relevant information is available elsewhere in books)
Originally posted by OstmarkComment
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Can someone show me a WW2 period manual that shows the nomenclature of the GEW 33/40 called a (Gebirgsjager) rifle.. I have several original period manuals from Mt. divisions and no reference to a Mountian rifle even the Gebirgsjager manual BILDHEFT 161 Gehen im Schnee (MOVEMENT IN THE SNOW) dated 10/9/43 makes no mention of the 33/40.. It shows snow cammo 98k I also have the Mountian troop traning film for weapon use and tatics and it does not show a 33/40 but has a G41m and 98k ZF41 and every other weapon.. Thanks, BILL GRISTOriginally posted by grafComment
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I have at least one book that shows a photo of a 33/40 with a mountain (ski)trooper. The extra piece of metal on the buttplate protected the wooden stock from the cleats worn around the edge of mountain boots. The shorter length also supports the Gebirgsjaeger theory.Comment
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Oops sorry ...vz33 is correct (i have to read my text before sending
)
Thx to Graf who corrected my mistake
Greetings
OstmarkComment
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I have a set of docs to a Gebirgsjäger in the 2 Geb Div. His soldbuch clearly shows he was issued with a 33/40.Collecting German award documents, other paperwork and photos relating to Norway and Finland.Comment
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The G33/40 was not liked by all accounts / the lighter weight being the only plus for the weapon, however the weapon had a vicious recoil because of the reduced weight and the short barrel produced an extremely bright flash when fired, visible even in daylight while at night it resulted in a truly terrible muzzle flash that any soldier will tell you is not good for business.
DavidComment
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The stock has been cut down - bayonet lug etc removed - looks like the barrel has been shortened and and aftermarket front and rear sights added to the muzzle and reciever.. Also the barrel is bedded in cork.. It is not marked "Gebirgsjager" but I came across a reference in a book titled "SS: The Secret Archives Western Front" written by Ian Baxter that describes these rifles as being issued to the Gebirgsjager units..Comment
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Hi Robert - - I could get interested in the military stock if it will go on the action with reasonable accuracy.. Meaning that it does not look completly silly or an attempt to resemble the original.. Does the stock you mention have the barrel bands and bayonet lug?? I could probably live with the civilian sights if the rest liikes "right".. The stock has been changed and the action bedded in cork.. Civilian front ramp sight and rear peep sight added.. Bayonet lug not present - and also the sling arraingement looks like it was put together by a talented four year old - - not very well... After reading these replies - and finding spec's in a book here I'm not so sure that the barrel was shortened.. Coincidence - the Enfield pattern 4 (jungle carbine) was withdrawn from service with the British army for the same reasons - brutal recoil and excessive muzzle blast.. Her majesty's troops were glad to see that one go away...Originally posted by Robert ZimkasLast edited by Jim Lomartire; 02-15-2004, 09:32 AM.Comment
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Jim, I do not wish to offend you in any way but the book you mentioned is not very well researched. Many of the photos are not even remotely SS troops and it appears to be a prime example of slop posing as historical fact.
DavidComment
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No offense taken.. I'm no expert on this subject so anything I can learn is of value.. I questioned the validity of some of the photo's in this book but not being that well versed I felt I was in no position to be critical..Comment
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