Strange MG34 Lafette

[mightymouse]

Hello,
I recently purchased this through the E-stand, thanks to Grossfuss! Appears to be a standard mg34 lafette cradle modified by someone, the latch and trigger parts are different/modified. There is also a hole in the rear mounting. I think the green paint is post war Norweigen, there are traces of original grey underneath. I have seen a picture in the Propaganda Publications K98 book that shows a k98 mounted in a mg34 lafette (i do not have a copy of the book, does anyone have access to this photo?). Could this be what has happened here? Any thoughts appreciated on this! Both Grossfuss and i found it a bit of a puzzle!

[mightymouse]

more

[mightymouse]

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[gurtsack]

hello,
custom, i think!!!!
best regars
gurt

[me6_130]

Yes, it looks like a Waffenmeister modified for testing rifles,

Carles

[phil337]

why would someone want to modify a sustained fire tripod for a bolt action rifle?, doesnt make sense imo.

[me6_130]

Hello,

Perhaps an armourer that had 200 old tripods and needed some stable base to test some rifles...

Carles

[pak 40]

Could it not be modified to test sniperrifles in the field and to reajust them ore the optics?

just my humble opinion?

[me6_130]

It would be a matter of studying the paint layers to know when the modification was done. I would say it is post war norge. Perhaps for sniper rifles or for Kar 98k modified from 7,92mm to 30.06. Wasn't it that what they did in Norway? Just imagine the armourer having to test several thousands modified Kar 98k...that would have been very sore for any shoulder. or even dangerous...


Carles

[phil337]

i doubt there was only one armourer for an entire army.

[me6_130]

I was just exagerating a bit but it could be the reason for this mount.

Carles

[Madboat]

The picture in the propaganda series book you referred to appears to me to be a normal lafette with a K98 resting on it like a bench rest. The sling band on the K98 in the book is almost even with the latch on the lafette and in the picture you can see that the barrel latch on the laffette is open. I am hesitant to scan the picture for copyright reasons.

[-Ray-]

Most likely used for solid zeroing. The military is trained to zero thier weapons hands on from the shoulder firing position. We also have a similar aparatus employed as a zeroing training aid that provides unquestionable and improved sound results.

-Ray-