Radom wz29

[Kris]

Hi all,

I 'saved' this 1933 FB Radom wz29 today.
I know it's in bad shape and probably not worth restoring or even trying but i noticed the kind of double bajonet mount.

I hope it's clear in the photo i attached.
Is this standard issue or is it something else?

Thanks,
Kris

[Bill Grist]

Secondary bayonet lug used to attatach Spanish Bayonet....BILL

[Kris]

Secondary bayonet lug used to attatach Spanish Bayonet....BILL

Thanks for that information Bill.
Would this make it a Spanish export or is it not meanind anything in particular?
Interesting rifle, a shame it's in this condition.

[phild]

I agree with Bill, but I think that this is the first time that I have seen one installed on a WZ29.....makes sense as a number were sent to Spain in the later 30s.

Can you tell us where this rifle was recovered?

[Kris]

It was found in a garden shed. Suffered heavily from moisture and rain.
Was (partially) packed in newspapers.
Here's some more... .

[Kris]

..

...

[AndyB]

The reciever and bolt dont look bad, this is certainly restorable, the doubble mount speaks for spanish upgrade.

[phild]

I suspect that this rifle did not end up in the garden shed or even in Flanders due to any connection with WWII. It is interesting that the receiver was not scrubbed of markings as most (and I thought all) of the Spanish supplied WZ 29's were.....but now I'm thinking that some may have been sent there through other circumstances than the SEPWE (sp?) incident.

One other thing that I think that I can state with a high degree of certainty is that this rifle was re-stocked in Spain with Spanish walnut. The wood shown in the photos looks like that type and it is distinctive.....also notice the non WZ29 type of fit forward of the rear sight on the handguard.....for whatever reason this handguard (and stock) was not directly copied from a WZ29....it may in fact be wood off of a Mod43 or a late 30s model Spanish 98 Mauser.

Also notice the non WZ29 type of band spring used....this is a Spanish 43 stock I am pretty sure.

[MauserKar98k]

Nice find and definitely worth restoring, a nice soak in some Evapo-Rust would do wonders to it.

[Kris]

Hi all,

Thank you very much for your comments, informations and observations. You've seen more than i

This rifle is having quite some history. My initial thought was : "ok, left behind after '45". But everything is possible.

Phil, what do you mean by SEPWE (sp?) incident ?
Very possible it had the stock changed. I can't find any markings on the wood. The rifle has a straight handle and no cut out in the wood.

Thanks also for supporting me in restoring it

[phild]

Phil, what do you mean by SEPWE (sp?) incident ?

SEPWE (don't ask me to write out the acronym as mu Polish is very rusty!) was a pseudo Goverment private venture set up by the Polish Gov. circa early/mid 1930s to sell Polish military arms. More specifically it specialized in selling arms where other goverments were attempting to keep arms from being sold. A shipment of Polish WZ29s were siezed by British authorities in route or in Palistine in the late 1930s. These rifles had their previous Polish Military markings removed in order to mask origin. The British or a middle man firm in turn supplied these arms to the Republican forces in Spain during the civil war there.

Most of these older Spanish bolt action rifles were sold in the mid to late 1950s as surplus. Perhaps most if not all were purchased by Sam Cummings (founder of Interarms) and many of them ended up in the US and it is reported that many also ended up being supplied to several counter goverment forces around the world for more of the same type of thing that SEPWE was supporting.

[Kris]

Thanks Phil.

[NuJudge]

I spent a lot of time at Interarms about 1970...

I lived part of the year in N.Va up until 1976, and regularly visited Interarms. Interarms in their warehouse had huge crates of many different types of Mausers. All the crates that had come from Spain looked alike. Being of Polish descent, I went through a heck of a lot of crates of Polish Mausers, looking for one that had not had the receiver ring scrubbed. I found none. I finally gave up and picked a scrubbed one. I still have it.

I also did not see any with stock bands and bayonet mount like that.

[phild]

I lived part of the year in N.Va up until 1976, and regularly visited Interarms. Interarms in their warehouse had huge crates of many different types of Mausers. All the crates that had come from Spain looked alike. Being of Polish descent, I went through a heck of a lot of crates of Polish Mausers, looking for one that had not had the receiver ring scrubbed. I found none. I finally gave up and picked a scrubbed one. I still have it.

I also did not see any with stock bands and bayonet mount like that.

I also have not heard of any of these from Spain having the Polish crest intact. Given the date on the receiver I am now having doubts if the barreled reciever has any connection to Spain.....but the wood and fittings sure do. Now I guess it has to be figured out when and perhaps why the stock on receiver were put together. In the U.S. this would be an easy guess and that is that the 29 was sporterized after the war (as a bring back) and sometime later incorrectly "restored" with an easy to find M43 Spainish stock.....I've seen this myself with a couple of k98ks back in the early 70s for instance.

[Kris]

Thanks for you contributions, as soon as it's cleaned i hope we'll know more. Maybe additional markings etc.