G98 - matching nos, WaA / Czech bolt?

[leedjones]

Guys,

Recently bought myself a nice 1916 dated Danzig G98 (Deactivated)
It has fully matched numbers - 7743 ..and what appears to be a replaced post WW1 bolt.

Bolt carries WaA mark and nazi Eagle and Czech (I think mark) and appears forced matched

- Could it be a Czech mauser bolt, re-numbered by Germans WW2 use?
(77 and 43 on bolt look like they were not done at same time)

- Butt plate numbering, 43 seems out of line with 77?

Your thoughts appreciated...


(I have not shown other numbers as they all appear to exactly match those of receiver.)

[leedjones]

Magazine bottom & butt plate

Magazine bottom & butt plate

[leedjones]

Bolt from Above & Below

Bolt from Above & Below

[leedjones]

Bolt Top & Bottom close up

Bolt Top & Bottom close up

[DAK]

This bolt is for a WWII made G24(t) (1941-1942), which is really a VZ-24 altered by the Germans. It is more likely the bolt is a modern fabrication. By 1941-1942, the Kar98k was in full production and most firms were on board or transitioning. It is highly improbable that someone would rework this Gewehr 98 during the war, find a salvaged G24(t) bolt, strip the bluing off of it, grind the serial number off the bolt handle and then renumber it at the base. Also, this rifle lacks other key updates made to other Gewehr 98s, like the G98M conversion to add the Kar98k style rear sight. Many of the Gewehr 98s reworked during the war were updated to Kar98k configuration.

The rifle has had the stock carefully refinished and most of the metal shows damage from steel wool. If you have a return privilege for this rifle, I would consider using it. It is not period original, has fabricated parts and is a deactivated on top of that.

Here is a link to a Gunbroker auction with some issues of its own, but the bolt looks ok:

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/Vie...Item=367279317

[graf]

Have you a picture of the right side of the receiver, the acceptance stamps here? Have you a close up on the right side of the buttstock? Mostly I am curious if the stock is original to the rifle, - these views will tell.

[leedjones]

Additional photos

Additional photos..


Whilst not 100% authentic period, its better than most found at what I paid for it, and does makes for a good display "example", so I'll be hanging onto it.
Cheers for your comments

[graf]

Thanks for the photographs, is there a C/B (crown/"B") under the serial number on the lower buttstock, it should be under the serial number, - which should match without the suffix.

While the buttplate serialing looks odd, Danzig was a state arsenal and like Erfurt were rather sloppy makers compared to their commercial competitors. Danzig being out in the wilds of eastern Germany also made skilled labor more difficult to obtain, - German industry was primarily in the west, in Saxony and around Berlin, with pockets in Bavaria and Thüringen. However, in Danzig's case they were not burdened with competing projects, unlike Spandau and Erfurt, who both made several complicated weapons (P08 & MGs), Danzig only made the Gewehr98 and they made a lot of them, - during the war they were the top producer by a wide margin, - the quality shows in the efforts, as it does with Erfurt's Kar.98a and P08 production.

Oh, and about your rifle, I agree it has been enhanced, gussied up, but it is a fairly attractive rifle overall and if the stock is original, and it might be (the features are right for this range, walnut, no grips or take down, the acceptance you show on the stock looks right, but the most consistent acceptance is the C/B along the bottom and the wrist acceptance, usually a Fraktur C/W but varies also - my interest was the one you showed because it does vary between 5-6 inspectors and I record these patterns), then I would think it a decent representative example, though I would ditch the bolt and get an Imperial one if it were my rifle.

[leedjones]

Under butt stock

Pic as requested..

Serial no been scrubbed out pretty much.

[graf]

Thanks, while no authority on rifle collecting in Europe, from what I have seen of rifle availability in the UK, this rifle has to be amongst the better I have seen. Many are deplorable, ugly, total mismatches, - this one is none of those things.