Interesting Mauser Gewehr 98

[Scharfschuetze]

I found an interesting Gewehr 98 rifle over the weekend. It's an Amberg 1917 rifle from the First World War. It looked unusual as it is sans the roller coaster rear sight, yet the new style sight was serial numbered to the receiver. Bolt, receiver, barrel and most of the small parts also match up so the question was: What is it?

A little research at home revealed it to be a Weimar Republic rebuild of an older Imperial rifle. Apparently they are not rare, but it's the first one that I've seen. The Weimar eagle on the barrel and under the bolt handle were the give-a-way as to its rebuild.

The wood, finish and bore are all at least NRA very good, so as most of you already have surmised, it followed me home. The bore cleaned up quickly. I'm still getting a little blue on my patches, but it's already pretty clean. I'll check under the wood for any rust as time allows, but I think that it'll go to the range with me on Tuesday. That long sight radius is a blessing for aging eyes.

[Ithaca Gunner]

I understand these are common, but I've never actually had my paws on one. I have seen a color picture as I recall in a book of ss men in full dress black uniforms and shiny helmets each standing formation with those exact rifles.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

I think some of them were reconditioned for export as well. Sounds like a great addition to your collection.

[Hamish]

What's not to like?

[Scharfschuetze]

The Weimar Republic was limited to 100,000 total military personnel by the Versailles Treaty following The Great War. Given that, the Weimar rifles adopted between 1919 and 1933 (when the Nazis took over) should make the Weimar Mauser rifle one of the more uncommon military rifles of Europe. Probably why we haven't seen them at the LGS.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Seems to me that I also read about a number of these being converted to K98k configuration once that version was adopted as standard, so that would make yours even rarer. If I run across that information I'll send you the reference.

I have two of the Gew 98s in my collection with the roller coaster style rear sight, both a bit unusual in their own way. One of them is close to new and was given to the Turks in WW I and somehow missed their 1935-39 standardization program, so it's just as originally manufactured in Germany but picked up some crescent marks. The other was made for Peru with a very nice Peruvian crest on the receiver ring, originally in 7.65x53mm, but rechambered to .30 U.S. in the WW II time period. They didn't rebarrel, just rechambered, so to get it to shoot well one has to load .311 dia. bullets into the .30-06 cases.

[Ithaca Gunner]

Didn't Germany keep a good number of K98a rifles after the war? I have one stamped 1918 and 1920 above it.

[JWFilips]

Gewehr 98 ...My favorite Cast rifle!!

[Scharfschuetze]

Didn't Germany keep a good number of K98a rifles after the war? I have one stamped 1918 and 1920 above it.

Yes, they did. The 1920 date is an over stamp and is the year it was reissued to the Weimar forces. I also have one, but it is sans the second date of 1920.

[Bigslug]

Weimar rebuild huh? I learned something today. Neat!

It makes sense that they'd lose the really ornate Gew 98 sight ASAP. I'd never seen one of those (that I recall) in almost 14 years behind a gun counter and countless shows, but then I can't say I was really looking for one either.

Seems like it would be a tough find for a U.S. collector - the doughboys would have been bringing home original Gew 98's; there would have been a tendency to convert to the new short rifle format; and whatever was left would have had to survive the entire length of WWII. Ya got something special there, make no mistake.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Didn't Germany keep a good number of K98a rifles after the war? I have one stamped 1918 and 1920 above it.

Nomenclature can be confusing. Gewehr = Rifle, abbreviated Gew. or G. Karabiner = Carbine, abbreviated Kar. or K.
Small k = kurz = short.

The main battle rifle used by the Germans in WW I was Gew 98, 49.2" in overall length, the most distinctive feature being the "roller coaster" rear sight. It was unwieldy for trench raids and otherwise encumbered soldiers like artillerymen and machine gunners, so a shorter version was developed called the Kar. 98a, overall length of 43.3". During the Weimar Republic era the original Gew. 98 was the initial standard issue, but the Gew. 98 Modified was also issued, described with one sentence only in "The Book of Rifles" by W.H.B. Smith and Joseph E. Smith, "This differs from the Gew. 98 only in having a flat tangent leaf rear sight." When the German Army decided upon the rifle commonly encountered in WW II, the K98k, overall length 43.6", production was still limited by the Treaty of Versailles. This is where you'll encounter the double stamps on the receivers, indicating that the rifle was manufactured during WW I but later modified for reissue under the new standard. The double date stamp can be an indicator of simple acceptance of the rifle into Weimar service unaltered, alteration to the flat sight, or modification to K98k standards. The same (double date stamps) can be found on some Luger pistols. So, just to be technically correct, there could be no K98k rifles left over from WW I as it was a postwar development. But a double stamped K98k is a nice thing to have in one's collection because it indicates more-or-less continuous service from WW I through the Weimar Republic and into WW II, and that it probably started life as a Gew 98 with the roller coaster rear sight and was modified to K98k standards.

[Ray1946]

Really nice rifle! I think these have been going for a premium. I see a lot fewer of these at the shows than the regular Gew. 98. Really love that "in the white" receiver ring of your rifle, kind of adds something special to a nice historical piece. How does the bore look in your rifle?.........................

[Scharfschuetze]

How does the bore look in your rifle?.........................

It is probably 90% or so. It's slightly frosted, but with sharp lands and grooves and no pitting. I think that it was very well cared for, but probably suffered some from the ball ammo used during its service time. Fair wear and tear.

I'm knee deep into the hunting seasons right now so I've no range report. I've got a new 8mm mould just waiting to make boolits for it.

Speaking of Mauser Model 98a rifles, here's mine. It does not have the double date stamp so it must have been brought back by a Doughboy after the Great War. It enjoys a virtually new barrel and will produce 10 shot groups at 100 yards using Sierra 175 grain .323 spitzer of 1 and 1/2 MOA.

[marty.toms.3]

The receivers and bolts were usually blued when the tangent sights installed. Unusually that this one is still in the "white".

I have a 1920 stamped 1916 Amberg - great shooter - ad with most of these - mismatched parts. S42k marked sight dates the rebuild to 1934 most likely - s42g sights were produced in 1935



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[Scharfschuetze]

s42 sights were produced in 1935

Interesting. That would place your rifle's rebuild in the early Nazi period. Does it also have the Nazi proof marks and inspection marks?

By the way, that's a nice looking rifle.

That was a nice write up of German rifle nomenclature Gebirgsjaeger. Thanks... or should I say: Vielen Dank!

[Der Gebirgsjager]

My pleasure. I really enjoy old military rifles of all persuasions.
The photos posted by marty.toms.3 show a nice rifle.
Your 98a looks like a very nice specimen. My sample is of dubious pedigree. It was probably originally German mfg., but the receiver ring has been scrubbed--or maybe there was nothing there. Apparently some were given to Poland following WW I, and it seems that they may have made some of their own. It has a good bore, but the bluing is not nearly as nice as yours (no rust though), and the stock was so beat up I just had to refinish it. I always meant to upgrade it, but a nicer one never came along.

[Mk42gunner]

One other thing on the 98a Models, they are small ring 98's that are the same action length as the normal large ring. At least all the ones I have seen were. Makes it difficult to find a semi inletted sporter stock.

Robert

[marty.toms.3]

Most of the gew98m tangent sight equipped rifles I have seen have been equipped with the s42k(1934) or s42g(1935) marked sights - leading we to believe most were converted in the mid 30's after the Nazi's had seized power. Likely they were modified to supplement the recently introduced k98k in support and training role.

A scrubbed receiver could indicate Spanish Civil War use. Spain refurbished many rifles after the war. Does it have an MP8 cartouche on the stock (Spanish mark). These were generally imported with caliber designation 8mm stamped on the barrel.

Here is my Danzig 1904 imperial gew98 next to the Amberg 1916 gew98m



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[Der Gebirgsjager]

Mine has been in storage for 2 years, so I'm going strictly by memory, but it didn't have any markings on the stock other than the serial number if I'm recalling correctly. That doesn't prove or disprove your Spanish Civil War theory, but at about the same time I purchased the 98a I also bought a Polish Karabin 29 and there were Polish rifles on the market in that time period. These rifles were purchased mail order in about 1967, before the importer and caliber stampings were required. So I've had it for almost 50 years. I know I fired it once, maybe twice, and it shot o.k. but wasn't outstandingly accurate.

[marty.toms.3]

I also have one of the Spanish civil war Polish wz29 with scrubbed crest.



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