Gewehr98 fencing / exercise rifles

[Amberg]

Hello,
some snapshots showing my fencing/exercise "rifles"
Wolf

[Amberg]

some more photos

[Amberg]

and more ..........

[bill grist]

Very nice these Gew fencing rifles...BILL

[genkideskan]

Very interesting pictures. only little is known about these Exerzier and Bajonett Übungsgewehre. It seems that the older and obsolete rifles where often rebuild for bayonet fencing. Mostly old percussian muskets in the needlefire time and later in the times of M/71, M/88 and M/98 they used converted neddlefire rifles.
The Gewehr 98 exercise rifles seemed to be the first models really made for this purpose.

[Loewe]

Wolfgang, It is truly remarkable that these have survived! Have you any idea who manufactured them? I know we went over this before, but any markings at all that might lead to a maker?

[Amberg]

Hello,
sorry, there are no markings/stamps on the "rifles" which refer to the manufacturer. Only the D.R.G.M. number on one of the "guns". Today I went to the German Patent and Trade Mark Office ( http://www.dpma.de/english/index.html ), but they do not have a list with the DRGM numbers. I only found out, that the trade mark probably was issued in early/mid 1915. I'll try again tomorrow to find out more about the "Knallkorkengewehr" (bang cork rifle?). Have no idea how to translate this. This "rifle" does not make any sens. It either is just a toy, or it was used to check whether the soldier is winking when he pulls the trigger. Weight is less than a pound. Only produced to make noise.
Wolf

[Loewe]

I have found a great many German words- compound words- do not translate well!

Reading through some old, turn of the last century, German engineering literature, professional journals mostly (hunting for Ludwig Loewe stuff), I am amazed by how complicated some words can be to "try" to translate.

Germans sure like to smash words together and I think that is one of the reasons that technical writing translations are so difficult. It's not like you can go to the typical German-English dictionary... and probably why there are so many "technical German-English dictionaries" published over the years.

[genkideskan]

I will try to give a short story of Knallkorken. Arround 1900 and earlier sheet metal rifles with a simple air pressure system where very popular as children toys.Small plugs made from cork would be placed into the muzzle and fired with the spring loaded air pressure bolt. The corks popped out with a loud bang or Knall - these where the Knallkorken.
They where secured with a string to the rifle and could be used endless. There are rifles resembling the military rifles and even some with more barrels resembling shotguns.
These corks where available with a powderload. There are several systems. One load was ignited by air pressure, the other by a simple sheet metal striker system. These Knallkorken produced a real serious bang and where used by farmers to scare and shoo birds from their fields, orchards and whine plants. These where made until long after the WW.II. The children often upgrade the charges and often that kill the gun. Hope that throw some light on the mystery. They where very popular where a serious loud bang was needed. Possibly even official military education used them.

[genkideskan]

After some researches I was very astonished to see that WECO a firework company still produced these Knallkorken. They originally where made from cork, slightly conical cylinders, then from rolled paper and today from Styropor.
A friend told me that they become so short in rifles, that they decide to make dummies for training and recrut education. These rifles where made by small gun maker shops and gun maker trades like in Zella or Suhl. The rifle drill has high priority and after some dry training and aiming trials all recrutes start to fire blank cartridges. May be these step should be made with the Knallkorken rifles.