Third Party Press

Scrubbed G98?

GEM

Senior Member
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I am new to this forum but not new to Mausers. Joined specifically to see if any of the members can help ID an unusual G98 that I picked up recently. The guy I bought it from said it was a WW II vet bring back from the late WW II Volksturm.

The receiver and associated parts have been completely “scrubbed” of all markings. First one that I have seen like this and I have handled many of these rifles. I also visually compared this to other G98s including a Stern Gewehr and 98b.

This is obviously a German action which is in the white that has not been cleaned in my lifetime. Based on the dried grease,character of the metal discoloration and grinding marks, the marks were removed a very long time ago. The only markings are the shop marks on the underside of the receiver and some small imperial inspection marks on some of the small parts. It is mounted in a duffel cut beech late war finger groove stock. The stock, hand guard and mounting hardware are numbered with the same three digit sn. These stamps appears to be in a German font but are not the same as a production sn mark. The barrel, firing pin, lange sight have the same number (different from the stock set) which appears to be the original rifle production serial number or last two digits. All other bolt parts have been scrubbed clean but appear to be original to the bolt and receiver.


All firing proofs have been erased and there are no commercial proofs. (I am informed by a knowledgeble collector that Commercial makers often made small lots, but by German law, even under the Nazi regime, all rifles were required to have fireproofing.)

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There is a large “B” stamped in the right side of the butt stock that is about .5” high. I have been told that that is a WWI German mark indicating a substitute standard beech stock.

The butt plate has a large “W.K.” mark. This was crudely incised or chiseled by hand long ago. Initials of someone or of an organization?

This is seems to be a mating of two rifles and it never went through the post war modification process to replace the rear sight. In every respect this could be a wartime emergency assembly or a Stern Gewehr except it is not marked as such.

Since all date, proof and manufacturing marks have been removed I wonder if this was assembled very soon after WWI as a Reichwehr contraband weapon and/or one provided to the Freicorps or other early paramilitary force? Done by a small shop in a very small lot?

Apologies for the quality and placement of photos.
 

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Welcome to the forum.

This rifles has no barrel markings, nothing under the stock? Someone scrubbed every marking from the action?

Regarding the below, next to impossible, there was no need for such measures, their was no rifle shortage in Germany 1919-1923, and illegal rifles were everywhere after that date (Tons of loose Spandau receivers too, many built by the depots 1924-1928). The early nazis, like Röhm, were notorious arms smugglers, and they had competition. Besides why would a paramilitary group feel compelled to scrub a rifle? Such markings wouldn't be traceable to them or even to Germany, as German rifles were being sold worldwide after the war, the Dutch and Belgians amongst others.

Anyway, generally Gew.98's were not scrubbed,, certainly not to this extent, even the siderail is gone on this one. To identify it at all you'd need some markings, some acceptance, barrel code, or stock marking (though how would you "match" it to a scrubbed rifle? Any of the parts for that matter..)

Since all date, proof and manufacturing marks have been removed I wonder if this was assembled very soon after WWI as a Reichwehr contraband weapon and/or one provided to the Freicorps or other early paramilitary force? Done by a small shop in a very small lot?

Apologies for the quality and placement of photos.
 
I checked the caliber. This is a 7.92 X 57 although I had hopes that it was possibly a hidden Wehrmann's Gewehr after that related comment.

I disassembled it to look at barrel marks. Here is a detailed inventory of all marks that I can see.

- The barrel is marked 7.93 at the top just in front of the receiver and an "S" behind the rear sight. Standard for barrel gaging and S Patronen.

- The barrel is marekd with serial number 95XXc. The last two digits of this number are at the usual places on small parts of the rear sight, firing pin, and extractor indicating they were likely from the same rifle.

- There is a Prussian eagle mark on the bottom of the barrel in front of the receiver as is the number "84." "84" is stamped on the underside of the receiver ring adjacent to the "84" barrel stamp, located just ahead of the front guard screw piller.

- There is "I778" stamped in the barrel just ahead of the rear sight. Adjacent to this number three crown cypher marks. One is just a crown. One is a crown over "RC." One is a crown over "S."

- Fraktur shop marks on the underside of the receiver include a lower case "n," lower case "k" and 2." On the right side of the front guard screw pillar there is the number "6" and a small shield with a slant line from lower left to upper right. Adjacent to these last two marks is stamped asterix-like mark which is similar to the cruder version of the Stern Gewehr mark.

- The stock is numbered in the barrel channel with a three digit serial number that matches on the stock exterior behind the lower sling swivel, handguard, trigger guard, floor plate, guard screws and bayonet lug along with various crown cypher inspection marks on some metal parts.


That is all there is. My bet is that before they were removed, the marks on the receiver, barrel and bolt assembly probably matched.

No way to tell much from the single letters and numbers stamped on the receiver underside. They are probably just internal shop inspection or assembly sequence marks and to my knowledge, no one has spent any time trying to sort them out.

Maybe this is one that an unknown country got in post-WW I reparations?

Finally, we may know all there is to know about this particular rifle. Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
 
Images of the fireproof might narrow the field a little, all the arsenals used slightly different eagles, and the commercial firms under them used them also (Erfurt-Suhl makers, DWM-Spandau etc..), the acceptance stamps might give a clue also if the rifle was war time production. Pre-war is harder to nail down as less examples exist and I have not trended them.

Repatriations. Possibly the most over stated topic of the interwar period. Reparations were narrow in focus, most went to France, Belgium and Britain, though the Serbs got some machinery and possibly so other consideration. Reparations were never in small arms, for one who would want them, German rifles were everywhere, and war was not on the list of to do in the west. The eastern nations had some sorting out to do and were eager for German small arms but while the French were all onboard with German arms going to their buddies (Czechs & Poles mostly) the Brits were very uncooperative in this regard. The war to end all wars, in Europe at least, was exactly what the Brits wanted... the last thing they wanted was German weapons being spread around Europe.

Some German machines found there way to other countries, specifically Czech with their Mauser deal (before Versailles happened), the Poles got Danzig's "rifle" making machines (only the rifle making machines, the Danzig factory was converted with the remaining machines to civil purposes), the Serbs got machines for the plundered factories during the war & Belgium got compensated for their pillaged factories. The rest of the reparations was in gold, coal, animals, raw materials.. no weapons of any sort, except in ships and things the Entente could lay their hands on, trophies, some developmental items, some things they had from the armistice terms and occupation of the Rhineland (Germany turned over a buttload of stuff to get the cease fire, just to make sure the Germans couldn't change their minds after they got the real terms in writing- good idea as Germany might have balked had they had the means to do so.. the Versailles Treaty was a shameful document in almost everyway, worse it was just the beginning, the territory taken w/o plebiscite was often quite shocking in its application, between the Belgians, Czechs and Poles, it is hard to know which were more arrogant).
 
i think it is a cigarette gun.not having anyones commercial or military proofs either postwar or prewar.have also had a scrubbed gew98 in 8x57 that was a cigarette gun.also had completely scrubbed gew98 in 8.15x46r that was also a cigarette gun.
also have prewar 8.15x46r and 22lr gew98 rifles with scrubbed parts and new barrels.they have new serial numbers and commercial proofs.
 

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