1907 DWM Gew98!

I have a very neat rifle to share with you guys.





Just picked it up yesterday. It was sold as a "Mauser 98 7mm".

I got about 4 grainy pics sent to me which told me it was a DWM Gew98, with some slight alterations.

What I have found out about it is:

- Original DWM Manufactured Gew98 in the year of 1907.
- Reworked in the Weimar Period to Kar98b Specs. (Removal of "Lange Vizier" sights and replaced with s/42 (Mauser Oberndorf) made K98 style "Tangent Leaf" sight) (Original Imperial Bolt bent down to Kar98b/K98 Spec.)
- Appears to have a Weimar Period proofed 8mm barrel installed on the Imperial 1907 Receiver.





What you will all notice is that the barrel has been turned out of its original "top dead center" location, and has had a 7x57mm sleeve added into the chamber (I assume).



The original Gew98 stock or Kar98b stock has been removed and replaced with a (most likely) Spanish version of the Gew98 Stock which is devoid of any unit disc/takedown disc, correct rear sling swivel, etc.



On the side of the rear of the buttstock, it is marked "ENTUBADOS A 7m/m" (Which with my horrible Spanish, loosely translates to "Chambered in 7mm".



The top handguard does have a crack in it, but it is not broken.



The bore appears to be quite good, with sharp rifling... will know more when I clean her up and buy some 7x57mm Mauser cartridges to feed her! This will be my first Mauser Chambered in 7mm! Can add it to my plethora of 8mm's, 308's, 30-06's, and 7.65x53mm that I now have to load for!

The rifle is not matching, except for the new Spanish Serials of what I believe is "126z". But the Original Imperial German made bolt IS all matching to itself.





Also, I am quite certain that the sight "Roller Coaster" was switched out from the original s/42 8mm version to the Spanish 7mm version.





Please let me know what you think, your opinions, and ANY other information you can provide! I am ALWAYS happy to learn!

PS: Yes, I realize it is wearing a Russian Mosin Nagant Sling....
















Cheers!

Welcome to the forum, though I can't say there is much good news about your rifle.

For one, a Kar98b primarily differs from a Gew.98 by it's stock and bolt, and as neither on this rifle are original, no way to tell what it once was. I will say though that it is highly unlikely this was every a Gew98/98b conversion. They were rarely done, and even fewer exist today.

Hard to say what happened to the rifle, obviously the receiver is the only "original" part to itself, the barrel was a salvage and mated to the receiver by another country. The rear sight markings ditto probably, the bolt is m/m, and the only thing that suggests this rifle (receiver) was reworked in the interwar period is it was blued, but that could have occurred at anytime by another country, like Spain.

Anyway, it seems to be just an accumulation of parts, assembled by another country, - highly doubtful the Germans did any of this, certainly doesn't resemble any known German work 1898-1945.

Of course this is only an opinion.

Thanks for the insight Simpson Suhl!

I did find out quite a bit of info about my rifle on the CanadianGunNutz.com forum Milsurp section of which I am a member of also.

Here is what the group has deduced so far:

- Original DWM Imperial German 1907 Receiver. (Most likely saw action in WW1)

- Most likely hidden away (who knows where..) after the treaty of Versailles and brought out to receive the Gew98b/m treatment of the updated S.S. sights, etc, in the early 1930's (hence the correct S/42 and S/42G codes and correct WaA63 markings.

- She also most likely had a shot out/damaged barrel and had the original replaced with a new Reichswehr, or even possibly early Nazi, era 8mm barrel. Hence the (3) WaA214 marking on the barrel. (PS: Anyone know the barrel maker? It's marked G, then 3 vertical WaA214, then 92E, with those funny shapes beside it... see pics)

- After this, she was sent as either aid to Franco in Spain, or perhaps even went with the Condor Legion?? Then, she probably had a battle damaged stock, and had the original replaced with a Spanish Mauser 1893 stock, which was modified for this Gew98!! At this point, for reasons unknown, (the barrel was either shot out, or perhaps whichever branch of the Spanish Government/Military had this rifle, was still issued the 7x57mm cartridge) it had a calibre conversion. Thus, instead of junking the rifle, or making a new one, they sleeved and re-chambered it in 7mm!! Hence the "ENTUBADO A 7MM" (Entubed/Lined in 7mm)

- The Spaniards also installed their traditional 7mm "Roller coaster" on the Gew98 Rear Sight to calibrate it with their 7mm cartridge.

Of course the Spanish couldn't care less about matching numbers, but they still kept as much original German parts as possible, even the original cleaning rod! She isn't a nice all matching DWM Gew98 of course, but she definitely has been there and done that!

* This is of course mostly SPECULATION, as their are no documents readily available to verify much of this, but these are educated guesses!*

Please keep any more information coming that any of you may have! Especially the barrel maker codes? Also, who might have made the bolt? on the top side of the bolt handle there is the "8373" serial, and below it vertically is "crown over U crown over B" and on the underside of the bolt handle is "Cursive D over crown over ??can't make out??" I don't know if this helps much, but I can't seem to find any info about it... I really need to buy more books... Recommendations!?

Also, the Firing proofs on the right side of the receiver... anyone know what they are from the pics? I can't tell what they are even with a magnifying glass! Some crazy Gothic/Fraktur/Sutterlin Letters under crowns, but I can't tell what they are...

Not a collectors piece from a mile off, but still a piece of HISTORY!

Well then you are a lucky man, you have something that pleases you, and that is all that matters.

The barrel is a JP Sauer barrel, pre-1937 as it hasn't a date (the "G" probably represents 1935, I say probably as you see "K" and "G" but never seen "1936-36" on Sauer 98k production barrels, but as the Gew.98 length barrels are ordnance spares you would think they would have date, perhaps I just haven't come across one yet, only a couple dozen recorded.. ) and Sütterlin "S" is generally known to be Sauer, though it could be CG Haenel, - going from recollection but Mike wrote a very good article on the differences a few years back. I do not recall off hand which stood for which, but it was either S&S or CGH that he identified using Sütterlin.

The bolt has commercial proofing, but not sure exactly what it came out of, but it isn't like any B prefix Standard Modell or Mauser Banner K (DR-DRP etc..), which are all I follow. Gunboards Mauser forum would be a good place to ask about the bolt, John Wall and Galaden are really good at Mauser variations, probably the best collectors out there on the topic.

The right receiver stamps are acceptance stamps, not fireproofs (there are only 3 fireproofs on a rifle, the receiver, the barrel & bolt, locations of which change depending on period. Some latewar 98k drop the fp on some parts, also depending on maker-date), they represent stages of assembly, hardening of the receiver, and mating the barrel & receiver, stuff like that, there are books that cover this, Storz is a good one, as are Görtz.

Thanks for the information, corrections, and recommendations!


I seem to have quite the collection of Mauser bitsters in my inventory... I have a slightly sportered ce41 (JP Sauer) K98 that I recently picked up that doesn't have 1 matching part on it! It is missing 2 inches of wood from the end where the bayo lug attaches, and the bolt take down disc was removed. It also has an unmarked, or possibly scrubbed 8mm barrel on it (proper K98 Stepped barrel)... But it is the MOST accurate K98 I have ever shot! Really wish I could trace the history of the barrel though... will never know now.

Cheers!

Sounds like when I started out, more project rifles than collectable rifles. Of course back then parts could be had with some foot work, today it takes wallet work to get parts... a deep wallet apparently, as the parts listed on fleabay and GB are nuts. I do not see how anyone can do restorations these days, - or how any mismatched rifle survives? I mean most mismatched rifles are worth much more in parts than whole.

Well the barrel is an early one, pre-37, it is hard to know exactly what the "G" and "K" means exactly on the earliest barrels and parts, one assumes K=1934, G=1935 on the barrels, but it could be K=K98k and G=Gew.98 for some makers that supplied the ordnance system. Several firms like MO, Sauer, ERMA, Simson/BSW etc. made barrels for in-house 98k assembly and Gew.98 ord. spares for the depots. The fact few barrels are 1936 dated adds to the possibilities. Some firms started to date barrels in 1936, like MO & MB, but apparently not Sauer, so a little doubt there.

Desert_Faux said:

Thanks for the information, corrections, and recommendations!


I seem to have quite the collection of Mauser bitsters in my inventory... I have a slightly sportered ce41 (JP Sauer) K98 that I recently picked up that doesn't have 1 matching part on it! It is missing 2 inches of wood from the end where the bayo lug attaches, and the bolt take down disc was removed. It also has an unmarked, or possibly scrubbed 8mm barrel on it (proper K98 Stepped barrel)... But it is the MOST accurate K98 I have ever shot! Really wish I could trace the history of the barrel though... will never know now.

Cheers!

Click to expand...

Yeah. I do enjoy Desporterizing rifles, but it can take time, especially since I wait until I get the parts I want cheap enough!!

Funny thing too is that I started collecting 11 years ago and started out with matching K98's and G43's... then sold/traded them off, and now I am trying to find matching K98's again!! Have another matching G43 though, and quite a few Contract Mausers and mismatched K98's. I find it hard to concentrate on 1 countries firearms, or a certain model, so thus my collecting focus is BROAD! Pretty much any Bolt action or Semi Auto produced in the late 19th and 20th centuries are good to go with me!

I have tried to stay away from Japanese, French, and Italian rifles though... I don't need to pay the prices for those Ammunition Dies and components too! I vowed I wouldn't get into the 7mm's either, but here I am!

Thanks again!

make sure its 7mm for sure, because those are Weimar proofs on the barrel, I'm not aware of any 7mm barrels produced with these markings so that barrel would have been an 8mm barrel.

8x57mauser said:

make sure its 7mm for sure, because those are Weimar proofs on the barrel, I'm not aware of any 7mm barrels produced with these markings so that barrel would have been an 8mm barrel.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the warning.

But, she is definitely in 7x57mm Mauser. The original German made 8mm barrel has a 7mm sleeve inserted right inside of it! A really expensive way for the Spanish to save a Gew98! No way I can even chamber a 7.92x57mm cartridge in this rifle without a sledge!

The barrel is definitely a .27 calibre rifle now!

Cheers!

wow, good to know, had not seen that before

Desert_Faux said:

Thanks for the warning.

But, she is definitely in 7x57mm Mauser. The original German made 8mm barrel has a 7mm sleeve inserted right inside of it! A really expensive way for the Spanish to save a Gew98! No way I can even chamber a 7.92x57mm cartridge in this rifle without a sledge!

The barrel is definitely a .27 calibre rifle now!

Cheers!

Click to expand...

It's a very interesting rifle with a ton of history behind it. I like it. Good find!

I had one of these tubed 7mm gew98's 20 + years ago. The quality of the work was good and I was then lead to believe these were rebuilt to 7mm by a commercial german concern for spain. The quality of the work on the example I had and others I have handled sure lead me to believe this was a german rebuilt for overseas sales. John wall could tell you a wad more about these if you look him up on gunboards.