Blackadder
Member
Hello everyone. I am hoping that I might be able to tap into the well of knowledge here as I research the history of an inherited rifle.
My grandfather left behind a small collection of "items", among which is a 1916/.17 Spandau Gew98. As you can see, the rifle is currently in a sporter stock. The metal is in good condition and the bore and muzzle are excellent (the rifle is quite the shooter-if you can see it, you can hit it). During this last year it has proven the bane of whitetails in North Texas.
(I can provide more photos on request).
All parts match on the rifle save the bolt (numbered 09-the rest are numbered either 2502 over a single 2, or sometimes just 02), which is blued and has a turned down handle. While it is fairly illegible, there appears to be a symbol of some kind on the bottom of the handle, as well as another symbol that looks like it might be a crowned G. There are also some very tiny proof marks on the bolt that look similar to the proofs on the receiver (they appear to be crowned letters, but I may be wrong).
The rear sight is missing, and instead has been replaced with a Redfield peep that has been tapped into the receiver with two screws. This is the only physical alteration that has been made to the rifle. While the front blade has been replaced with a Redfield blade, the front sight mount appears intact. It looks like the old blade just got swapped out of the dovetail.
I wish I knew more about the history of this rifle, but I don't. I have reason to believe that it was a bring back; I know for certain that my grandfather acquired his P08, P38, SS dagger and German field binoculars while he was in occupied Berlin (he signed up but got there too late for the show, so to speak).
I am hoping that with everyone's help, I might be able to deduce a little more of the history of this rifle. I am also interested in the possibility of restoration. After some looking around, I am confident that I could locate all of the missing parts required to put it back in proper military form. My main concern is the tapping of the receiver. If those two little holes have wrecked the rifle for historic purposes, I think I'll probably leave it as it is.
Anyway, thank you in advance for your assistance!
My grandfather left behind a small collection of "items", among which is a 1916/.17 Spandau Gew98. As you can see, the rifle is currently in a sporter stock. The metal is in good condition and the bore and muzzle are excellent (the rifle is quite the shooter-if you can see it, you can hit it). During this last year it has proven the bane of whitetails in North Texas.
(I can provide more photos on request).
All parts match on the rifle save the bolt (numbered 09-the rest are numbered either 2502 over a single 2, or sometimes just 02), which is blued and has a turned down handle. While it is fairly illegible, there appears to be a symbol of some kind on the bottom of the handle, as well as another symbol that looks like it might be a crowned G. There are also some very tiny proof marks on the bolt that look similar to the proofs on the receiver (they appear to be crowned letters, but I may be wrong).
The rear sight is missing, and instead has been replaced with a Redfield peep that has been tapped into the receiver with two screws. This is the only physical alteration that has been made to the rifle. While the front blade has been replaced with a Redfield blade, the front sight mount appears intact. It looks like the old blade just got swapped out of the dovetail.
I wish I knew more about the history of this rifle, but I don't. I have reason to believe that it was a bring back; I know for certain that my grandfather acquired his P08, P38, SS dagger and German field binoculars while he was in occupied Berlin (he signed up but got there too late for the show, so to speak).
I am hoping that with everyone's help, I might be able to deduce a little more of the history of this rifle. I am also interested in the possibility of restoration. After some looking around, I am confident that I could locate all of the missing parts required to put it back in proper military form. My main concern is the tapping of the receiver. If those two little holes have wrecked the rifle for historic purposes, I think I'll probably leave it as it is.
Anyway, thank you in advance for your assistance!
