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Gewehr 98 novice

Kammerjaeger

Well-known member
Hey guys,

I know enough about K98k's to know I don't know enough to be any kind of expert except to the terminally stupid. Having said that, I know very little about G98's. I don't suppose there are book(s) that I can begin with to educate myself regarding the G98's? Specifically I am interested in those G98's that were used by the Kaisers army in the Great War. I know some of the manufacturers were Danzig, Simpson Suhl, Amberg(?) and maybe Sauer & Sohn. Were there more? Is there a link I can be directed to that might help me on this site or elsewhere? Thanks for any help guys, I'm kinda lost.

KJ
 
KJ, Imperial German rifles are covered to a degree in Mikes & Bruce's new book (Vol. I, Pgs. 18-38), it lists the makers and the years they are known to have made rifles (pg.24). While it is a small part of the book, it is the best information available regarding actual production and the rifles from a collector’s pov. My Gewehr98.com website also lists the manufacturers and details production from a collector’s pov, but it is going through changes due to us changing servers, but I will get it back up soon, right now it is linking to the MRJ blog posts Esther had me type up for the site. Soon it will be back up but revised.

As for books, there is only one book that is extensive and fairly accurate; it is more about the history of the manufacture of the Gewehr98 than a collectors guide. It seems to rely upon state archives and museums more than collectors. It has some errors about the manufacturers, production, and the translation is not very good, but it is still an extraordinary book with great information about how the rifles were made, certainly the best book on Imperial Modell98 rifles currently out there. It is imaged next to Dr. Storz new book on the Gew.88 variations in this link:

http://www.k98kforum.com/showthread...arms-Dr-Storz-new-book-on-the-Gewehr88-amp-91

You could also pick up copies of John Walters books, his "The German Rifle" is probably the earliest effort on the subject, his book on the firearms of the Central Powers has the same information but slightly revised, while his books are outdated, they are still quite good for an overview of the subject. Götz book on German rifles is good also, covers a large range of rifles and while the translation is poor again, it is worthwhile to pick up.

Other than these books, there isn't anything really great on the topic of Imperial Gewehr98’s; I have written extensively on some of the manufacturers, all the arsenals have been covered in-depth, Amberg, Spandau, Danzig, Erfurt and Ludw. Loewe AG and some related topics like KM (naval) Gewehr98 contracts (DWM), which I also wrote a tidbit in the MRJ blog page. My next Imperial project is DWM, which is really the last of the important firms, except Mauser Oberndorf of course.

Right now I am trying to get the last two issues of the MRJ completed, Steyr will be covered in the winter issue, but obviously it will be about the Kar98k, they didn't make the Gew.98, though they did make the Gew.88, but I neglected to cover that in any detail.

Anyway, the link Bob posted will take you to the Gunboard thread I started some years back. I try to keep up with it when people bring their rifles to TP's forum. It has a lot of information for sure, if you can weed through all the posts (it is a very extensive and long post). Of course any question can also be posted here, and there are several knowledgeable collectors here that can answer most questions.
 
Thank you so much Loewe. :hail: For reasons I cannot explain, I am being irresistibly drawn to the Imperial era. I guess I am gonna have to get smarter so I can pick up a nice G98 one day.

KJ
 
Another GEW98 newbie, but what do I have here?

Good Evening,
Got a GEW98 from family estate sale.

Good: Erfurt 1916, 3-digit serial number, no prefixes or suffixes. #s on receiver, barrel, trigger guard, follower, screws all match. Bore looks good after a serious cleaning.

Unknown: Barrel is 23" but end looks professionally done, original rear sight removed, lathe marks on stepped barrel. Bolt not original, blued, turned down handle.

Awful: Stock was adulterated beyond recovery: sportsterized, then sanded into something that's useful for firewood, IMO. No cartouches, upper handguard markings or interior serial number. It originally had a unit disk and not a takedown hole.

I'll post pictures after I transfer them.

The collector value is surely gone, but I'm interested for the curiosity and what stock to put it into.

Thanks
 
Welcome to the forum!

We would need to see the top-right-left receiver and all barrel markings. The rear sight markings would be helpful also. How these areas are marked will tell the original manufacturer and the circumstances of what occurred to the rifle after manufacture. A lot of variables and many things can account for the barrel.
 
GEW98 Erfurt 1916 pictures

Welcome to the forum!

We would need to see the top-right-left receiver and all barrel markings. The rear sight markings would be helpful also. How these areas are marked will tell the original manufacturer and the circumstances of what occurred to the rifle after manufacture. A lot of variables and many things can account for the barrel.

Good Evening,

Thanks, here they are. Barrel also has 7.9 at it's rear edge and S on the top. Where the rear sight was is a stamped R and the same symbol found under the barrel serial number

I appreciate your insight.
 

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Well I do not have to usually ask that someone back the angles out, these are nice close-ups and very useful but how about some wider angles?

The rifle is a Erfurt made Gewehr98, near the end of Gewehr98 production for them, they only went to the "f" block and this is one. They are known into the mid-f block and some from 1917 are known but are very rare. This rifle has the original barrel on it, so if it is shortened it was done to the original barrel.

Good Evening,

Thanks, here they are. Barrel also has 7.9 at it's rear edge and S on the top. Where the rear sight was is a stamped R and the same symbol found under the barrel serial number

I appreciate your insight.
 
Well I do not have to usually ask that someone back the angles out, these are nice close-ups and very useful but how about some wider angles?

The rifle is a Erfurt made Gewehr98, near the end of Gewehr98 production for them, they only went to the "f" block and this is one. They are known into the mid-f block and some from 1917 are known but are very rare. This rifle has the original barrel on it, so if it is shortened it was done to the original barrel.

Good Evening,

Thanks for that. I cropped the pictures for upload size, these should do better.

Do you have a recommendation for a vintage stock for the 23" barrel? I've found plenty of places with parts, I'm not experienced enough (yet) to know what to look for. Short upper handguard or the long one that surrounds the sight, etc. I believe the weapon is in good enough overall condition to put in a military stock again.

Thanks again.
 

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Thanks for the pictures, you do not show the muzzle but if it is 23 inches and the muzzle looks ok, I would try a Kar98k stock and add a 98k style rearsight. Generally the difference between a Gew.98 and a 98k is 6 inches of barrel and wood, if your barrel length is about 23 inches you should be able to make it, more or less, a Kar98k.

The where to get one depends on a couple factors, one how much are you willing to pay for the project, two how "right" you want it to look and what you want to use the rifle for.

A really nice stock can cost $300 or more, much more if you are picky, to look right it would be best to find an armorers spare but a mid-war stock lacking a lot of acceptance would pass nearly as well. Places to look for one is Gun Broker, ebay, and the forum trader section, though there are some dealers that sell them, including European dealers. You could go cheap and get a postwar stock, Yugo or rc stocks should be cheaper.

If it were my project and only cared to shoot it or bring it back into a useable condition, I would try and find a 1942-1943 stock, most makers were not marking the stocks a great deal in this period and without a close examination it would pass for most purposes. You can't really fix (un-cut) the barrel, so the only option is to go full sporter or Kar98k.
 
Thanks for the pictures, you do not show the muzzle but if it is 23 inches and the muzzle looks ok, I would try a Kar98k stock and add a 98k style rearsight. Generally the difference between a Gew.98 and a 98k is 6 inches of barrel and wood, if your barrel length is about 23 inches you should be able to make it, more or less, a Kar98k.

The where to get one depends on a couple factors, one how much are you willing to pay for the project, two how "right" you want it to look and what you want to use the rifle for.

A really nice stock can cost $300 or more, much more if you are picky, to look right it would be best to find an armorers spare but a mid-war stock lacking a lot of acceptance would pass nearly as well. Places to look for one is Gun Broker, ebay, and the forum trader section, though there are some dealers that sell them, including European dealers. You could go cheap and get a postwar stock, Yugo or rc stocks should be cheaper.

If it were my project and only cared to shoot it or bring it back into a useable condition, I would try and find a 1942-1943 stock, most makers were not marking the stocks a great deal in this period and without a close examination it would pass for most purposes. You can't really fix (un-cut) the barrel, so the only option is to go full sporter or Kar98k.

Good Evening Loewe,

I'll go for the Kar98k look, just to preserve it as a military classic.

Thanks for all the info and helping me understand what I got.

VR,
 

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