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Waffenwerk Oberspree 1918

merleh

Member
Bought this Gew 98 Mauser it is marked Waffenwerk Oberspree 1918 on the receiver serial number 8427 it is non matching with serial number matched WW2 rear sight it is marked S/42. The bolt is also WW2 style the stock is anyone's guess no markings, no stock disk of any kind. also got a Turked 88 commission rifle in the deal that needs a little work to be shootable. Paid $250.00 for both will most likely sell the 88 to offset the cost of this one. Oh and not sure why someone would have saw the need to vent the hand-guard. Now for a few questions the stock has no markings anywhere including the barrel channel so I am thinking reproduction? Second question I have been told this is one of the rarer makers/year if so would it be worth putting it back to its 1918 configuration what would you do in this situation? All comments are welcome good bad and ugly.
 

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Welcome to the forum, yes the rifle is a rather scarce maker, probably one of the toughest wartime makers. How it is marked matters, it looks like it has a suffix under the serial 8427? How is the right receiver marked?

The markings on the barrel, right receiver and the suffix will tell you a significant amount about the rifles history.

The stock will be hard to identify if you can't find any markings. You can find no markings internally, the wrist or sides of the buttstock? How about the buttplate?
 
Loewe
Thanks for the reply there is a n under the serial number on the receiver and barrel the barrel has KR486 in front of the sight also has what appears to be a bird wearing a crown on receiver and barrel. No markings on stock not even under barrel or butt plate and butt plate is unmarked as well.
 

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Thanks, that is helpful. Many are unaware of this but Oberspree didn't role over serialing from 1917-1918, they started in 1918 at the "n" block and made only a small number of rifles, for sure to the "q" block but reported as high as the "r" block. There is some overlap in the n-o blocks where 1917 & 1918 dated receiver intermingle, but generally only one 1917 "o" block is known, or rather reported, but by MarkW, so it is a reliable report.

Very few original rifles from Oberspree/1918 exist, most known are like yours, largely mismatched and or interwar rifles. Still it is a killer maker-date, well worth restoring to something representative as this maker has a very low survival rate, - as do all 1918 dated makers, with the exception of Mauser & Amberg, who made the most rifles (Gew.98) by far in 1918.
 
Will have to find pictures to show me what it should look like. I have built a few 71/84 Mausers from parts hopefully finding parts for this one won't be as big of a challenge. Straight bolt, front band, rear sight for starters. The stock I think will be alright I need to know would this rifle have had the regiment disk and also grasping grooves in the stock?
 
Well, it would look like any other interwar upgraded Gewehr98, - basically a Imperial Gewehr98 with a blued receiver and bolt and an upgraded rearsight.

The stock would have probably had grips and a take down from the factory, could have not had the take down, though by 1918 most did have both features. In the interwar period almost all rifles picked up a take down at one point or another... very rare not to have one.
 
Thanks for the replies two last questions would you leave the rear sight alone since it is serial number matched to the receiver and barrel and did they also upgrade the bolt to a bent one if it needed replacing. The bolt is the only thing I worry about replacing as this one head spaces just about perfect and no guarantee the one that I get to replace it will.
 
While it is your property to do with as you please, generally collectors do not replace original-matching parts without a good reason. I would keep the upgraded rearsight, it will shoot better for todays purposes and it is almost always best value wise to keep the original parts together as long as the rifle isn't refinished. (refinished kills a rifles value, whether well done by a sportsman or a soviet shack "depot", the rifles are worthless as a collectable imo)

The bolt was probably straight handled, only a conversion to Kar98b or Kar98k would have a bent handle as the only bent bolts on Gewehr98's were sniper rifles (this isn't one) and the bicycle rifles (this isn't one). It has the original barrel so it isn't a 98k conversion, and while anything is possible it isn't very likely a Kar98b conversion and even if it were, the stock is gone and that is the only way to tell for sure.

Of course if you can find a Kar98b stock laying around, that would be nice, but not too many out there for sale.
 
Thank you for all your help this is my first Gew 98 I have been putting together a collection of Mausers from 1871 on up trying get the major design changes.
 
Sounds like a worthwhile project, thanks for sharing the details of your rifle! I hope you will visit us when you get the next installment of your collection!
 
Correct bolt. front band. and repaired hanguard

I got a correct bolt, front band and repaired the handguard now I think all I need is a stock disk set
 

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