DWM 1915: Battlefield Pick-Up

I bought this rifle off of a gun dealer friend a few months back, been waiting to photograph it though. The front action screw is stuck and I was hoping it would eventually loosen up, but no luck so far (I'll probably have to have a machinist heat it up) and I'm impatient. So here are the photos; hopefully soon I'll be able to update this thread with a barrel code, if I can get that screw out.

From the story I got and the looks of it, this rifle was picked up off the battlefield along with an MG08/15. It was pretty horrific shrapnel damage and the right side off the stock is stained. The metal was thickly covered in dirt and grime, some of which came off with steel wool/bronze wool and oil. Like the Erfurt 1902, I didn't want to over clean it, but I tried to get to the serials and the acceptance. It's not really a collector's piece, but I like it, it is a truly battle damaged rifle. It didn't come with a bolt but luckily I had a rougher looking bolt that I suspect is DWM.
Here are the numbers:

DEUTSCHE WAFFEN-UND MUNITIONSFABRIKEN BERLIN 1915

Receiver SN 9961 g
Barrel SN 9961 g
Front sight SN 61
Rear sight SN 61
Sight Slider SN 61, 61, 61
Ejector box SN 61
Trigger Sear SN
Front barrel band SN 61
Rear barrel band SN 61
Trigger guard SN 9961
Trigger guard screws SN 61, 61
Floor Plate SN 61
Follower SN 61
Stock SN 9961
Handguard SN 9961
Buttplate SN 9961 M d 7
Bayonet lug SN 61
Cleaning Rod SN
Bolt body SN 4616 n
Extractor SN 16
Safety SN 16
Cocking piece SN 16
Bolt sleeve SN 16
Firing pin SN 16

Full Images here: https://plus.google.com/photos/1027...s/5885012339258606321?authkey=CLOlvZXci5PB6wE

Talking about character, that one has the look of seeing a lot of action. It is really tough finding a matched stock DWM/15 for some reason, or at least I have been able to only record a couple dozen patterns, some of that is probably people not taking good pictures of these areas, but quite a few are because the stocks are ruined or replaced. What do you think the character is under the cypher? Many seem to be C/W but like all these early wartime rifles inspectors vary widely, it seems to handle the increased load (demand) they brought in more inspectors, or at least moved them around more than they did in the pre-war era.

Consistency returns in 1917 for most concerns but 1915-1916 the acceptance patterns can vary widely.

Good to see you are still collecting, saw you unload a few rifles and wasn't sure if culling the herd and upgrading or moving on to another interest.

Really hard to tell on the stamp below the cypher. My guess it that it is the same acceptance on the wrist and the right receiver and elsewhere on the rifle, c/R (but not the same R as shows up on Ambergs in 1915). It could be c/W, but it would be the only one on the gun.

I've been culling the herd some, consolidating really. Trying to make space and free up funds for future acquisitions. My focus has been more on makers I don't have, rather than years. I've also been into Swiss rifle and Austrian Steyrs lately. Can't collect them like Gewehrs, not nearly as interesting for one, having a few examples doesn't hurt though. I have a couple other Gewehrs I'll be posting info on soon.

Thanks, look forward to the next set!

Got it apart, impacting screwdriver, makes it look so easy. here is the barrel code. I've been oiling this one and the '02 Erfurt with Ballistol for a while, when my bronze wool comes in I'm going to see if some of that red gunk will finally relent.

Wow Cyrus, that one's almost as ugly as my first wife. Just kidding! Definitely battlefield worn, I like it. My '99 Erfurt & '13 Spandau are similar condition. Probably alot of these similar condition Gew98's were destroyed, not deamed worthy of making it back to the states.

Haha! what battlefield did you find her on, Mike?

You're probably right though, don't figure many doughboys wanted war prizes with shrapnel damage. Wish I could have got the other rifle that came with it, or at least wish I knew what it was. The MG 08/15 was a 1917 Sauer if I remember correctly; it was almost as rough.

Thanks for getting to the BC, this helps a lot, the Imperial BC study is finally getting somewhere, hundreds of recordings at least... the nazi era is many thousands, so I doubt we will ever catch up, but if we can get it to the low thousands it might give us a snap shot of some of the makers patterns.

Mike's first wife was probably captured on the battlefield that surround Camp Lejeune or Camp Pendleton... let me tell you, that is trench warfare trying to find "booty" worth taking home with you...

Almost looked familiar !. I had a gew98 that was so pitted for and aft as I remember you could'nt make out hardly a serial or maker. I traded it to a gunboards moderator...Michael littmann . Anyhow he loved it for it's uber well worn charachter. Bore was well worn and frosted with a line of pitting running inside one side of the barrel all the way to the muzzle. I'd swear this was a rifle left in the mud of a trench or field that got souvenired after many many months of being abandond/lost. There are alot of post great war battlefield pics taken by tourists and on postcards where rifles are still laying about...bet that one and yours were in that crowd !. I think I had a value of $125 on it at the time , and the cleaning rod was pitted enough so serial on it was not legible.