Windage&Elevation
Member
Hi Everyone,
I'm new to the Kar98k forum, and I have to say I've been extremely impressed with the knowledge of its members, and their willingness to share that encyclopedic knowledge with newbies like me.
With that in mind, I thought I'd share a few photos of my grandfather's S block bnz45.
It was given to him by an Army chaplain, who'd been with U.S. forces as they fought from Normandy to VE Day. Apparently, the chaplain shared the rumors of sabotage at the Steyr-Daimler-Puch factory by the slave laborers. This impressed my grandfather sufficiently that he never actually fired the rifle. But he did plan to someday sporterize the rifle, which thankfully, he never got around to doing.
My grandfather passed the rifle along to his son (my uncle), who in turn gave it to my older brother. Neither of them ever fired it, either, but like my grandfather, they did take very good care of it nonetheless. A couple of years ago, I asked my brother about the rifle's background, history, etc., but he'd never researched it. No one in my family were terribly impressed by the rough finish of the metalwork and stock; it was hardly the precision we associated with German engineering, and I think we all valued it as a piece of history and an heirloom, but believed its roughness meant it wasn't worth much otherwise.
Last October, my brother offered to give me the rifle, but since my grandfather had intended him to have it, I declined. I did offer to act as caretaker, so I could do some research, and perhaps even fire a few rounds through it. Since then, I've joined this board and a couple of others, and discovered how knowledgeable the members are. I've learned that the very rough qualities we thought made our Kriegsmodell not terribly valuable, are in fact the qualities that make it so collectible. We have no intention of ever selling the rifle, and intend to hand it down to a deserving member of the next generation. But I'm grateful to the members of the forum for any and all help filling in the blanks about the rifle's history.
All serial numbers appear to match (the barrel, receiver, bolt, sights match, but I haven't disassembled it yet). The stock does not appear to have ever been finished or varnished. The bore is bright, crisp and spotless. The ten rounds I put through it at the range were definitely the first ones put through the rifle in 69 years, and possibly the first ever. It shoots pretty straight, by the way.
Again, I'm pleased to be a new member of the Kar98k forum, and grateful for any and all comments regarding our grandfather's Kriegsmodell.
I'm new to the Kar98k forum, and I have to say I've been extremely impressed with the knowledge of its members, and their willingness to share that encyclopedic knowledge with newbies like me.
With that in mind, I thought I'd share a few photos of my grandfather's S block bnz45.
It was given to him by an Army chaplain, who'd been with U.S. forces as they fought from Normandy to VE Day. Apparently, the chaplain shared the rumors of sabotage at the Steyr-Daimler-Puch factory by the slave laborers. This impressed my grandfather sufficiently that he never actually fired the rifle. But he did plan to someday sporterize the rifle, which thankfully, he never got around to doing.
My grandfather passed the rifle along to his son (my uncle), who in turn gave it to my older brother. Neither of them ever fired it, either, but like my grandfather, they did take very good care of it nonetheless. A couple of years ago, I asked my brother about the rifle's background, history, etc., but he'd never researched it. No one in my family were terribly impressed by the rough finish of the metalwork and stock; it was hardly the precision we associated with German engineering, and I think we all valued it as a piece of history and an heirloom, but believed its roughness meant it wasn't worth much otherwise.
Last October, my brother offered to give me the rifle, but since my grandfather had intended him to have it, I declined. I did offer to act as caretaker, so I could do some research, and perhaps even fire a few rounds through it. Since then, I've joined this board and a couple of others, and discovered how knowledgeable the members are. I've learned that the very rough qualities we thought made our Kriegsmodell not terribly valuable, are in fact the qualities that make it so collectible. We have no intention of ever selling the rifle, and intend to hand it down to a deserving member of the next generation. But I'm grateful to the members of the forum for any and all help filling in the blanks about the rifle's history.
All serial numbers appear to match (the barrel, receiver, bolt, sights match, but I haven't disassembled it yet). The stock does not appear to have ever been finished or varnished. The bore is bright, crisp and spotless. The ten rounds I put through it at the range were definitely the first ones put through the rifle in 69 years, and possibly the first ever. It shoots pretty straight, by the way.
Again, I'm pleased to be a new member of the Kar98k forum, and grateful for any and all comments regarding our grandfather's Kriegsmodell.
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