My First Gew 98 -

After a long search, I am now a proud owner of Gew 98. I was surprised that there was so much cosmoline underneath the wood line, it seems it hasn't been fired since being imported by N.A.C. Now she is all cleaned up, with a good/decent bore. Numbers are mismatched, but with very interesting arabic markings. I believe she will be a great shooter! Any insight/info about my Gew 98 would gladly be appreciated! I didnt see any markings on the outside of the stock and buttplate, but maybe I'm missing something. Please enlighten me Gew 98 gurus!

Probably imported from Turkey with those markings, plus it is a 1917 Mauser Oberndorff product if I am reading the date correctly, and that contract was supposedly largely sent to Turkey during WW1.

Agreed, large numbers of Mauser production went to Turkey 1916-1918, but 1917 especially so (but not exclusively, there are a significant number that stayed in Germany, though straight up Imperial MO/17's are elusive)

The Czech bolt fits well with these too, the Czechs sold the Turks a large number of components, especially bolts after the war. Fact or fiction, there has long been rumored that the English when capturing Turk rifles would disable them by removing the bolts, burying or destroying the bolts later (I suppose the extreme remoteness, hostile environment, a burdened transport system didn't allow transporting captured rifles back...); the Czechs after the war obliged the Turks by making a lot of bolts, along with the rifle contract they filled for the Turks.

Anyway, this is clearly a Turk G98 and typically they are worth what their condition dictates, which is typically not much. The Turks used up rifles, very hard on them, but it is not unheard of finding bolt mismatcher G98's from Turkey. This isn't one and due to its mismatched condition, probably not worth a lot, - but who can tell these days, idiots pay $500-600 for rc's and worse.

Thanks 11mm and Loewe for the info of my Turk G98! Knowing more about my G98 makes it all the more special! I'm hoping I run across more G98's in the future! Thanks again!