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Luftzeugamt Depot Build

RyanE

Baby Face
Staff member
So I bought that Luftwaffe depot rifle. A nice example from early in the production run, so I thought I would throw up some better pics for reference. I don't think its been apart since the war, its still packed with its original sealing wax on the inside. Built on a spare BSW 1939 receiver with the typical mix of armorers parts, mostly from Astrawerke and the Dresden subcontractors, and a pair of salvaged parts. Stock and handguard are Menzel 'E/18 C' marked. Both are numbered internally, and the stock is numbered externally also. Stock markings under the buttplate are 'Br 2 39 40'. Buttplate has some sort of grey-green paint for internal rust protection instead of the usual red oxide, which I don't think I have ever seen before.

Barrel is marked cxm 63 41 bys E/26 (x3). I don't see an '0,2' marking, so I think it was ground off like another e block rifle I had in the 3700 range. I don't want to disturb the old wax, so I can't look that closely.

Sling that came with it is marked with an ink stamp that ends with 'PRAG 1942'. Can't make out the Czech maker's name above that. 'V. W???? W. ???GNER'? Anyone recognize the stamp? Really, really thick leather on this thing. Keeper is unmarked, but looks to be made of the same type of leather.
 

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Some more pics. Always like to see the raw wood in the sling cutout, under the bands, and on the edge of the stock where it meets the handguard. You can see some hardened wax inside the stock also.
 

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Last one of the sling marking. Easily the thickest sling I have ever seen. Extremely tight though the rear band.

And just for illustration, the removed '0,2' on LZA rifle 3796e
 

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Very cool gun. You think the wax could be cosmoline? It looks it to me in some of the cracks. Really great gun in my opinion. On the sling, only maker I know that is close is Von Waldow Prag.

186e150707cdfa9b99cb39fe6f70f93e.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Very cool gun. You think the wax could be cosmoline? It looks it to me in some of the cracks. Really great gun in my opinion. On the sling, only maker I know that is close is Von Waldow Prag.

186e150707cdfa9b99cb39fe6f70f93e.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Ok, first part of the makers mark is definitely "V. Waldow". Second half is harder to make out, but defintiely ends in "NER".

Could be something similar to Cosmoline. I have two other rifles packed with the same stuff.
 
Congrats to your new rifle and thank you very much for the great photos! Jordan looked with me at the rifle in the auction, the pictures was horrible and now we can see all details. :happy0180:

It's a very early Luftzeugamt Depot Build and it's nice we have the stock completion date code "BR 2 39 40", it means September 24, 1940. Certainly it was assembled mid/end 1941, fits to the rifle crisis time frame.

I would say the "old wax" is Waffenfett TL 6006 - Gun grease TL 6006, it was used to spread the Unfleiß, the areas between barrel, receiver and stock.

Regards,
Stephan
 
Very cool gun. You think the wax could be cosmoline? It looks it to me in some of the cracks. Really great gun in my opinion. On the sling, only maker I know that is close is Von Waldow Prag.

Very close Mike, the maker is W. Waldow-Launer in Prag. The company made leather goods like rifle slings, steel helmet chinstraps etc. for the Wehrmacht.
 
I would say the "old wax" is Waffenfett TL 6006 - Gun grease TL 6006, it was used to spread the Unfleiß, the areas between barrel, receiver and stock.


Good info! It is also spread all over the bayonet lug to keep the lug and front band from rusting together.
 
Congrats to your new rifle and thank you very much for the great photos! Jordan looked with me at the rifle in the auction, the pictures was horrible and now we can see all details. :happy0180:

It's a very early Luftzeugamt Depot Build and it's nice we have the stock completion date code "BR 2 39 40", it means September 24, 1940. Certainly it was assembled mid/end 1941, fits to the rifle crisis time frame.

I would say the "old wax" is Waffenfett TL 6006 - Gun grease TL 6006, it was used to spread the Unfleiß, the areas between barrel, receiver and stock.

Regards,
Stephan

What Stephan said on both counts, congrats. That gun grease was applied per regulation to generally keep water, etc., out of the areas between the wood and metal. It would have been applied upon issue IMHO. I've got that on a number of rifles. Many times over-ambitious collectors clean that off to make the rifle "perfect" :googlie Good that you left it! I've got a couple unissued rifles that have a black preservative grease which I think is what was put on at the factory under the woodline. I think the black areas on the wood under the bands show the remnants of this in some instances.

Excellent rifle, congrats, and pic stickied.
 
Love that rifle! Good grab. I Wanted to.chase it so bad. But too much buying up here. Glad someone here got it.
 
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