My grandfather was a doctor in the cavalry in WWI (and hated his horse until the day he died.) In a closet he had some pieces that I recall seeing as a kid (helmet with eagle, spike, and shrapnel hole), trench knife, etc. I was awed by a bolt action rifle, however. 50 years later, my father died (recent) and among the crap in his closet was that rifle. It appears to be a Erfurt 1916, with the last two numbers of the serial number being "71." All the pieces of metal that are visible appear to be stamped with "71." There is some surface rust on the bluing, but all marks and stamps are quite clear.
I took it to a friend, who is really knowledgeable about military rifles this is the first (of 14) gun I have owned of which has wood on it and the more we looked the happier he seemed. There is a leather sling (I am almost sure it is real, and original) on the rifle but it is somewhat stiff and dry. In accordance with his suggestion, I have ordered some Pecard Antique leather treatment as well as some Neatsfoot oil. The plan is to get the leather soft enough to thread through the barrel band, remove the strap and keep it somewhere safe.
We cleaned the bore, and it does not look like it was ever used. The plan is to remove the action so we can A. Acertain the condition of the wood (there are no splits, checks, or other indications of problems) and B. See if there are any marks on the bottom of the barrel/action.
My questions (and there are likely to be bunches) to start with are:
1. On the right side of the stock the sling has a square swivel doohickey attached to the end of the sling. When the button is pressed, the 1" (or so) sling swivel opens. Why? What was attached to it?
2. On the left side, near the loop of the sling (it fastens by turning one metal piece 90 degrees and poking through the leather; I can see how that works) there is another metal loop which is loose on the sling. One side of that loose piece is puckered, shaped like a cartoon upper lip. What is this for?
Since I am new, I will need some posts before I can send photos (according to the instructions.) I plan to send photos so I can ask more questions-
Thanks for your help-
No, it's not for sale...
I took it to a friend, who is really knowledgeable about military rifles this is the first (of 14) gun I have owned of which has wood on it and the more we looked the happier he seemed. There is a leather sling (I am almost sure it is real, and original) on the rifle but it is somewhat stiff and dry. In accordance with his suggestion, I have ordered some Pecard Antique leather treatment as well as some Neatsfoot oil. The plan is to get the leather soft enough to thread through the barrel band, remove the strap and keep it somewhere safe.
We cleaned the bore, and it does not look like it was ever used. The plan is to remove the action so we can A. Acertain the condition of the wood (there are no splits, checks, or other indications of problems) and B. See if there are any marks on the bottom of the barrel/action.
My questions (and there are likely to be bunches) to start with are:
1. On the right side of the stock the sling has a square swivel doohickey attached to the end of the sling. When the button is pressed, the 1" (or so) sling swivel opens. Why? What was attached to it?
2. On the left side, near the loop of the sling (it fastens by turning one metal piece 90 degrees and poking through the leather; I can see how that works) there is another metal loop which is loose on the sling. One side of that loose piece is puckered, shaped like a cartoon upper lip. What is this for?
Since I am new, I will need some posts before I can send photos (according to the instructions.) I plan to send photos so I can ask more questions-
Thanks for your help-
No, it's not for sale...