NC swp 45 Find....

Last week we went on vacation to visit my parents in WNC...love the mountains there! Anyway, one afternoon my dad and went out so I could hit a few gun stores and pawn shops around Hendersonville...not a lot of milsurp in the area I have found over the years, but never hurts to look. We hit about 4, and were on our way to the next one when we passed a shop we had seen, but my dad never checked it out, so I said lets stop...

Turns out it was the best store around if you like milsurps and old stuff, tons of cool stuff...prices ranged from ok, to what are you smoking, but lots of neat stuff. I saw a 98k on z rack, so asked to look at it...I got a little excited to see it was an swp 45 semi-kriegs...the light was shite in there, and the gun had been liberally coated all over with varnish or shellac which had turned dark, so it was hard to even make out the serial, although I just could. Then I got real excited to see the bolt matched...I asked the price, and it seemed reasonable for a matching swp…

I shot out a few texts for advice, and while waiting, I decided to hell with it, I'm going back to get it...so I did...

Unfortunately (maybe) with my buck fever I didn't notice the font on the bolt was bad, but the two guys I texted saw it right off the bat when I sent pics...

I could probably take it back and return it, as the guy also had it listed on GB and said he gave a 3 day return policy. After mulling it over for a day and a half, I decided screw it, I'll keep it...so I brought it home, and worked on cleaning it up. I had to get the crappy varnish off of everything, and clean it up a bit.

The bolt has issues, and some oddities and is renumbered...but I dig the really chattered, rough stock, and I think the rest of the gun is ok...I like it anyway...

Here are some overall shots...

Some more overall stuff before I get into details...

The milled takedown lug is marked E/26, the Eagle over H is extremely faint, but there...stock is un-numbered...

The byf single E/135 trigger guard has lock screws, so it is right for a subcontract part, but the lock screws seem awfully late, maybe it sneaked through, or maybe it was replaced...but seems to match the condition of the gun...opinions? Was it unheard of for lock screw equipped TG's this late?

Getting into details...Bolt first...

Obvious font is wrong on bolt root (I am not good on fonts, but the "a" is pretty obvious even to me after I looked hard at it), Clay looked at it and said whomever renumbered knew what he was doing, and did it right...I saw a good gutter when I looked, and figured that was good. Clay started talking machinist shite that went over my head, but he mentioned the surface is perfectly flat, and was drawn over a file after stamping which is the way they did it, to remove the excess metal from stamping.

It does have a firing proof, and is E/63 marked under the root.

Extractor is Imperial marked, which I guess is not unheard of in late Brunn's…

Firing pin, unmarked except odd mark in triangle...

Shroud, unmarked, Clay said definitely not Czech because of the milling marks, but he thinks it is German, says it reminded him of SS contract shrouds...the lock pin is marked E/26. Cocking piece is a rejected part, with asterisk, numbered (in Brunn font it looks like) poorly 33, phosphate...

Safety un-numbered...

Funky bolt...oh well, live and learn.

More bolt stuff...

Other details...

Follower spring is marked E/655...follower E/135...Inside of floorplate is a cursive "B", don't know I remember seeing that at all...

Ejector box and all sight parts unmarked.

Barrel code for Paul, dot 13 in shield, AH, E/63...

Oh, sharp eyed Clay noticed that the un-numbered handguard had a very faint E/655 mark on the top...

So there it is, the good, the bad, and the ugly...

Should I have passed on it, or returned it...probably...

But at the end of the day, to me anyway, its still a pretty neat gun...

Interesting rifle. The stock is great! The bolt is odd for sure. I’ll admit to not knowing late dot as could as I could but isnt single e/63 on the root typically dou? I do like the asterisk on the cocking piece.

CanadianAR said:

I’ll admit to not knowing late dot as could as I could but isnt single e/63 on the root typically dou?.

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Good question, could be...damned late war stuff...

I don't know it well enough either...

CanadianAR said:

..isnt single e/63 on the root typically dou? I do like the asterisk on the cocking piece.

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That's what I understand. Single acceptance is bolts sent to Bystrica and the ones that stayed in house got a second acceptance. I like trying to work out what might have been out of spec or the defect near the asterisk too.

I know more about astrophysics than late k98's but I love the "rough as poop deck pappy's pipe" stock.

Small world.. I'm 20 minutes down the road from Hendersonville.

What shop was it? Place next to the mighty dollar?

Congrats!

ncreptile said:

Small world.. I'm 20 minutes down the road from Hendersonville.

What shop was it? Place next to the mighty dollar?

Congrats!

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Meh, don't know if congrats is really applicable....

But, I wish I knew you were so close, I would've have stopped by your shop (you have a shop now, don't you?)...20 minutes in which direction?

It was Michael Merker Riflemakers...

Great find! Lucky stiff-one of those has been on my want list for years.
Didn't see a pic of the tg. Does it wear lock screws? If not, are the holes tapped, or unfinished?

moconfed said:

Great find! Lucky stiff-one of those has been on my want list for years.
Didn't see a pic of the tg. Does it wear lock screws? If not, are the holes tapped, or unfinished?

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The trigger does have completed lock screw holes...Like I said, its sort of bittersweet, as the bolt is humped...but I figured I'd keep it, I can always strip it for parts if say a truly all matching sporterized gun comes down the pike....

Re: the bolt, the firing proof is also wrong for Brunn... and the E/63 on this bolt is probably Mauser Oberndorf with that firing proof.

On proper Brunn I bolts, there is a myth that E/63 to be universally expected twice, as written below..

http://www.k98kforum.com/showthread.php?6100-dot-bolt-acceptance&highlight=dou+brunn

Also, here's a thread on Brunn font...

http://www.k98kforum.com/showthread.php?11431-FONT-dot-bolt-numerals-1943-1944

I like the gun though I agree that the bolt body has been gone over. The stock is beautiful!! Love the roughness and chatter on it. I also really like that cocking piece, the extra stampings on it make me think of Steyr. I have seen that cursive “B” on parts before, for sure on bolt shroud lock pins, and on other floor plates. I say it’s a good find!


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Shame about the bolt and the shellac but the chatter on the stock is lovely. Hopefully you didn't pay too much, but good find nonetheless. Love those swp and dot rifles

mb44kar said:

Shame about the bolt and the shellac but the chatter on the stock is lovely. Hopefully you didn't pay too much, but good find nonetheless. Love those swp and dot rifles

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Oh, I paid way too much, but thats what buck fever does to you...but I am not sweating it too much, I like the gun despite the issues.

I also have a late war swp45 with the leaf rear sight. Cannot help with stoock markings as mine was sanded/cut/sportered.

My bolt is different for sure, no guide lug on bolt body.

Trigger guard has no lock screws nor cut for them.

Do you want pics of any areas on mine for comparison?

pzjgr said:

Meh, don't know if congrats is really applicable....

But, I wish I knew you were so close, I would've have stopped by your shop (you have a shop now, don't you?)...20 minutes in which direction?

It was Michael Merker Riflemakers...

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No sir.
No overhead = I can keep prices lower for my customers so I can actually compete with the big boys on pricing. That said if you're back nxt year just give a hollar, we'll go shooting or something. I'm about 20-30 minutes down the road sorta kinda Tryon area.

Thanks for letting me know.