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Buttplate find

U

u96

Well-known member
The first "word" or abbreviation looked German to me and I thought "Tod" was todt at first. However, this is clearly from a GI. Any vets out there that can translate anything here? The numbers and letters at the bottom right may be a unit? Thank you
 

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Per the note, I would guess a Navy vet aboard LST-17 (landing ship, tank) found it at a dump near the dock in the port city of Bizerte, Tunisia in Sep. 1943. LST-17 was launched early in 1943 and served in the European, North African theater before moving to the Pacific later in the war per NavSource records. Can't make out the last set of numbers. Any photos of the rifle?


http://www.navsource.org/archives/10/16/160017.htm
 
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Stan said:
Per the note, I would guess a Navy vet aboard LST-17 (landing ship, tank) found it at a dump near the dock in the port city of Bizerte, Tunisia in Sep. 1943. LST-17 was launched early in 1943 and served in the North African theater per Nav. source records. Can't make out the last set of numbers. Any photos of the rifle?
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Wow, that was more specific than I hoped for! Thanks. I can post some later but the note is the best thing about it. If it's a field pick-up, I wonder why it's a bolt mismatch?
 
Stan said:
Per the note, I would guess a Navy vet aboard LST-17 (landing ship, tank) found it at a dump near the dock in the port city of Bizerte, Tunisia in Sep. 1943. LST-17 was launched early in 1943 and served in the European, North African theater before moving to the Pacific later in the war per NavSource records. Can't make out the last set of numbers. Any photos of the rifle?


http://www.navsource.org/archives/10/16/160017.htm
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Nice work! Stan

u96 said:
The first "word" or abbreviation looked German to me and I thought "Tod" was todt at first. However, this is clearly from a GI. Any vets out there that can translate anything here? The numbers and letters at the bottom right may be a unit? Thank you
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That is a really cool find. I like when history like this comes around. I can't make out the numbers/letters in the bottom right either, just present from 'Shebby' Sept. 1943.
 
So, lower right appears to be "#7.447.2/c."
Any thoughts? Is the first "word" a rank abbreviation?
Thanks!
 
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As it turns out, the landing craft referenced was manned by a coast guard crew and was at D-Day. Tunisia in '43 was probably Afrika Korps. Here are the pics. Unfortunately, someone refinished the metal above the wood line. It was a wearing away and had that cold blue reek so I chose to remove it to get it as close to original as possible. I can see why it was refinished because I was careful taking off the cold blue and not much original finish is left. Anyway, aside from the bolt which matches itself, everything down to the band spring and trigger guard screws match.
 

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Very cool! I always check behind the buttplates in hopes of finding something like this but no luck yet!
 
That is neat, I’ve always hoped to as well but no luck yet. The best/only thing I can remember was a blown out screw hole in a Steyr that had a small piece of what appeared to be camo fabric wrapped around the BP screw to add tension on the threads, I think I snapped some pictures actually. Gotta watch Russian rifles, sometimes they have live rounds under the BP haha.
 
That takes the "awesome" award for the week if not month for me. I'd love to find something like that under the rifle. Now you can try and research the vet.
 
u96 said:
As it turns out, the landing craft referenced was manned by a coast guard crew and was at D-Day. Tunisia in '43 was probably Afrika Korps. Here are the pics. Unfortunately, someone refinished the metal above the wood line. It was a wearing away and had that cold blue reek so I chose to remove it to get it as close to original as possible. I can see why it was refinished because I was careful taking off the cold blue and not much original finish is left. Anyway, aside from the bolt which matches itself, everything down to the band spring and trigger guard screws match.
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Unfortunately every K98 from this collection has just about been reblued. But there is a bunch more now and 200 more coming.
 
flynaked said:
That is neat, I’ve always hoped to as well but no luck yet. The best/only thing I can remember was a blown out screw hole in a Steyr that had a small piece of what appeared to be camo fabric wrapped around the BP screw to add tension on the threads, I think I snapped some pictures actually. Gotta watch Russian rifles, sometimes they have live rounds under the BP haha.
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Ha! That is really cool about the camo though.
 
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