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Post-War TGF 50 Questions

139aw

Member
I recently bought a TGF 50 marked rifle and had a few questions since there seems to be limited information out there on them. Let me know what you all think.

Mine seems to have a mix of parts that are waffenamt marked:extractor, trigger, sear, firing pin (different serial number so assuming replacement), follower. Were the czech's still using left over small parts to assemble these rifles or does it appear these replaced over the service life the rifle with spares?

My front barrel band and trigger guard are different than what I seen other people have. The barrel band is an earlier style band and my trigger guard is milled with a stamped floor plate. The serial numbers on these match to the gun and they all appear to have the same wear pattern on the parts as the rest of the gun so it appears they have been with it for awhile.

It also has a marking on the stock that was under the buttplate that I have not seen before. Any in-site into this?
 

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Info

When I was doing research for Backbone of the Wehrmacht, I documented many of the rifles bought from Israel in 1987. The importer was in Maryland and I went through the rifles looking for rare codes.

I noted several tgf's as it was the first time I saw that code.
 
That front band was replaced. I can't see enough of your trigger guard to give you an answer. I would expect most, if not all, parts on a tgf 1950 to have been postwar manufactured and for it not to be a collection of parts from multiple rifles. They were fairly similar to the more easily found Czech postwar 98k's but often have a special lower band and trigger guard which has a milled magazine body with a stamped guard welded in place. It is hard to find a tgf 1950 in original, unmolested configuration. Many were rebuilt, often more than once.
 
wow looks like it was cleaned with brillo or wire brush

yes Israel and others purchased these the czech republic was open for business after the war, hope you did not pay much
 
I would almost be tempted to cold blue (blasphemy I know) in order to blend that scratched finish.
Lever Arms in Canada imported many around 1990, most were nearly mint. Neat variation and code. I’ve owned a few but sold them as usually I had to restore them. Many got sporterized as they cost $50-100 when originally imported and they were a cheap Mauser. If I find an un-messed one, I’d be tempted to keep it.
Regards
 
Is this one of the IO imports out of Ethiopia? I seem to recall seeing that they had a batch of TGF 50 K98s.
 
if your gonna fake it , hump it, you got to go better than cold blue that stuff is garbage, at least take the time to rust blue the parts
 
Maybe you could post an overall photo as well. I didn't think the Czechs used that style of recoil lug in the stock. Maybe the stock replaced as well?
 
Here are a few more pictures. Overall and specifically the trigger guard. Sorry about the lighting on the overall ones.

Yea, unfortunately it looks like someone took a wire wheel to it at some-point. The finish protected by the stock actually doesn't look to bad. Not sure if the stock was replaced if it was it was replaced early on in the rifles life. All the numbers in the stock and upper hand guard match to the rifle and there is a faint one the outside of the stock as well.

I've seen that these rifles went to the East Germans, Israelis and Iraqis. I could not find any of those specific markings on the rifle.

Lastly yes this was an IO gun.
 

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yes some tgf 1950's did go to East Germany but not all, these rifles and most post war czech rifles and handguns were for export sale so they ended up in all kind of places. I would need better pictures around the receiver and barrel. wire wheel would have done it for me regardless, how many east german proofs it had. the east germans sold lots of surplus weapons to the middle east as part of military aid. This is why you see east german ak's and equipment to this day in that part of the world, they supplied weapons to numerous countries both on the african Continent, India & south america

it would seem this rifle was not part of that
 
...Not sure if the stock was replaced if it was it was replaced early on in the rifles life. All the numbers in the stock and upper hand guard match to the rifle and there is a faint one the outside of the stock as well...

It may be the original stock. That is the pattern of stock I would expect on a Czech postwar 98k.
 
Thank you all for the info.

Well, they did not advertise it was wire-wheeled haha.

I don't think its an east german gun it has not other proofs that I can see besides the standard czech ones.
 
It may be the original stock. That is the pattern of stock I would expect on a Czech postwar 98k.

I think you're right about the stock being the correct pattern for that rifle. That late Oberndorf style recoil lug might have thrown me off. The trigger guard and floorplate definitely seem to be recycled, wartime parts, as well as both bands. I think those rifles imported by IO and Royal Tiger are from the recent Ethiopian hoard of rifles. I've read the K98k's are mostly mismatched from that find, or forced matched to some degree or another regardless of the importer write ups on matching numbers. Condition issues as well.
 

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