bSw muzzle cover

Another one of a kind. Or at least it's the only one I've seen. I sold a bSw/986 code to 40caliber. This one is bSw/e204 and might have someone's serial number (8405).
I tried to zoom in the marking.

I checked my 4 BSWs, I get within 400 of it,

anyone closer?

Anyone seen this marking before?

The waffenamt is wrong for BSW, WaA204 is generally Rhineland area firms, or near the Rhine like Kaiserslautern & Karlsruhe. BSW Suhl is only known to use WaA4 (WaA6 early)

The ordnance code for BSW Suhl was 936 not 986, - BSW MC's are rare, only seen a couple and both were 936 e/4. While dating these 936 MC's is impossible, we can make some broad assumptions, with barrels supplied to the ordnance system, 936 was used 1940-1941 and dfb afterward but starting in 1941, so such 936 MC's were probably made in small numbers 1939-1941 though none are dated so far as I have seen. ML owned one of these lids, the other ebay 15 years ago.

While I would have no suspicion of BSW making MC's with 936, BSW or dfb the waffenamt would have to be waffenamt e/4 and be consistent with BSW pattens, this does not seem to possess either.

BSW parts and items are well known to have been tampered with, scoundrels know BSW is popular and rare, a good combination for profit, this mismatched MC should be viewed with some suspicion imo.

Thank you for the time and response Yes, 936. I always mess that up if I don't look first. This one is in excellent shape. Unsure where I got it from as I've been accumulating bSw's and parts for over 20 yrs. Oddly enough I never put much time into their study or factual knowledge. Though I always defer to your expertise in these, I believe the marking is true. An oddity for sure but real. Just my thoughts, no factual basis other than "gut feeling" one gets from looking at markings over the years. The early droop eagle 204 was stamped before the bSw logo as the later is incroaching on the eagle a good bit. My 38' bSw rifle #1182 no suffix with the matching MC has both e/4 on it and bSw. Maybe Tom can do a photo of the bSw 936 MC for folks to see that have not seen one before.

Your example is how they should look imo, though it is probable there are variations, especially to ordnance codes. Just a guess, but BSW probably didn't make MC's after 1941, probably quit earlier, but the last known 98k barrel is dated 1941 and I doubt BSW continued with anything related to the 98k after that. There were the trainers, BSW (Suhl) did make MC's for them also, though just as rare from what I have seen. Not sure when collectors of trainers attribute an end to manufacture, but I wouldn't think past 1941 or at least not long after.

My bet is these MC's date to pre-war for the most part, probably 1939 they ended. By the war Suhl was doing important work and probably had no time for trivial accessories. It seems from what I have gathered, there was some rationalization done between the four facilities and they began to specialize with the start of the war.

Anyway, until more observations are made no one can be too certain of what is or isn't right.

Agreed. With too few examples we need more data and MC's to pop up. I will take a stab at it being for a 37' bSw as they were using the droop eagles and even Imperial style weimar eagles early on. Maybe even one of the "fabled" 36' models. Who knows at this point. But such an early style droop eagle fits the 37' period for this firm.