For Your Viewing Pleasure: Mint G43 bcd "b" Block

I acquired this G43 bcd "b" block a few weeks ago - I own quite a few G/K43s, but none come close to this one in terms of condition.

All comments welcome - enjoy.

Ernie

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Wow! Looks like it was taken right off the factory floor. Amazing condition for such a rare code. Great find!

Interesting example... Not sure what to think

I have to say I think I recall seeing one other example of a bcd with a totally unstained stock..

It’s nice looking, but so you know the stock has been cleaned to look like that. Pretty typical 80’s look, one tell is the dark spots where the proofs are- collectors would grease those ares when cleaning to keep the proofs from swelling.


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Darned shame, I hate to even think about it, but there are still people out there ruining great original items every day. I think that on the bright side, with this forum more people are getting the message that in most cases you need to leave your stocks alone.
It would probably at least be a great shooter.

swjXE said:

Darned shame, I hate to even think about it, but there are still people out there ruining great original items every day. I think that on the bright side, with this forum more people are getting the message that in most cases you need to leave your stocks alone.
It would probably at least be a great shooter.

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very bad advise.. shooting a bcd is taking your life in your hands literally.. To be honest this rifle could sell for more than a 100% untouched example... people love blondes... stocks and women !!

mauser99 said:

very bad advise.. shooting a bcd is taking your life in your hands literally.. To be honest this rifle could sell for more than a 100% untouched example... people love blondes... stocks and women !!

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Oops, forgot about that. I'm not a K43 guy. I think they look cooler than hell but in most cases they are made to fire so many shots and then turn into scrap.
You're right about the stock too. I think it's called Mitchell's Mausers Syndrome. Sad thing.

Great observations and comments - keep them coming.

By the way, this rifle came to me with the early unusual Walther scope rig attached, subject of my separate thread in this subforum dated July 26, 2020.

If the markings on the side of the stock were greased over to protect them during a cleaning process, I wonder why those grease residue marks are not apparent on the remainder of the stock markings - is it the opinion of the group that the markings with no residue are damaged as a result of not being protected during a cleaning process?

More information about this rifle: I acquired it from a very elderly collector that wants to personally dispense with his firearms before he passes - he is concerned about his liberal heirs destroying everything once he is gone given their strong stance against private ownership of all firearms (welcome to sunny California). According to the elderly collector, by and through his only son that does not hold his siblings' beliefs about firearms, the elderly collector purchased the subject G43 35-40 years ago from the vet who sent this rifle home, along with two other rifles (one of which I purchased along with the G43 and will raise more controversy than the G43 when I post pictures of it), and a handgun. The son indicates that his father has paperwork from the vet, and is trying to find it for me - I do not dare hope for capture papers, but if I can get the name of the vet, and given the other information communicated to me by the elderly collector, I can try and verify more of the story.

Anyway, the elderly collector told me the rifles he sold to me are just as he acquired them. And yes, I know the old axiom about buying the rifle, not the story - the story has nothing to do with my purchasing decision - I provide it now as simply more potential data points.

Ernie

mauser99 said:

very bad advise.. shooting a bcd is taking your life in your hands literally.. To be honest this rifle could sell for more than a 100% untouched example... people love blondes... stocks and women !!

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Although I wouldn't shoot this example, bcds are not potential bombs, the sabotage was things like undrilled gas ports or incorrectly installed gas blocks. Recievers were subcontracted from St. Etienne and most everything else was subcontracted as well.

These guns have made it 75+ years, most have been shot quite a few times before ever getting into any of our hands...

Ditto

mrfarb said:

It’s nice looking, but so you know the stock has been cleaned to look like that. Pretty typical 80’s look, one tell is the dark spots where the proofs are- collectors would grease those ares when cleaning to keep the proofs from swelling.


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I am not one of these stock cleaned paranoid guys....and I have owned a lot of G43's. If you look at my bcd and Bill G's I think you will see the color that is correct for these. One guy here in PA did a lot of that cleaning.. When I see gas burn marks under the handguard that look too clean... I know what has happened.

Still a nice rifle.

abalducci said:

Although I wouldn't shoot this example, bcds are not potential bombs, the sabotage was things like undrilled gas ports or incorrectly installed gas blocks. Recievers were subcontracted from St. Etienne and most everything else was subcontracted as well.

These guns have made it 75+ years, most have been shot quite a few times before ever getting into any of our hands...

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Interesting take on the subject. I've personally never heard of anyone being killed or injured from the use of a G/K 43. Although I do know that shooting them can be deadly to the collector value caused by cracking matching parts if you don't really do your homework.

Hello jack944 -

Is this what you mean by "...the color that is correct for these"?

Thanks,

Ernie

99% (my personal figure and findings) of G.43 bcd rifles have the stocks in a reddish (kind of a thick looking) stain. The example you show (G.43 bcd #8804a) looks like a stain applied post war.

My first reaction, at first glance, was that this stock has been heavily cleaned or the best repro I’ve ever seen, but looking at it again and again (it is porn you know [emoji6]) I’m thinking that first reaction was a bit premature. Looks legit to me and even if it has been cleaned I really don’t think it would hurt it’s value very much if at all. I have a K43 ac45 d block in a blonde stock (not as clean as the OP’s though) and mine probably has been lightly sanded (still has chatter marks) and lightly cleaned (because it’s not brown or grungy), but it’s still a blonde stock and those legit ones are head turners. It’s probably my favorite G/K43 in my modest grouping.


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Erniesq said:

Hello jack944 -

Is this what you mean by "...the color that is correct for these"?

Thanks,

Ernie

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No. that stock has been sanded and re-stained for sure.. I'm sure there are a couple untouched bcd's listed here. I owned a killer and it was untouched and the stock was fairly light compared to a duv.

All very interesting comments. I was "iffy" on the stock yesterday but I didn't want to be the first to make a comment as I didn't have a 100% feeling on it and it's true, cleaned stocks that end up looking 'super blond' or 'super brunette' often do sell quicker and often for more money than untouched examples. I remember a friend couldn't sell his Mosin 91/30's so he cleaned the stocks and they sold quicker than the un-touched ones on my table.


That one redish stained stock almost looks like 80% of the VoPo stocks I see. They are either a dark shellac or almost a honey red/blond shellac that is slightly matted. I plane on making a VoPo post one day showing the variations of markings etc. I've written it but need to make and collect the photographs.