Quick Gew98m bolt question

So I picked up a nearly all-matching gew98m recently. I am swapping out the refinished (non-matching) stock, and also was thinking about the bolt.

Were the Gew 98m bolts usually blued when they were updated to '98m'? I received this rifle with a mismatching to rifle, but matching to self bolt (straight handle gew 98 bolt) that is blued. I have other in-the-white gew 98 bolts I could use. What is more correct for a gewehr 98m, a blued or in the white bolt? Wondering if anyone with alot of experience knows. Any online research I do is pretty much pointless as 98m bolts rarely match the receiver. Like all mausers the bolts get swapped around over the years so I can't tell what's correct. Basically, woud the germans have blued the bolts when they updated the gewehr 98's to '98m', or was it completely on a case-by-case basis and there's no real correct answer?

Thanks in advance!

A blued bolt would be correct for a Gewehr 98m rifle. A bolt that is in the white would not, that would be for imperial era. This was part of updating the Gew98m in the Weimer era.

Yes, almost all upgraded Gewehr98's (Gew.98M) would have a blued bolt. Almost all passed through a depot 1933-1942 and generally that meant blued metal (receiver & bolt formerly bright or "white" metal), the manner of changing the bolt varied widely, due to time frames and the HZa capabilities, rare, but sometimes the original bolt is maintained, sometimes new/armorer bolt components were used, but most often scrubbed and matched, often later work lacking the suffix.

I should also say that you should be more detailed in your upgraded rifle, what is the component make up, of the rear sight? The sleeve, base, scale & slide lock, there are very early examples that use DWM components, often found on the S28 hybrids, while this wouldn't change the answer very much, earlier upgrades are different than re-armament reworks and upgrades (1933-1942), and far more rare and more individualistic.

The one I just recently got has an 1899 Spandau receiver, rear sight base is S/42K and P74 marked. The waffenampt on the barrel is 46.

I also have another gew98m barreled receiver I'll probably sell soon which is a 1914 'Waffenfabrik Mauser A-G Oberndorf A/N', with waffenampt 33. rear sight base S/42G & K167

WaA33 & 46 are generally Simson inspectors, though 46 can be found early at some 98k start ups. SO a Simson barrel most probably-possibly... that doesn't make it early though, and early re-barrels and upgrades are more diverse in applied modifications, - especially RM work of any kind, those guys were very frugal and prone to expediency.

Really though a e/33 or e/43 Simson barrel would be earlier, probably 1927-1928, a e/46 much later, 1929-1930 + probably, but ordnance spared could have been installed well into rearmament phase. FP style other markings and RS could all help date the work.

The WMO RS components meant rearmament phase for sure, not pre-1933, though WMO did make RS spares prior to rearmament (marked differently)


*** is your Spandau/1899 serial 519?

Yup the 1899 Spandau is s/n 519; the one that just sold on gunbroker a week or so ago.

I can send the FP & RS info, though Im not sure what those are. Is the FP, firing proof? I can send photos if you'd like them. I get the feeling that you are keeping a record of serial numbers, conditions, reworks, etc etc.

Would be very interesting to see what info you've collected over the years.

Let me know what the FP & RS info is and I can post it with any pics you may want.

FP= fireproof
RS - rearsight and or components.

I use abbreviations because it saves typing & most regulars understand the meaning, but I use these and many more for trend sheets.

I have the pictures of 519, actually I do not remember recording the rifle, but saw it in the BC (barrel code) trends, it was the only Spandau/99 with a e/46 barrel. I checked out the picture and it has the Simson trademark, a pyramid with an S inside, - for Simson. I will try and review the pictures tomorrow to see if I have anything to add.

The Spandau/99 barrel and RS are probably rearmament period original, probably 1935-39, I say this because the RS components are early parts that compliment one another (while factory production using sub-contracted RS parts almost always match by supplier, JPS for instance does not mix RS component markers) meaning they are not diverse in mix, late-old, different mfg, the serial on the barrel and RS are comparable, and the barrel FP places the work in the middle-late rearmament period, as does the barrel, which is earlier than WMO ordnance spares but very late Simson made. Anyway, it is my opinion this current work is from the later rearmament phase, after 1935 but before the war.

The receiver has been re-barreled before, obviously, as it has a Prussian FP, while the RR (right receiver acceptance) is correct for 1899 (meaning the rifle/receiver was made 1899) the marking under the second acceptance stamp could relate to the first re-barrel, this would be a typical wartime practice if a higher authority did the work, but it is generally not a practice of Spandau to counter-stamp RR acceptance, though the C/RC is typical of all makers.

Anyway, a rather rare rifle (receiver), SPandau only made around 8000 in 1899, almost all that survive are far from original, or so far as known few are. CB owned one, he tended to have high standards and it could have been a nice example, but I have very few details about it and it never surfaced at auction. At least two are reportedly fairly original, but few pictures and mostly descriptions.

Of course finding a stock will be a challenge, though being an obvious rearmament phase upgrade & re-barrel there is little point in reminiscing about 1899! Finding a suitable G98M stock shouldn't be too difficult, the stock you have isn't right of course, but I can't identify it without a clear acceptance pattern and the pictures suggest its been sanded... maybe better pictures might help on the stock, but the wrist acceptance is a must in most cases, alone it isn't definitive, but the wrist with a combination of lower and RS (right side undercypher) can usually be reliable identifying most stock makers.