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K98k JP Sauer Sniper....?

Mauserguy85

Well-known member
K98k JP Sauer SSR 1943 Sniper....?

Hey guys,

I've been searching and reading the web and my reference books. Unfortunately we all know about the severe data and "fake rifle" errors in the BBOTW Vol2 sniper book. There really doesnt seem to be alot of information out there IMO. Ive always wondered about the defining characteristics besides the obvious of JP Sauer SSR sniper rifles vs Standard rifle production. Namely I'm interested in 1942-43 production, since by then finish started to suffer.

Did sniper rifles receive a higher degree of finish?

We're milling marks polished completely out?

Who supplied the SSR mounts? In house Sauer, MO, or ??

What kind of acceptance proofs would be on the mount/base?

Were the receivers stamped twice with a firing proof?

Were better quality stocks selected?

Looking over the KM book (pg 317), I noticed that the bcd coded LSR mounts are numbered with suffix to the rifle's serial... But the font looks like a Non-Sauer font. Why is that? I know Sauer had multiple font sets but they look more like a MO font.

Does anybody here have a original CE43 sniper that they would like to share photos of?

Sorry for all the questions but I know very little about k98k snipers and would just like to learn more with the hopes that one day I might find a legit example.
 
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Many of your questions are hard to answer as procedures varied from maker to maker. For example, late byf high turrets did get some attention to removing chatter marks from sniper stocks, but none of the makers did extra polishing or finishing of snipers in 43-44. Many were simply hand selected from finished/test fired rifles (save for the Gustloff LSR's which were purpose built on special receivers). Later 43-45 Mauser Oberndorf turret rifles did get an extra proof, as did High turrets at JP Sauer, but the LSR rifles did not get an extra proof. As far as I know, SSR mounts were subcontracted, but turret mounts were made in house. LSR mounts were subcontracted but do have Zella-Mehlis area inspections which is close to the Sauer factory, but far from the Gustloff factory. Early JPS SSR rifles have serials with suffix on the mount that match typical JPS fonts, not sure why later LSR mounts don't, but both were probably done in a special shop in the factory and not done by outside contractors.
 
Very interesting and thanks for the info. What's the story with early 1944 S&S sniper production? Do legit type 3 SSR ce44's exist or was sniper production halted until the arrival of the BCD thick sidewall coded receivers destined to be LSR snipers?
 
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If you search I have pics of an original CE42 SSR. It is an original receiver/barrel/stock and scope base. Sadly the upper part of the mount/scope is missing and the overall rifle is a mis-match.

Nevertheless, it is an authentic CE SSR.
 
Very interesting and thanks for the info. What's the story with early 1944 S&S sniper production? Do legit type 3 SSR ce44's exist or was sniper production halted until the arrival of the BCD thick sidewall coded receivers destined to be LSR snipers?

I'm not 100% sure, but I think with the adoption of the LSR system the SSR system became obsolete?
 
I'm not 100% sure, but I think with the adoption of the LSR system the SSR system became obsolete?

That would make sense, so would it be safe to assume that ssr's were still used until the introduction of the LSR mount in the "u" block of S&S 1944 rifles? Or would it be more rational to think that thick sidewall ce43 coded receivers were being used for the new LSR system from the start of production in 44?
 
That would make sense, so would it be safe to assume that ssr's were still used until the introduction of the LSR mount in the "u" block of S&S 1944 rifles? Or would it be more rational to think that thick sidewall ce43 coded receivers were being used for the new LSR system from the start of production in 44?

I have seen legitimate ce43 LSR rifles, albeit they have a different system that mounts the base to the rifle, so I would assume that there are no factory built SSR's in 44. That doesn't preclude the appearance of SSR's in 44, and we have certainly seen fakes of them. The hardest part about SSR rifles is authentication, so building a database of real examples is hard. I don't even follow them there are so many fakes.
 
If you wish to find out if an SSR is authentic or not, Mauser99 or Senich are good references. The SSR had several legit variations, which sadly makes it easier to fake. There were at least III styles of scope mounts; each was made by multiple contractors with slight variations. Some stocks were inletted to accomodate the mounts, where others had cut-outs like LSR stocks. Quite often SSR fakes use contracted Swedish Ajack scopes/mounts. The parts show the right age (65+ years), but the design is different than the German purposed SSR's.

LSR's were an improvement on the SSR system (more stable - increased strength). There was probably an overlap as the SSR's were phased out and LSR's phased in.
 

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