Akah Katalog No. 175

[Aeisir]

I picked up a copy at the local auction house last week mostly because the kkw is advertised. The edition isn't dated but some ads list 1940 as the model year for their products. If anyone needs information from it, let me know. My scanner is somewhat fickle, so turn around might be slow. Below is a sample of a page in it.

 

[mauser22]

AKAH Catalog

I would really like to know what you had to pay for that these days if you would not mind sharing that.

 

[mauser99]

Nice

dan, great score. when I posted pages out of my geco reprint I just opened the book and took pic's. just dont use a flash, it works fine. I'd love to see the kkw info.

 

[Aeisir]

No 175

M22: it was 82.50, and I was prepared to go much higher. The amazing thing is that it was even there. The estate had quite a collection of vintage German & US sporting arms books.

M99: KKW advertisement below and rough translation of the description (I don't know the nuances of German vocabulary.) The text below the title compares the kkw to the the K98.

"The outer dimensions of the small-bore - Military Sport - rifle are aligned with the German model 98k service rifle. The weapon is designed for the dismantling of the bolt, in general, the same manipulations are executed, as is the case with the Military Gewehr model 98k."

"Available only from 1940, manufactured by Mauser, Walther or Gustloff-Werke."

 

[JoeW]

I picked up a copy at the local auction house last week mostly because the kkw is advertised. The edition isn't dated but some ads list 1940 as the model year for their products. If anyone needs information from it, let me know. My scanner is somewhat fickle, so turn around might be slow. Below is a sample of a page in it.

It is most likely 1939, as 1940 is mentioned as the expected date of production for some weapons. Yours has been rebound in hard cover. That will help keep it together. The standard issue is soft bound with a weak spine.

 

[Aeisir]

It is most likely 1939, as 1940 is mentioned as the expected date of production for some weapons. Yours has been rebound in hard cover. That will help keep it together. The standard issue is soft bound with a weak spine.

I agree that it was most likely printed in 1939, not in 1940. The page on German weapons law (proof marks, etc.) doesn't have the commercial Eagle-N proof shown and cites that the information was current as of March 1938. Rather than being rebound, I think it is purpose-bound by Akah. The gold-leaf raised logo, title page "Haupt-Katalog", pagination of 1 to 388 and full indexing suggest that this was made as such. The interesting thing is the statement about KKW availability. If I recall from documents in Jon Speed's book, the KKW was in production late in 1938 & all of 1939. Why would it be available to Akah customers only from 1940 and on? BTW, the sling and cleaning kit are advertised in the catalog with sling listing referring to the kkw as new.

-a.

 

[JoeW]

Perhaps Akah was anticipating the release of quantities of commercial KKWs for sale to the public, after the production quota was released to standing orders from the SA and other party or government agencies? You know I had completely missed the section on proof marks. Good call on that. Inasmuch as the new proof law was passed June 7, 1939 and published with all rules and regulations on July 15, 1939, the catalog would have to pre-date that month long period.

Akah must have switched to the more elaborate cover in the 1930s. My 1929 issue has a rather dull cover, but the soft-cover issues of 1935 Katalog Nr. 150 and 1939's Nr. 175 both have the trademark embossed in gold, as well as the Haupt-Katalog title page with full page numbering.