Large Mauser banner kkw questions

[Desert Rat]

Hello, I have a large Mauser banner kkw .22 caliber rifle. From what I have read on this forum the serial number puts the production at November of 1944. When I bought the rifle it had the obligatory sanding and furniture varnish treatment along with a duffle cut at the rear handspring. The good news is that the upper metal is in excellent condition and the trigger guard has spotting on the blue but it is not pitted. The barrel is excellent condition and the rifle is very accurate.

The bolt is matching and functions fine. The wood has a tiger striping quality which is enhanced by the varnish. I never repaired the duffle cut due to the fact that recoil with a .22 caliber round is nonexistent, so band spring tension was sufficient to keep the pieces together. The glue had dried long ago and the two parts will separate if picked up by the forward part of the rifle (this was how I found it was duffle cut) but it is not an issue when firing. I bought the gun as a fun shooter and as I have mentioned the rifle is extremely accurate. I have done nothing to the rifle since I bought it because it served its function very well.

I have no idea what the market value is on a kkw Mauser banner. Searching on the net gives all sorts of values from low to very high. I know condition is a factor, but the sanding on the stock is not excessive and the varnish can be removed. Overall the metal is in very good condition. I personally don't factor in a duffle cut if it is done well and is hidden under a band. I have bought duffle cut stocks before without it effecting the price. I have taken overall photos of the complete rifle as well as the duffle cut sections for evaluation. I am trying to get a fair market value for the rifle since I might be doing a trade for it. Thank you for any information you can provide.

 

[Bob in OHIO]

about 1K IMO

 

[luftmacher]

Up to the BEGINNING of September 1944, Mauser had only sold somewhere near 3,000 KKWs total. By the END of that same month of September 1944, the figure for their total had almost doubled. Buchenwald had been bombed out just the month before, and Mauser was the only source for KKWs after that. During September, October, and November of 1944 there was a new serial range of production initiated and an additional 5,000 KKWs turned out, with most of those being the second range bearing the enigmatic "D.F." suffix. Thus, if you do the math here, both the rifle pictured above (with one of the highest/last numbers) and your "early" 3100 range rifle were both turned out within a couple of months of each other.

There is a Mauser KKW recorded in the 3200 range with a stock (numbered to match) bearing the date of December 1943. The STOCK was made that month, but the rifle that went INTO that stock was not finished to leave the factory until almost a year later. The serial number in the stock was added AFTER the date of the stock's manufacture. It sat in a rack or bin until needed. The point here is that some information/evidence for dating the time of manufacture can be misleading, if not compared with other known data. The most reliable info for this are the Mauser factory production records which run on their FISCAL YEAR of October 1st to the following September 30th, inclusive.

Steve

 

[Desert Rat]

Thank you for the information interesting and informative as always, that is why I appreciate this forum and post here.

 

[Techguns]

Large Mauser banner kkw

I have owned one of these since 1992, great gun to shoot. Mine is in excellent condition all matching. The wood is real nice also no duffle cut. The barrel has the serial # and the D.F. Letters,very low serial #. The front sight base is waffenamt 140 which is from FN in Belgium,they did use military parts on some rifles,sights- upper &and lower bands- band springs . I had also read that barrels were made by FN.

 

[luftmacher]

I have owned one of these since 1992, great gun to shoot. Mine is in excellent condition all matching. The wood is real nice also no duffle cut. The barrel has the serial # and the D.F. Letters,very low serial #. The front sight base is waffenamt 140 which is from FN in Belgium,they did use military parts on some rifles,sights- upper &and lower bands- band springs . I had also read that barrels were made by FN.

More K98k parts (such as bands) were used on late production KKWs, but wouldn't expect to see any FN barrels on trainers.
Steve