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Matching Phosphate Finish BCD 4

M

MilsurpDan

Junior Member
Picked this up last weekend at a local show. I was helping a dealer friend of mine set up his booth before it started and walked over to find another seller with an assortment of rifles including this K98k. Looked it over and bought it. I don't know much about later war rifles but I knew enough that this was a nice rifle for a fair price.

Apparently the file size of my pictures are too large for the website uploader. Please find the pictures at the link below.

https://imgur.com/a/w3SnFp5

Looks to be a Gustloff rifle made in late 1944 with the Phosphate finish from what I've found in the Kreigsmodell book. It appears to be from the first group of 5-digit rifles without serial number prefixes or suffixes.

The bolt handle, safety, bolt shroud, and cocking piece are serial numbered matching to the rifle and look to be un-dicked with. The barrel bands are stamped and are not serial numbered. They have a patina on them but I believe they were blued. The magazine spring and follower are blued along with the rear sight spring. The trigger guard is stamped and blued as well. The stock appears to be the "odd size" C stamped subcontractor made one without any serial number. The stock is in very good shape and has never been sanded or messed with. The edges are very crisp.

There is an interesting drawing lightly painted on the stock which I believe is some kind of unit emblem? Can anybody give me some insight as to what unit it might belong to? Some Military Police Units have similar looking patches with the sword or pistol from what I found on google.

The rifle is very clean and there was not any rust or corroded parts that I found. I have not taken the rifle apart. The band spring is on fairly tight so I didn't want to mess with it. Unfortunately it's missing the cleaning rod, but at least those can be found. The "capture" screws are also missing. Would a late war rifle like this have them? If so I have a spare set that I will add.

Let me know what you guys think! I paid $700 for it. The guy wouldn't budge on the price but I honestly think I got a pretty good deal from what I can see.
 
Very nice rifle for that price. I have a very similar one which is 199 rifles earlier than yours.
 
Awesome rifle, really like the look of it!! You did really well on that. Not so sure about the butt pirate motif though.
 
I think it’s highly doubtful myself. It looks too new and not concurrent with the patina and aging of the rifle imho, but I could easily be wrong!
 
I agree, great rifle, awesome look to it, and a great deal...congrats on the pickup!

I also think the marking is post war....don't think the Germans have much of a pirate culture, and it looks somewhat new...I would leave it for now, but if it is proven to be not German applied, I'd remove it, but that's just me....
 
I doubt it’s wartime but I’d leave it for now. It’d likely be easy enough to remove if you had a mind to but if it turned out to be German or even applied by a GI, it’d suck to lose that. Either way, it doesnt detract that much. That rifle looks amazing and a steal at 700 bucks! Congrats!
 
Nice, untouched bcd 4! I think that motif on the butt is middle Eastern. It looks like art, not a stencil or stamp. This one likely spent considerable time in the sandbox, where it was carried and used but little..
 
They did have a nasty case of river piracy immediately after the the First World War, the AEF had their supplies raided several times and pressed for action on the river (not to the Germans, who were powerless to stop them, from recollection they pressed the Belgians to take action as that stretch of the river was in their zone...). Further river piracy (including duties and tolls levied upon all trade prior to German unification,every jurisdiction had their own taxes before a series of agreements regulated a more commerce friendly enviroment) was a serious problem well into the early 19th century. Germany was Europe's plaything before Prussia settled the issue in a series of confrontations (with Austria and France, both of whom deserve little sympathy when it came to the retribution that came their way in the late 19th century - not that Prussia was any better. Everyone, most especially Germans, would have been better off if self-determination and open plebiscites were given to each German state and all ethnic groups in central Europe, - not carved up at Versailles as loot to Germany's neighbors)

pzjgr said:
I agree, great rifle, awesome look to it, and a great deal...congrats on the pickup!

I also think the marking is post war....don't think the Germans have much of a pirate culture, and it looks somewhat new...I would leave it for now, but if it is proven to be not German applied, I'd remove it, but that's just me....
Click to expand...
 
Thanks guys!

I agree that the motif on the stock is probably post war. It looks “older” but I figured if it was wartime or immediate post war, the paint would look more worn/crackled. I’ll keep an eye out if I can find any units that may have had something similar. I’ll probably keep it on there for the time being.

Is there any gun oil/solvents I should keep away from the rifle? I’d just like to lightly swab down the metal parts and I’m not sure if any of the stuff I have would react poorly with the phosphate finish. The only stuff I usually use is CLP, Kroil, Hoppe’s #9 and Ballistol.

The bore is excellent but I doubt I’ll ever shoot this one. I’ve already got a couple shooter K98k’s.
 
Barrel codes?

Loewe is that a ce barrel? That looks like the same damaged acceptance that was used on my late ce/44.
 
Yes, JPS, common for this range (both for Gustloff assembles and JPS assembles of bcd/4 receivers)

** impossible for it to be Ruhrstahl or FN with what is shown, regardless of waffenamt.
 
Great looking rifle! The phosphate on these late bcd rifles is so appealing to the eye. You did great for what you paid.
 
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