krukster86
Well-known member
I had the good fortune to come across an excellent deal for a large quantity of 13 “relic” condition Polish Mauser muzzle covers, which supplemented my meager collection.
All of them were made by the Polish pre-war foundry of “L. Kranc & T. Łempicki” in Warsaw. From the limited information I have, that plant made various bronze items such as chandeliers, candelabras, clocks, lamps, busts, and statues. It appears that they made Polish Mauser muzzle covers as well.
These are marked with “Kranc & Łempicki” on the cap, and have a military acceptance proof stamped on the side, a letter over a number in an oval. One has a unit marking that is cancelled, curiously. These are all of the pattern for the K98 carbine or the K29/Wz.29 short rifle.
They were all in near-freshly ground dug condition with a lot of dirt and corrosion, and advertised as not being able to open and for display only.
I had them cleaned with a toothbrush and oil, and had them soaked in Kroil for a few hours. To my amazement, about 75% of them were able to be opened with careful manipulation. Of that number, about two thirds of them had working internal springs that were not rust-welded in place. One of these was in remarkably good shape with an intact external flat spring, and really helped justify my purchase.
In the past I had a few mounted on my rifles, but in the process of taking them off and on, the hard steel retaining tab on the front sight of the rifle would graze the softer bronze material, leaving a shiny mark on the muzzle cover, so I just have them removed for display.
Here is a photo of the entire collection together, along with the two I have made by the Perkun (which also made bayonets, flare guns and grenade launchers) and the Kranc & Łempicki muzzle cover for a Wz.98/98a long rifle. What I am missing is an example made by FB Radom (made of steel rather than soft bronze), but I hear those go for STUPID amounts of money.
I have not come across any good resources or information about these muzzle covers, their production numbers, etc. If anyone has further information (even in Polish), it would be appreciated.
All of them were made by the Polish pre-war foundry of “L. Kranc & T. Łempicki” in Warsaw. From the limited information I have, that plant made various bronze items such as chandeliers, candelabras, clocks, lamps, busts, and statues. It appears that they made Polish Mauser muzzle covers as well.
These are marked with “Kranc & Łempicki” on the cap, and have a military acceptance proof stamped on the side, a letter over a number in an oval. One has a unit marking that is cancelled, curiously. These are all of the pattern for the K98 carbine or the K29/Wz.29 short rifle.
They were all in near-freshly ground dug condition with a lot of dirt and corrosion, and advertised as not being able to open and for display only.
I had them cleaned with a toothbrush and oil, and had them soaked in Kroil for a few hours. To my amazement, about 75% of them were able to be opened with careful manipulation. Of that number, about two thirds of them had working internal springs that were not rust-welded in place. One of these was in remarkably good shape with an intact external flat spring, and really helped justify my purchase.
In the past I had a few mounted on my rifles, but in the process of taking them off and on, the hard steel retaining tab on the front sight of the rifle would graze the softer bronze material, leaving a shiny mark on the muzzle cover, so I just have them removed for display.
Here is a photo of the entire collection together, along with the two I have made by the Perkun (which also made bayonets, flare guns and grenade launchers) and the Kranc & Łempicki muzzle cover for a Wz.98/98a long rifle. What I am missing is an example made by FB Radom (made of steel rather than soft bronze), but I hear those go for STUPID amounts of money.
I have not come across any good resources or information about these muzzle covers, their production numbers, etc. If anyone has further information (even in Polish), it would be appreciated.
