Hope the Mods are OK with posting this here.
Move or delete as appropriate. Wanted to share.
Some years back I acquired this rifle from the family of the Vet. I find it fascinating.
I have observed a handful of these austere sporting rifles made in Suhl and Zella Mehlis in the autumn of 1944.
Darin Weaver does a great job of laying out the circumstances which resulted in these being produced in small quantity in that late stage of the War. See “Desperate Measures” Chapter 4 and particularly figure 88.
When I purchased it for a small sum the gun was pretty much untouched as returned as War Booty. The metal in some areas had frosted and some light pitting remained after clean up with Kroil. The stock was in a sad state with drying and shrinkage resulting in several cracks in the area of the inletting and wrist.
What to do? I set about repairing the cracks by injecting acra-glass in the wrist and re-inforcing the wrist. I felt there was nothing to lose at that stage. I took care to preserve the penciled in serial number in the barrel channel. Those efforts were all successful in restoring the gun so that I could shoot it and hunt with it. I felt the small number of people who recognize these and appreciate their significance would not result in the gun having great monetary value. To me; it did and still does. And as a Hillbilly Whitetail hunter - my mission I felt was to put it back to work.
The gun zero’d with Norma factory loads and S&B 196 grain SP’s as the sights were set. It is amazingly accurate for a light rifle, but painful after a couple of rounds. I added the lace on pad and proper vintage sling of the correct style – from the old country.
I believe the basis of the gun is a 98K receiver as “Mod 98” ghosts through the bluing where scrubbed. The only other clue on the receiver is the bottom markings. Perhaps some of you can determine who the maker was from that?? It has the Commercial Eagle N proof of the period.
The bolt is I believe FN made and has been scrubbed, re-numbered with the last 2 digits of the serial number and Commercial Eagle N proofs applied to the bottom flat.
The Sleeve was scrubbed not numbered but the “ghn” contractor marking remains.
The firing pin, cocking piece, safety are blank, likely scrubbed.
The extractor has a WaA4 at the tail.
The all stamped magazine components are all typical of the period. They do not appear to be scrubbed of markings but are blank in that regard.
All that salvage or possibly reject parts available to the small maker in Zella-Mehlis.
The barrel is where the most clues and information can be found.
A double stamp of what appears to me to “GERHARDT-ZELLA-M.” is located at 6 o’clock on the barrel above all the typical Zella-Mehlis proofs. The proof dates are there November 1944.
I believe that sporters like this along with the “Commercial bcd’s, and reworks such as the VZ 24 in Bruce’s wonderful book are very much akin. In my opinion, Weaver’s research has made it clear that the efforts to arm the Volksturm were separate from the Heerswaffenamt procurement, and anything that would shoot or could be assembled from salvage or rejected parts scraped up was built by these smaller Suhl and Zella Mehlis firms to “cash in” on that demand. The large firms were already working to capacity to meet those HWA contracts. It was the only source of production to augment the booty rifles, and firearms of all types from outside the military.
The enemy was at the gates in November 1944.
All these old relics have a story to tell. This one really talks to me. And although I have not yet used it to harvest a Whitetail it has kept me entertained while sitting in the Hochsitz in November watching the sun come up and go down.
Anyway…
Comments or corrections are as always welcome. My goal to learn more, share with whom-so-ever might be interested.
Good Collecting!!!!!!!!!!!
Move or delete as appropriate. Wanted to share.
Some years back I acquired this rifle from the family of the Vet. I find it fascinating.
I have observed a handful of these austere sporting rifles made in Suhl and Zella Mehlis in the autumn of 1944.
Darin Weaver does a great job of laying out the circumstances which resulted in these being produced in small quantity in that late stage of the War. See “Desperate Measures” Chapter 4 and particularly figure 88.
When I purchased it for a small sum the gun was pretty much untouched as returned as War Booty. The metal in some areas had frosted and some light pitting remained after clean up with Kroil. The stock was in a sad state with drying and shrinkage resulting in several cracks in the area of the inletting and wrist.
What to do? I set about repairing the cracks by injecting acra-glass in the wrist and re-inforcing the wrist. I felt there was nothing to lose at that stage. I took care to preserve the penciled in serial number in the barrel channel. Those efforts were all successful in restoring the gun so that I could shoot it and hunt with it. I felt the small number of people who recognize these and appreciate their significance would not result in the gun having great monetary value. To me; it did and still does. And as a Hillbilly Whitetail hunter - my mission I felt was to put it back to work.
The gun zero’d with Norma factory loads and S&B 196 grain SP’s as the sights were set. It is amazingly accurate for a light rifle, but painful after a couple of rounds. I added the lace on pad and proper vintage sling of the correct style – from the old country.
I believe the basis of the gun is a 98K receiver as “Mod 98” ghosts through the bluing where scrubbed. The only other clue on the receiver is the bottom markings. Perhaps some of you can determine who the maker was from that?? It has the Commercial Eagle N proof of the period.
The bolt is I believe FN made and has been scrubbed, re-numbered with the last 2 digits of the serial number and Commercial Eagle N proofs applied to the bottom flat.
The Sleeve was scrubbed not numbered but the “ghn” contractor marking remains.
The firing pin, cocking piece, safety are blank, likely scrubbed.
The extractor has a WaA4 at the tail.
The all stamped magazine components are all typical of the period. They do not appear to be scrubbed of markings but are blank in that regard.
All that salvage or possibly reject parts available to the small maker in Zella-Mehlis.
The barrel is where the most clues and information can be found.
A double stamp of what appears to me to “GERHARDT-ZELLA-M.” is located at 6 o’clock on the barrel above all the typical Zella-Mehlis proofs. The proof dates are there November 1944.
I believe that sporters like this along with the “Commercial bcd’s, and reworks such as the VZ 24 in Bruce’s wonderful book are very much akin. In my opinion, Weaver’s research has made it clear that the efforts to arm the Volksturm were separate from the Heerswaffenamt procurement, and anything that would shoot or could be assembled from salvage or rejected parts scraped up was built by these smaller Suhl and Zella Mehlis firms to “cash in” on that demand. The large firms were already working to capacity to meet those HWA contracts. It was the only source of production to augment the booty rifles, and firearms of all types from outside the military.
The enemy was at the gates in November 1944.
All these old relics have a story to tell. This one really talks to me. And although I have not yet used it to harvest a Whitetail it has kept me entertained while sitting in the Hochsitz in November watching the sun come up and go down.
Anyway…
Comments or corrections are as always welcome. My goal to learn more, share with whom-so-ever might be interested.
Good Collecting!!!!!!!!!!!
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