Third Party Press

K98a from...?

P

phosphorus32

Active member
I picked up this small ring K98a recently in an auction. It was apparently rearsenaled somewhere outside Germany after WWI, from what I've read, probably Poland. I assume it was originally manufactured in Germany, as it has many imperial crown markings and an eagle on the bolt, as well as the correct features like the curved stacking hook. It has a beechwood stock and handguard in nice condition, the original numbers don't match but they have penciled in 1018. It’s a mixmaster that was presumably restamped 1018 or 18 on most of the parts after scrubbing the receiver ring and side rail and rebluing (there’s some scattered shallow pitting present, and it’s all blued). I've looked everywhere, and it has no import stamp or even pre-’68 country of manufacture/origin stamp anywhere. I’d be really happy to hear any insights on where it may have been rearsenaled or any other info. I also saw a thread about SCW use of scrubbed K98a's but didn't see the sources for that attribution and I don't see any signs of Spanish ownership (MP8). The bore is beautiful with sharp and clean rifling, so I wonder if it was rebarreled in the rearsenal process. Both the barrel and receiver are stamped 1018 but that may not mean much in regard to originality, given it's the refurb SN and I see an indexing mark on the receiver but not on the barrel. Oh yeah, I got a nice condition S98/05 sawback bayonet in the lot too! Anyhow, thanks for any info you can offer and I hope you enjoy the pics!



















Drei Deutsch Gewehren
 
the stock was definitely Imperial German made, the outline of the cypher and acceptance are visible. presumably the rest is imperial but hard to tell without more pictures of the receiver.
 
Barrel too... I doubt SCW, the Poles scrubbed crests, but usually (IIRC) left siderails and other markings. I suspect they (Poland) scrubbed the crests to keep their identity (source) from being too obvious, though I doubt it fooled anyone. Technically there was an arms embargo on the belligerents, though only a few western states honored it faithfully (surprisingly FDR & England did), but Mexico & France sometimes supplied the "republican" (atheistic left-socialists & communists actually) side, as well as the Bolo's (USSR), using the Spanish gold reserves (25% went to France, the rest to USSR). I think I read that there were like 49 different rifles supplied to the "republicans", much of it junk or with little ammo, - though some quality rifles, including vz24's and Polish rifles.

Any German marked rifle would not have been scrubbed probably, - everyone knew Germany was supplying Franco and his nationalists (fascists, conservatives, much of the officer corp, monarchists, the religious ect..), and German arms were available on the open market, they were everywhere for sale, the Dutch and Belgians had been selling them for years prior, as were others.

Anyway, markings under the stock would probably show origins, I doubt they scrubbed the barrel?
 
Hard to say, German receivers (Erfurt & Danzig) can be busy like this on the receiver flat, but nothing sticks out as consistent in any of the recorded, - some have crowns on the lower side of the receiver, usually right side, but I do not think this is 100%. The barrel should have markings if German and not scrubbed, at a minimum a fireproof. Usually they have acceptance and a barrel code too. Surprised someone went through so much trouble to scrub this action.

No telling why, when or who, but they were pretty thorough if they bothered to do the barrel.
 
Thanks for your thorough consideration of the markings. Perhaps it's just one of those odd examples that keep us all thinking.

In any case I'm happy with it. The bore is great so hopefully it'll shoot well :)
 
Broke it down again and scoured the barrel and receiver. Didn't see anything else on the receiver. This is the only other mark I could find on the barrel. An A with the top missing? It's located on the bottom between the rear sight and the receiver.

 
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