Why doesn't my Kar98AZ have a bayonet lug?

A

Ad4m0015

Member
I have two Kar98AZ's, both made by Erfurt and both date stamped 1918, but one doesn't have a bayonet lug. Does anyone know why they were making them with and without bayonet lugs?

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I thought that at first but the guy I bought them off said he'd seen a few like that and thought it was possibly for the German Navy but apparently other collectors disagreed with his opinion, so now I'm not sure
 
Guy was wrong....it should have a bayonet lug.

You can see the gap under the front band where the end piece/lug is missing. If the Germans issued a modification without the bayonet lug, they would have made the stock so it doesn't have a gap...

I am going with guy you bought it from is FOS. I guess, possibly because it is a 1918 dated gun, its possible it made it out without one, but doesn't sound like something the Germans would let happen...I bet Paul would know...

One of the Imperial guys will know for sure...
 
Thank you for confirming my previous belief, thankfully I know where to get a replacement lug. I'm trying to recreate a German Stormtrooper's uniform which is finally nearly finished.
 
pzjgr said:
Guy was wrong....it should have a bayonet lug.

You can see the gap under the front band where the end piece/lug is missing. If the Germans issued a modification without the bayonet lug, they would have made the stock so it doesn't have a gap...

I am going with guy you bought it from is FOS. I guess, possibly because it is a 1918 dated gun, its possible it made it out without one, but doesn't sound like something the Germans would let happen...I bet Paul would know...

One of the Imperial guys will know for sure...
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100% all would have bayonet lugs.

Changes were made to the design over time (finger grooves, takedown ferrule, rear sight leaf screws, etc..) but the bayonet lugs were standard, start to finish.

Remember, the weird ersatz stuff occurred at the begining of the war in WW1 due to the shortages; not the end of the war like WW2.

The original lug was just removed at one point
 
chrisftk said:
100% all would have bayonet lugs.

Changes were made to the design over time (finger grooves, takedown ferrule, rear sight leaf screws, etc..) but the bayonet lugs were standard, start to finish.

Remember, the weird ersatz stuff occurred at the begining of the war in WW1 due to the shortages; not the end of the war like WW2.

The original lug was just removed at one point
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Thanks for confirming my thoughts Chris...I've learned to almost never say never, but was pretty sure on this one...
 
pzjgr said:
Thanks for confirming my thoughts Chris...I've learned to almost never say never, but was pretty sure on this one...
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Yeah your instincts were spot on here!

The band actually has a spur that locks into the bayo lug, so not having the lug would lead to a fairly compromised front band.
 
Also note the sling arrangement is different. Looks like another country modified post WW1.
 
Thank you everyone, it's helped a lot. I've had them for a few years and didn't think until now to actually do some research into them
 
Ad4m0015 said:
I have two Kar98AZ's, both made by Erfurt and both date stamped 1918, but one doesn't have a bayonet lug. Does anyone know why they were making them with and without bayonet lugs?

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Does your Kar.98a stock have a small dark circle in the bolt handle cutout in the stock? Does it also have a sling bar on the left side of the buttstock for a side sling arrangement? I suspect the stock may be Polish, given the lack of through hole slot for the sling and the underside sling swivels.
 
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