OnlyMil
Junior Member
Hello everyone! It has been some time since I posted a thread, and I'm happy to have finally gotten around to photographing, and now posting, this one. I picked up this rifle in the fall off the gray blanket. I know Navy rifles don't come all that often, and we have been fortunate that more than few have popped up in recent years. This rifle is all-matching down to the screws and cleaning rod, with the exception of the firing pin, which is mismatched. I'm guessing it was originally clipped, and someone along the line of ownership tossed it in favor of a replacement. The stock is not duffle-cut. Imperial Crown proof marks can be found on the receiver, barrel, and underside of the bolt. Naval use is also denoted on the stock cypher Crown/M for 'Marine'. The stock disc is marked to the 1st Matrosen (sailor) Division.
The Matrosen Divisions, acting more as naval infantry than marines, saw fewer engagements than the Seebataillons pre-war. Many of the Imperial Navy's infantry units were amalgamated in November of 1914 into the 1st Naval Divsion which saw action on Germany's extreme right flank of the Western front, near Ypres, Belgium (where this rifle was most likely captured). This was a way for Germany to recommit naval manpower as the Kaiserliche Marine was sidelined by the Royal Navy for most of the war. The last major amphibious deployment of Matrosen units seems to have been to Finland in April, 1918, when Germany assisted the Finnish Whites in their civil war against the Reds. Some 400 sailors took part in the Battle of Helsinki as part of the Baltic Sea Division.
A nice connection this rifle has is that when I received it, the stock disc had 1MD facing out on the proofed side, with a rack number of 7743. Despite the proof side of the disc facing out, I decided to take the risk and flipped it to find this rifle was later unit marked to Kiel Dockyard, rack number 5049. Those of you with an exceptional memory may recall a rifle Chris posted almost 5 years ago: 1901 DWM Navy Gew 98 1st Matrosen division / Werft Kiel Chris' rifle is a 1901, with a 1MD rack number of 2336, which is 5,407 before the 1906 presented here. However, his 1901 was also later unit marked to Kiel Dockyard, rack number 5016, which is only 33 rifles off from what was found on this rifle. It is possible that both these rifles were reassigned to Kiel Dockyard at the same time. I kept the 1st Matrosen Division side of the disc facing out.
Anyway, here is the data sheet™:
Receiver 2072
Barrel 2072 (Bö 125 P Barrel Code)
Front Sight 72
Rear Sight Leaf: 72
Sight Slider 72
Ejector Box 72
Trigger Sear 72
Front Barrel Band 72
Rear Barrel Band 72
Trigger Guard 2072
Trigger Guard Screws 72, 72
Floor Plate 72
Follower 72
Stock 2072 (Internal & External)
Handguard 2072
Buttplate ??7?
Bayonet Lug 72
Cleaning Rod: 72
Bolt body: 2072
Safety: 72
Cocking Piece: 72
Bolt shroud: 72
Firing Pin: M/M
Extractor 72
The Matrosen Divisions, acting more as naval infantry than marines, saw fewer engagements than the Seebataillons pre-war. Many of the Imperial Navy's infantry units were amalgamated in November of 1914 into the 1st Naval Divsion which saw action on Germany's extreme right flank of the Western front, near Ypres, Belgium (where this rifle was most likely captured). This was a way for Germany to recommit naval manpower as the Kaiserliche Marine was sidelined by the Royal Navy for most of the war. The last major amphibious deployment of Matrosen units seems to have been to Finland in April, 1918, when Germany assisted the Finnish Whites in their civil war against the Reds. Some 400 sailors took part in the Battle of Helsinki as part of the Baltic Sea Division.
A nice connection this rifle has is that when I received it, the stock disc had 1MD facing out on the proofed side, with a rack number of 7743. Despite the proof side of the disc facing out, I decided to take the risk and flipped it to find this rifle was later unit marked to Kiel Dockyard, rack number 5049. Those of you with an exceptional memory may recall a rifle Chris posted almost 5 years ago: 1901 DWM Navy Gew 98 1st Matrosen division / Werft Kiel Chris' rifle is a 1901, with a 1MD rack number of 2336, which is 5,407 before the 1906 presented here. However, his 1901 was also later unit marked to Kiel Dockyard, rack number 5016, which is only 33 rifles off from what was found on this rifle. It is possible that both these rifles were reassigned to Kiel Dockyard at the same time. I kept the 1st Matrosen Division side of the disc facing out.
Anyway, here is the data sheet™:
Receiver 2072
Barrel 2072 (Bö 125 P Barrel Code)
Front Sight 72
Rear Sight Leaf: 72
Sight Slider 72
Ejector Box 72
Trigger Sear 72
Front Barrel Band 72
Rear Barrel Band 72
Trigger Guard 2072
Trigger Guard Screws 72, 72
Floor Plate 72
Follower 72
Stock 2072 (Internal & External)
Handguard 2072
Buttplate ??7?
Bayonet Lug 72
Cleaning Rod: 72
Bolt body: 2072
Safety: 72
Cocking Piece: 72
Bolt shroud: 72
Firing Pin: M/M
Extractor 72
congrats on this rifle buddy! Navy Gewehr 98 rifles are just awesome.
