runner
Senior Member
Finally able to locate a reasonably priced version of what I believe is the final Polish version of their model 98 long rifle.
Polish rifle manufacturing in the interwar period is quite interesting. When they decided to standardize on the mauser
design, they copied the German Kar 98a and produced the K98. Then decided they needed a long rifle, so they copied the
German Gew. 98 and produced the W.98. Next they went back to the then current trend of short rifles and adopted the K29/WZ29.
And finally in 1936, reintroduced the long rifle as the W.Z.98a, basically a W.98 with an improved tanget rear sight. Apparently in an attempt to
speed production of the W98a, they modified existing stocks of former Gew.98s by removing the imperial German marks, including the sidewall
markings and then stamped them with Polish arsenal marks and the Polish eagle, the sidewall was simply stamped 98a. I should have prefaced all
the above by saying this is my understanding from reading what I can find on Polish mausers and speaking with other Polish collectors. I stand to be corrected on any or all of it.
I have heard it said that the scrubbed receivers on examples of 98a rifles indicate use in the Spanish Civil war, as is true with the k29/WZ29 series.
But these rifles were just coming into use as the Spanish war was ending, so I do not adhere to that theory.
The first photos are group shots of the three versions of Polish long rifles, then details of the 98a. I have previously posted details of the two
previous versions.
Polish rifle manufacturing in the interwar period is quite interesting. When they decided to standardize on the mauser
design, they copied the German Kar 98a and produced the K98. Then decided they needed a long rifle, so they copied the
German Gew. 98 and produced the W.98. Next they went back to the then current trend of short rifles and adopted the K29/WZ29.
And finally in 1936, reintroduced the long rifle as the W.Z.98a, basically a W.98 with an improved tanget rear sight. Apparently in an attempt to
speed production of the W98a, they modified existing stocks of former Gew.98s by removing the imperial German marks, including the sidewall
markings and then stamped them with Polish arsenal marks and the Polish eagle, the sidewall was simply stamped 98a. I should have prefaced all
the above by saying this is my understanding from reading what I can find on Polish mausers and speaking with other Polish collectors. I stand to be corrected on any or all of it.
I have heard it said that the scrubbed receivers on examples of 98a rifles indicate use in the Spanish Civil war, as is true with the k29/WZ29 series.
But these rifles were just coming into use as the Spanish war was ending, so I do not adhere to that theory.
The first photos are group shots of the three versions of Polish long rifles, then details of the 98a. I have previously posted details of the two
previous versions.
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