B.c.d. 43

[Stash902]

Hello all. I'm new to the forum and looking for info on a Mod. 98
I inherited. It's a b.c.d. 43. All metal parts seem to have a matching 3512 gg serial number and a few iron eagles standing atop a nazi symbol. The barrel has the avk 141 43 markings. Sadly the stock was sporterized. Does anyone have any insight on origin? There's a lot of variables and information to sift through on these.

 

[CanadianAR]

Your rifle was made in 1943, by Gustloff-werke in Weimar. They morphed from Bsw. Their code progression was bsw, 337, bcd. Bad was from 41-45.

 

[Loewe]

As CAR stated the rifle was made by Gustloff-Werke Weimar, the lead branch of the conglomerate, which was created from nationalized Jewish (German and Austrian) property, - in this case, both the Suhl and Weimar located firms were previously owned by Simson Suhl. The Weimar factory was a smaller operation before the NS took over, both places were flooded with "state" capital and greatly expanded during the lead up to the war. The operation, the conglomerate, was a state trust, in other words it was a state run and owned operation (which means it was ineptly mismanaged and run by political gangsters instead of competent men)

The actual rifle is a very late 1943, they manufactured through the hh-block in 1943, but this is misleading because it is known many, if not most, of gg-blocks and hh-blocks were actually made in 1944. We know this because quite a few gg-blocks are built upon bcd/4 receivers and most hh-blocks are bcd/4 receivers. These were a continuation of 1943 serialing into 1944 (we know this due to the characteristics of the rifles, the markings, barrels and the fact bcd-1944 serialing doesn't go into dual suffix, rather when bcd/4 reaches z-block, it rolls over into 5-digits)

The short of it is this rifle was made very late in 1943, or early in 1944, probably the latter, but this is early enough to be made in 1943. Your barrel code sounds incomplete, does it have a bys and and arrow logo or the avk shield? Usually the shield is typical by this lot number.

You are right though, there a great many variable studying the Kar.98k, but that is pretty much true of anything depending how far into the weeds you want to go.

Some further reading:

https://militaryriflejournal.wordpress.com/2014/08/04/simson-werke-bsw-gustloff-weimar/

https://militaryriflejournal.wordpress.com/2014/12/17/gustloff-werke-weimar/

https://militaryriflejournal.wordpress.com/2014/12/27/gustloff-werke-weimar-rifles/

Hello all. I'm new to the forum and looking for info on a Mod. 98
I inherited. It's a b.c.d. 43. All metal parts seem to have a matching 3512 gg serial number and a few iron eagles standing atop a nazi symbol. The barrel has the avk 141 43 markings. Sadly the stock was sporterized. Does anyone have any insight on origin? There's a lot of variables and information to sift through on these.

 

[Stash902]

Thanks. That's a lot of good info thanks! There is definitely another marking after the avk 141 43 but it wraps around the barrel under the forearm and I can't make it out. I will try and post some pics, but I'm doing this from my phone and the site doesn't want to play nice.
Also under the eagle with nazi symbol (just above b.c.d. label) it looks like 749 is engraved there.

 

[CanadianAR]

749 was their waffenamt code at the time.

 

[Stash902]

Avk 141 43. And part of the next symbol. Maybe a "b" or an "h"?

 

[Stash902]

On the underside of the safety tab there's an "m". Is that one of the small subcontractors? On the reverse is the 3512 labeling. Also, on other side of bolt is a "1".

 

[Stash902]

The underside also sports a "1" marking above the 3512. At the top of the pic next to the other 3512 is a "g" maybe?

 

[Loewe]

It is the first letter of the "bys", which is the steel provider. The arrow or shield would follow, which is the real question. It is probably a shield, but could be an arrow logo. The reason I asked is because this is a transition point between the two.

Avk 141 43. And part of the next symbol. Maybe a "b" or an "h"?

 

[Loewe]

m=Limbacher Maschinenfabrik Bach & Winter, in Limbach, near Chemnitz (Saxony). It was one of the sub-contractors for bcd. Two firms made most of bcd safeties, ordnance code "m" and "e" (Hermann Köhler, Altenburg - Thüringen, not far from Saxony and most of the sub-contractors for bcd). "l" (L) is Astrawerke, Chemnitz again, they made almost all the bots used.

On the underside of the safety tab there's an "m". Is that one of the small subcontractors? On the reverse is the 3512 labeling. Also, on other side of bolt is a "1".

 

[Loewe]

The "g" is actually a "d" and it is stands for Gebr. Brehmer, Leipzig (Saxony). They made most of the TG used by bcd. Milled ones anyway.

Sub-contractors from Thüringen (Thuringia) and Saxony made most of the components for the rifles bcd assembled, they made very little themselves, just some barrels and not many of them because they were poor quality. By the time they began making barrels Gustloff-Werke Weimar was using KL labor, they reportedly made a great many, but some details regarding slave labor and Gustloff-Werke are conflicting (holocaust research is akin to "climate change research", the "researchers" have conclusions in search of proof not objective analysis allowing facts to determine conclusions... common to any government activity where the "employed" livelihood depends on the conclusions... in other words it is tainted and contradictory).

Anyway, the rifles generally follow a similar sub-contractor pattern throughout production and bcd made very little for the 98k assembly. (they made barrels and stocks, not many of either according to period records and holocaust books, most seem to have been made for the G43, because very few show up on the 98k)

The underside also sports a "1" marking above the 3512. At the top of the pic next to the other 3512 is a "g" maybe?