Third Party Press

Mystery Mauser Kar98k / G24(t) / vz.24 Parts Rifle (?)

komet45

Well-known member
I recently acquired this rifle with the express purpose of using it for parts to complete other projects, but as I took a closer look I became more hesitant to "disturb" the condition I found it in...



The barrel and receiver appear to be matching, the receiver clearly marked "dou. / 44" and appropriate "Eagle A80" Waffenamt stamps are also present. C block serial number. No import mark present. The unmatched bolt is well marked with a variety of numbers and stamps, mostly consisting of "Eagle 63" stamps. The bolt sleeve does have what appears to be a Romanian "CM" stamp on it's interior side. Of note, the sleeve and safety both appear to have "matching" serial numbers. The trigger guard and floor plate appear to be from a Gewehr 98, each piece has a matching serial number and what appear to be Imperial German arsenal inspection stamps, "Crown P." The follower has a Turkish crescent stamp on it. Most of the rear sight components have matching serial numbers and "Eagle 214" stamps. The front barrel band also appears to have come from a Gewehr 98 and is marked with a serial number and a "Crown C" stamp. The rear barrel band is typical of vz.24 rifles, is marked with a "Circle Z" export stamp and has had it's original spanner screw cut. Of note, the cut is not typical of the style found on German reworks.



Perhaps the most interesting part of this rifle is the stock. A flat German steel buttplate is attached, clearly marked with an "Eagle WaA 63" stamp, a lined-out serial and a second serial. It appears to be a Czech vz.24 stock and has very similar measurements when compared to a 1939 Czech vz.24 I have on hand. Both stocks are approximately 39.5" in length, though the "mystery" stock's wrist measures 5 5/8" in diameter, while the 1939 example measures 5 7/8". Also of note, the finger grooves on either stock are slightly different dimensions. The 1939 example has a finger groove length of 4 7/8", while the "mystery" stock has a length of 4 1/2". Of particular interest, the stock appears to have been modified to meet German specs, as there is a slot cut for a sling and a bolt takedown disc installed. A "notch" has been cut to allow the bolt root to operate without obstruction and the cut appears to be very clean and precise. The lower sling swivel remains, and is marked with a "Star" stamp. I have read that some of these "star" stamps indicate parts made by Mauser Oberndorf for foreign export contracts that were unused. The sling swivel appears similar to those sometimes seen on Mauser Standardmodell rifles. I cannot locate any signs of a side sling swivel ever being attached or being removed and plugged, which is typical of German modification. The stock is unmarked externally but I have located several numbers stamped on the interior channels. There is an "F" stamped near the rear tang, a "2" stamped near the recoil lug, what appears to be serial number "9920 b," and what appears to be a "0" near the cleaning rod nut. The upper handguard is made from a different wood and appears to be custom fitted to this rifle. The wood is cracked and appears to be from a similar era of production. The bayonet lug is not fully seated on the end of the stock, though it appears to be "stuck" in place without a rivet. I gently investigated it's attachment with a few taps from a brass punch and decided not to proceed after it showed no signs of movement. Pushing the intrigue further, the lug has been drilled and fitted with a Spanish Ricchieri adaptor.



Below, please find two links to rifles recently sold with similar stock configurations. Of note, both stocks appear to have been modified by the Germans and NEITHER exhibit removed and plugged left-side sling swivels:









My ultimate question in this matter is simple; do you believe that any of these parts were purposefully put together during World War 2, or immediately thereafter, for military service? There is nothing better than having a good "historical mystery" on your hands to find clues and research, but a good detective must not allow themselves to be consumed with the "fantasy" to such an extent that "fact" no longer is the guiding force. While most of these parts appear to be unrelated, there is a distinct but slim "thread" that COULD connect them all. The common factor I find in almost all of these pieces is the connection to Czechoslovakia and Waffenfabrik Brunn. Lots of "63" parts were coming into Brno from Mauser, and Brno purchased the entire lot of parts and tooling for the Gewehr 98, making all of these parts readily available in Czechoslovakia. Could this be a Late War "scraps from the cutting floor" rifle or a Post War factory souvenir?? Though I still firmly believe that this is in fact a "parts rifle" assembled most likely by another fellow Mauser enthusiast, I wanted to consult with a REAL panel of experts first before I do anything regrettable. This is my first post in this forum after many years of "unofficial" tutelage and I truly look forward to any insight and advisement you would be willing to offer me!
 

Attachments

  • IMG_7371.jpg
    IMG_7371.jpg
    431.7 KB · Views: 46
  • IMG_7381.jpg
    IMG_7381.jpg
    378.4 KB · Views: 40
  • IMG_7385.JPG
    IMG_7385.JPG
    281.2 KB · Views: 34
  • IMG_7387.jpg
    IMG_7387.jpg
    274.2 KB · Views: 35
  • IMG_7391.JPG
    IMG_7391.JPG
    308.1 KB · Views: 34
  • IMG_7396.jpg
    IMG_7396.jpg
    418 KB · Views: 35
  • IMG_7400.jpg
    IMG_7400.jpg
    300.4 KB · Views: 36
  • IMG_7401.jpg
    IMG_7401.jpg
    260.1 KB · Views: 36
  • IMG_7402.jpg
    IMG_7402.jpg
    241.4 KB · Views: 35
  • IMG_7403.jpg
    IMG_7403.jpg
    308.9 KB · Views: 33
  • IMG_7405.jpg
    IMG_7405.jpg
    423.4 KB · Views: 32
  • IMG_7406.jpg
    IMG_7406.jpg
    337.2 KB · Views: 31
  • IMG_7407.jpg
    IMG_7407.jpg
    317.8 KB · Views: 30
  • IMG_7411.jpg
    IMG_7411.jpg
    360.4 KB · Views: 29
  • IMG_7414.jpg
    IMG_7414.jpg
    444.2 KB · Views: 41
Here are a few additional photographs of the interior of the stock and buttplate
 

Attachments

  • IMG_6212.jpg
    IMG_6212.jpg
    420.6 KB · Views: 22
  • IMG_6213.jpg
    IMG_6213.jpg
    342.3 KB · Views: 15
  • IMG_6214.jpg
    IMG_6214.jpg
    357.7 KB · Views: 13
  • IMG_6221.jpg
    IMG_6221.jpg
    522 KB · Views: 14
  • IMG_6222.jpg
    IMG_6222.jpg
    532 KB · Views: 14
  • IMG_6223.jpg
    IMG_6223.jpg
    414.8 KB · Views: 15
  • IMG_6224.jpg
    IMG_6224.jpg
    416.5 KB · Views: 14
  • IMG_6225.jpg
    IMG_6225.jpg
    371.8 KB · Views: 14
  • IMG_6226.jpg
    IMG_6226.jpg
    498.7 KB · Views: 15
  • IMG_6216.jpg
    IMG_6216.jpg
    497.4 KB · Views: 22
  • IMG_7380.JPG
    IMG_7380.JPG
    217 KB · Views: 22
I don't believe that by breaking this thing up into whatever usable parts you can get from it that you'll be destroying anything of any historical significance whatsoever. I'd take the dou44 barreled action, if it's of sound condition with a decent bore and seek to acquire the parts to restore it to the appearance and function of a k98. Then use whatever parts you can make use of and dump the Turk stock and other Turk parts to help finance the restoration of the dou44 .
 
a lot of things going on here, but it sure looks like a parts rifle, but fairly neatly done. the mystery stock was made for a model like the Vz24 where the handguard was full length, surrounding the rear sight, as evidenced by the recess cut for the spring, just in front of the ‘large ring’ cutout. the other thing I noticed is that mystery stock is ~3/8” shorter than the Vz24 you show it with. See the barrel step sticking out past the (gewehr 98 type) front band? That’s a sign that the stock is yugo made, as postwar, they rebarreled their K98s with a ~3/8”//10mm shorter barrel, & shortened the stocks to match.
 
Apologies for a very late reply here, got knocked out by the flu and am just now getting caught back up! I very much appreciate both replies and always like to check before I start ripping parts off!

Concerning the stock, here are a few additional photographs of the "mystery stock" in the middle, with a RC K98K on top and a '39 Romanian contract vz.24 on the bottom. Both example rifles are in standard configuration and are representative of their models, with no "oddball" features I can note. When I double check the length of the "mystery stock" it measures 39.5" in total length and is the same length as the "proper" vz.24. As you will note in the photos, both K98K rifle barrels appear to be the same length even though they are in different stocks, while the vz.24 and "mystery" stocks appear to be almost identical but clearly display the size gap you mention in the previous post. I believe that the vz.24 barrel and receiver are slightly shorter than the two K98K and this gives the illusion that there is a difference in total length caused by reworking of the "mystery" stock. I think this would also account for the exposed steps you mention too, furthering this head-scratching illusion!

As the vz.24 stock is nearly identical in all aspects to that of the "mystery" stock, do you think the stock in question could be an early production G24t example? The walnut is clean and has the "look" of 30s / 40s production, but sadly is lacking any markings that would offer even a single valuable clue. I did locate another almost identical stock example in Robert Ball's "Mauser Military Rifles Of The World (5 ed.)" on page 227, described as a "German Model 24(t) Rifle." The only difference is the bolt root cut seen on mine, which was most likely done in the US after it was imported.

I very much appreciate any and all advisement offered on this matter, the story of captured and reworked pieces is really fascinating to me and I am still hopeful this stock might have a few more secrets to reveal before it makes it's way to the chopping block!
 

Attachments

  • IMG_7672.jpg
    IMG_7672.jpg
    375.8 KB · Views: 11
  • IMG_7673.jpg
    IMG_7673.jpg
    308.6 KB · Views: 12
  • IMG_7674.jpg
    IMG_7674.jpg
    330.6 KB · Views: 12
  • IMG_7675.jpg
    IMG_7675.jpg
    328.6 KB · Views: 10
  • IMG_7676.jpg
    IMG_7676.jpg
    327.5 KB · Views: 10

Military Rifle Journal
Back
Top