Odd Stamps on a Friends new DOU 44

Spivey

Active member
Howdy!

My roommate recently purchased a new (maybe) k98.
The rifle is a badly used and abused DOU 44 in what appears to be a VZ 24 stock.
The bayonet lug is marked circle Z, the bolt is marked circle Z, and the underside of the receiver is marked circle Z.
The eagles are mostly halfway/half-assedly pinged/filled off.

On the barrel there is a crown N stamp next to an Md? (not sure if the letter/number after Md is a 1 or L).
In the very center of the receiver between the DOU and the 44 there is a halfway worn off sun stamp.

I'm attempting to help him figure out the rifle's history, but some of them don't make much sense to me.
(No clue what the sun means, no clue what the Md means, I don't think circle Z czech marks were supposed to appear on later manufactured DOU rifles after the Gew24s, I thought the crown N stamp was for pre-war rifles, etc...)

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He got it extremely cheap, but has no clue what it is.
We assume Russian capture because it came missing both capture screws and front sight hood.
 
I can say one thing: that is the most completely peened out firing proof ever! Talk about obliterated! Does the rifle have any electro-pencilled serial numbers on it? I’m thinking it’s not Russian Captured but maybe Czech?


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I can say one thing: that is the most completely peened out firing proof ever! Talk about obliterated! Does the rifle have any electro-pencilled serial numbers on it? I’m thinking it’s not Russian Captured but maybe Czech?


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No electropencil anywhere on it, it doesn't have an X stamped on the receiver or barrel either.
Stock is beat it hell, but I doubt the stock is original to the rifle as they'd moved to full K98 production well before 1944.

One waffenamt proof on the barrel closest the handguard is still readable, but the other two look like an angry file was taken to them.

Edit: I should add, bent bolt despite the circle Z stamp.
 
Looks like East German markings.

I just googled it, and the Mdi 1001 stamp and crown N are indeed East German.
Thank you!

That still leaves a few questions, but that explains two of the major barrel stamps.


Edit: It appears that the sunburst in the center may be a Volks Polizei stamp?
 
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Does anyone have any information/knowledge on east german issue/volskpolezei k98s?

My google-fu isn't strong and I can only find a few sparse references on different forums to people referring to references I can't find.
 
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