Interesting Depot XI Hannover (Magdeburg) with depot repair?

I picked up my Depot XI at the UPS hub tonight. It was not as bad as I thought, and has a few very interesting characteristics as well. Bore is pristine.

It built off an undated e/359 receiver, and is a stock mismatch, but the handguard matches. The stock is duffel cut, but has been repaired by inserting a dowel, probably, glue, and held in place with two brass screws with the ends cut off. As I couldn't use a cleaning rod, I took a bent, foreign 9-3/4 inch rod, cut off 4cm, and tapped it in place. Seems to stay OK. The stock totally matches itself; 4727c, e/655, 40 Ha. Stock has been sanded and the handguard has a thick shellac on it, with the stock a lighter coat. What makes me think this is a Depot repair of a Depot rifle, is that all the screws are armorer e/655, the stock matches itself, it still has the original handguard, and the bolt seems to be an e/1 armorer's. It is missing the sight hood.

SN# 1241, no suffix

Parts List (if no SN, then part has no SN):

follower: e/1
trigger guard e/26 1241
front screw e/655
rear screw e/655
front capture screw e/655
rear capture screw e/655
front band e/1 1241
rear band e/1 1241
bolt body 1, firing proof
firing pin Imperial 20
extractor e/63
shroud unmarked
cocking piece e/280
safety circle Z
ejector box e/623 41
sear e/18
trigger e/18 41 ax
ejector box spring j
receiver e/359
barrel S39D111 3x e/37
rear sight base 3x e/26
rear sight spring i
rear sight leaf e/26 1241
rear sight slide e/26
rear sight slide release e/26
butt plate e/655 4727c
stock e/655, 40 Ha, 4727
bayonet lug e/655 27
cross bolt e/655
band spring e/655
handguard 1241
front sight e/214
take down washer e/63

What thinkest thee?

Does anyone have a sight hood? All I have is an Israeli.

t

And 11 more pics:

t

Neat rifle. Are you suggesting the duffle repair was done by the depot?


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Not at all. That would have been stateside.

T

Looks like two serial numbers on the stock's keel; all but unreadable. Two marks on the comb; looks like a P; could this be a depot mark? Posen?

t

Very nice rifle! I know nothing about depot rebuilt rifles as far as K98s go, but this is a common think with Springfields, Garands, and Carbines. I agree that looks like a "p" on the stock, it's too bad that the Germans didn't make rebuilds super obvious like the US did. Your rifle is very interesting to me as I always wonder about the repair of K98s during the war at all levels. Thanks for sharing!!


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Unfortunately for you, much of the history of depot repair rifles is in the wood - with your stock being sanded and refinished there is no way to really track anything past the original Magdeburg depot build. Many of the unnumbered parts would probably not be done at another HZa though, as they were pretty good about numbering stuff like bolts. Screws and other small parts often escaped numbering, especially late as most HZa followed the directions used by the manufacturers, meaning when Mauser stopped numbering screws so did the repair shops. The later the rework, the less numbering such as rear sight parts, etc.

The P on the keel is not a depot marking, it's a common marking on pre-1940 or so rifles indicating a laminate stock. Not sure when each factory dropped the "P" marking, so I am generalizing with that date.

Are the hexagons (comb and sling cut out) indicative of depot work?

t

I have a few reworks with those type of markings and I believe they are period done. One rifle the star marking and the other has no depot mark. It's kinda hard to explain without me posting photos, they are both in the book coming out though.


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This stock has two such marks; so it DID see a depot at some point for work?

t

To clarify - the STOCK went through a depot, but the stock isn't numbered to the rifle so it really can't be attached to the rifle.