OnlyMil
Junior Member
Hey guys, as many of you probably have been aware, I have been after a nice matching Gewehr 98 for quite some time. While I have picked up some very nice matching 98a rifles, the Gewehr 98s had always eluded me. A little over a year ago I almost dropped big money on a cleaned gun with issues at Morphy's. Since I was saved from that disaster, I have been very patient, taking a lot of sage advice from more seasoned collectors here on this forum. Shoutout to Chris especially, who has been a great mentor. Gewehr 98s and German firearms in general are such a minefield after all... There were some instances throughout last year where ordinary rifles were offered to me for stupid money for no good reason which I politely turned down (top was $5K...).
Early last month this rifle popped up on Legacy Collectibles. With encouragement from Chris, who made me aware of it in the first place, I decided to pull the trigger on it. Some of you might recognize this rifle from a thread 3 months ago and you'd be correct. I guess the prior owner decided to flip it to legacy rather than selling it here, but hey, at least I got it! It truly is his loss, as rifles like this don't come up often (trust me, I know!). That thread also had photos that, in my opinion did not really do the rifle justice, and were posted to a 3rd party photo sharing website rather than the forum itself. Timing on this rifle worked out well, as in just the last couple of weeks, I was able to update my photo setup. No longer wiLL the dark Upstate New York winters hold back my photography! This is the first rifle I decided to photograph and I think the photos turned out well.
Once I received the rifle I spent about 15 hours over several weeks doing a conservative cleaning, and boy was this rifle dirty. May the brash brush, rags, and many Q-Tips rest in peace. I had good results with Hoppe's Elite foaming cleaner which seeped out so much dirt I could hardly believe it. The upside is that this 1916 DWM is mostly untouched and is factory matching, less the cleaning rod, which seems to have been added between the prior owner and myself. I don't believe it is a German cleaning rod, but fits the aesthetic until I decide to pony up for one. When I received it, the matching firing pin was clipped. I sent it to Don and had it repaired. He does excellent work. The wood furniture is un-messed with and walnut. The receiver and bolt are still in the white and have that closet-fresh look (patina) to them. No wire wheeling on this one. The bluing is rather excellent on the barrel, and especially so where it was hidden from the elements beneath the wood-line and handguard. The bore is excellent. I cannot find anything wrong with this rifle, so it will be with me for the long haul. Especially so as it is the first such rifle I have owned.
Anyway here is the data sheet™:
Receiver 8828cc
Barrel 8828cc (Bö 420 Barrel Code)
Front Sight 28
Rear Sight Leaf: 28
Sight Slider 28
Ejector Box 28
Trigger Sear 28
Front Barrel Band 28
Rear Barrel Band 28
Trigger Guard 8828
Trigger Guard Screws 28, 28
Floor Plate 28
Follower 28
Stock 8828 (Internal & External)
Handguard 8828
Buttplate 8828
Bayonet Lug 28
Cleaning Rod: No Markings
Bolt body: 8828cc
Safety: 28
Cocking Piece: 28
Bolt shroud: 28
Firing Pin: 28
Extractor 28
Early last month this rifle popped up on Legacy Collectibles. With encouragement from Chris, who made me aware of it in the first place, I decided to pull the trigger on it. Some of you might recognize this rifle from a thread 3 months ago and you'd be correct. I guess the prior owner decided to flip it to legacy rather than selling it here, but hey, at least I got it! It truly is his loss, as rifles like this don't come up often (trust me, I know!). That thread also had photos that, in my opinion did not really do the rifle justice, and were posted to a 3rd party photo sharing website rather than the forum itself. Timing on this rifle worked out well, as in just the last couple of weeks, I was able to update my photo setup. No longer wiLL the dark Upstate New York winters hold back my photography! This is the first rifle I decided to photograph and I think the photos turned out well.
Once I received the rifle I spent about 15 hours over several weeks doing a conservative cleaning, and boy was this rifle dirty. May the brash brush, rags, and many Q-Tips rest in peace. I had good results with Hoppe's Elite foaming cleaner which seeped out so much dirt I could hardly believe it. The upside is that this 1916 DWM is mostly untouched and is factory matching, less the cleaning rod, which seems to have been added between the prior owner and myself. I don't believe it is a German cleaning rod, but fits the aesthetic until I decide to pony up for one. When I received it, the matching firing pin was clipped. I sent it to Don and had it repaired. He does excellent work. The wood furniture is un-messed with and walnut. The receiver and bolt are still in the white and have that closet-fresh look (patina) to them. No wire wheeling on this one. The bluing is rather excellent on the barrel, and especially so where it was hidden from the elements beneath the wood-line and handguard. The bore is excellent. I cannot find anything wrong with this rifle, so it will be with me for the long haul. Especially so as it is the first such rifle I have owned.
Anyway here is the data sheet™:
Receiver 8828cc
Barrel 8828cc (Bö 420 Barrel Code)
Front Sight 28
Rear Sight Leaf: 28
Sight Slider 28
Ejector Box 28
Trigger Sear 28
Front Barrel Band 28
Rear Barrel Band 28
Trigger Guard 8828
Trigger Guard Screws 28, 28
Floor Plate 28
Follower 28
Stock 8828 (Internal & External)
Handguard 8828
Buttplate 8828
Bayonet Lug 28
Cleaning Rod: No Markings
Bolt body: 8828cc
Safety: 28
Cocking Piece: 28
Bolt shroud: 28
Firing Pin: 28
Extractor 28
) I'd be thrilled if my first Gewehr 98 was a WMO or DWM Gew 98 in a similar condition as yours, hopefully this year...
