1915 Danzig & 1943 BYF

This 1915 Danzig is the other Mauser I referenced in my “Nazi Period” 43 BYF post several days ago. I was gifted it as part of a collection of rifles. I’m not well versed in Mausers, so I would appreciate input on this rifle from those more knowledgeable than myself.

I have attached a good number of photos.

All items on the rifle, with the exception of the mixed numbered bolt and cleaning rod are S/N matching.

In addition to an overall review of the rifle, I’d like your thoughts/explanations on a few specific items.
- There is a mismatch in appearance between the stock and hand guard. I have not been able to remove the front trigger guard screw. So I’m unable to determine if the stock is numbered underneath. It is matching marked behind the swing swivel. The hand guard has the matching S/N on the underside.
- The different font and 8MM on barrel.
- Some seemingly unusual stock markings. Probably re-work?
- Updated rear sight.
- Trigger guard screws. These seem to have received unusually savage treatment. Any thoughts on what the hell happened at the rear screw? The stock suggests it was held together with some kind of banding or tape at least temporarily.

Thank you!

More photos

Last two.

This one is a Gewehr 98M that started life as a 1915 Danzig made Gewehr 98 and stuck around in Germany to get reworked into the configuration it's in now. I'm not as well versed as some in Gew98Ms but I'll try. The rear sight is a 1934 dated Mauser Oberndorf part that was supplied to update these rifles to the sS Patrone (198gr FMJ). The stock is a BSW supplied part (BSW and WaA4 marking) that was mated to the rifle at Spandau (Su4 on takedown disc) along with the new rear band. The buttplate seems to follow the Imperial style of rework marking (3 being the number assigned to Spandau, followed by an armorer's initial "K") but looks to have been done for this conversion to Gewehr 98M. Part of the rework would have consisted of bluing the receiver and bolt, you can see that this receiver had some mild pitting that was blued over. Don't know what happened to the rear action screw, looks like a Bubba job there. The 8mm stamp on the barrel is an older import marking, probably around the 1950s or so. I'm not seeing a Weimar eagle style fireproof on the barrel, so it's probably the original Imperial barrel with code and fireproof under the wood line.

Rather textbook Weimar/Nazi G98M conversion. Only things I have to add is that the bolt appears to be a mismatch - they were renumbered to match on the bolt body at the very least. I find it odd that they mated an Imperial buttplate with a new-production stock. The font is different on the barrel than the receiver, so I am of the inclination that the barrel had been replaced at some point. Taking the rifle apart will denote roughly when (Imperial depot vs. Weimar refurbishment) it was replaced. The lower band has the year on it that the conversion was done. I can't quite make it out. 1935? 1936?

Well it is an interesting rifle, bolt is Amberg, probably 1916 or 1917, but not 1918. The strangest thing is the "8 mm" import mark, this usually a sign of importation from Spain, but although this rifle is a modern (1960s) import it is rare for such to be this original or lack some serious molestation..

Clearly a re-barrel, lackin a above fireproof means probably Imperial or early republican re-barrel; you really should try to get the stock off to id the barrel, the barrel shoulder mark looks similar to WMO republican work but not directly foto angle.

Interesting rifle, the 8mm really hurts value but typical when I started collectingin the 1980's (like every one in the 80's we didn't know shinola...)

Loewe said:

Interesting rifle, the 8mm really hurts value but typical when I started collectingin the 1980's (like every one in the 80's we didn't know shinola...)

Click to expand...

Yeah, the 8mm never bothered me as much as a full-on import mark or the garrish "billboard" they put on later RCs.

Loewe said:

Clearly a re-barrel, lackin a above fireproof means probably Imperial or early republican re-barrel; you really should try to get the stock off to id the barrel, the barrel shoulder mark looks similar to WMO republican work but not directly foto angle.

Click to expand...

I always appreciate really detailed input like this, it helps me learn more about rifles like these. Thanks for sharing!

AN-94 said:

This one is a Gewehr 98M that started life as a 1915 Danzig made Gewehr 98 and stuck around in Germany to get reworked into the configuration it's in now. I'm not as well versed as some in Gew98Ms but I'll try. The rear sight is a 1934 dated Mauser Oberndorf part that was supplied to update these rifles to the sS Patrone (198gr FMJ). The stock is a BSW supplied part (BSW and WaA4 marking) that was mated to the rifle at Spandau (Su4 on takedown disc) along with the new rear band. The buttplate seems to follow the Imperial style of rework marking (3 being the number assigned to Spandau, followed by an armorer's initial "K") but looks to have been done for this conversion to Gewehr 98M. Part of the rework would have consisted of bluing the receiver and bolt, you can see that this receiver had some mild pitting that was blued over. Don't know what happened to the rear action screw, looks like a Bubba job there. The 8mm stamp on the barrel is an older import marking, probably around the 1950s or so. I'm not seeing a Weimar eagle style fireproof on the barrel, so it's probably the original Imperial barrel with code and fireproof under the wood line.

Click to expand...

Thank you! I sincerely appreciate your taking the time to provide a comprehensive response. Not only is it extremely helpful to me, but also going forward as an invaluable resource to other members of the collecting community. I’ll continue my efforts to free up the forward trigger guard screw so I can see what's inside. I’ll follow up if successful.

Loewe said:

Well it is an interesting rifle, bolt is Amberg, probably 1916 or 1917, but not 1918. The strangest thing is the "8 mm" import mark, this usually a sign of importation from Spain, but although this rifle is a modern (1960s) import it is rare for such to be this original or lack some serious molestation..

Clearly a re-barrel, lackin a above fireproof means probably Imperial or early republican re-barrel; you really should try to get the stock off to id the barrel, the barrel shoulder mark looks similar to WMO republican work but not directly foto angle.

Interesting rifle, the 8mm really hurts value but typical when I started collectingin the 1980's (like every one in the 80's we didn't know shinola...)

Click to expand...

Repeat of sentiment to AN-94 above..
Thank you! I sincerely appreciate your taking the time to provide a comprehensive response. Not only is it extremely helpful to me, but also going forward as an invaluable resource to other members of the collecting community. I’ll continue my efforts to free up the forward trigger guard screw so I can see what's inside. I’ll follow up if successful.

Attached are some additional photos, most of which were previously unavailable of the underside of the rifle. I was finally able to free up the front action screw for further disassembly.

Nedwin1 said:

This 1915 Danzig is the other Mauser I referenced in my “Nazi Period” 43 BYF post several days ago. I was gifted it as part of a collection of rifles. I’m not well versed in Mausers, so I would appreciate input on this rifle from those more knowledgeable than myself.

I have attached a good number of photos.

All items on the rifle, with the exception of the mixed numbered bolt and cleaning rod are S/N matching.

In addition to an overall review of the rifle, I’d like your thoughts/explanations on a few specific items.
View attachment 414424View attachment 414425View attachment 414426View attachment 414427View attachment 414428View attachment 414429View attachment 414430View attachment 414431View attachment 414432View attachment 414433View attachment 414434View attachment 414435View attachment 414436View attachment 414437View attachment 414438- There is a mismatch in appearance between the stock and hand guard. I have not been able to remove the front trigger guard screw. So I’m unable to determine if the stock is numbered underneath. It is matching marked behind the swing swivel. The hand guard has the matching S/N on the underside.
- The different font and 8MM on barrel.
- Some seemingly unusual stock markings. Probably re-work?
- Updated rear sight.
- Trigger guard screws. These seem to have received unusually savage treatment. Any thoughts on what the hell happened at the rear screw? The stock suggests it was held together with some kind of banding or tape at least temporarily.

Thank you!

Click to expand...

It is a nice and interesting piece, but I've never seen damage (self-inflicted) like this. Agree with the 'Bubba' assessment, but it looks like he used a demolition hammer with a chisel bit to remove the screw. Too bad about that damage, but still a neat gun.

Looks like a mid-late 30s rebarrel.

Chris is right, I was wrong on the speculation! This is probably a 1936 barrel by trends (1935 maybe, interpretation of trends is sketchy and open to further research, it is an unfortunate fact that period practice tended to mix patterns... does K=1934 or 98k and G=1935 or Gewehr length- I am not sure with S&S barrel coding; the lots are followed by the steel provider D=Dohlen, K following the lot Krupp but S= Silesia is possible but trends show this steel provider rarely...

PC battery crapping out so the closest match in trends is attached, maybe some thoughts from the "Chris trio" may elaborate further, but I have 10 minutes before silence by battery... attached find the closest match, by trends it is b4 1937 and very early rearmament but certainly 1935-1936 but data is scanty in trends this early (most are 1937-39)

more....

Definitely a 1930s rebarrel, so much for my guess as to it being an original barrel lol. Loewe's data on barrel codes is interesting and correlates nicely with your example, the 3 E/WaA214 on the barrel should make this a JP Sauer barrel, specifically by CG Haenel judging by the Sutterlin S on the barrel. Given the lack of a "K" or "G" on the barrel (given we're assuming that they're date codes rather than length/model designations), I would say this one is probably a 1936 made barrel and matches up with the date of rework on the rear band if I'm reading it right. I have to wonder if the additional mark next to the Sutterlin S denotes the longer barrel length specifically given that Haenel made barrels for JPS K98ks seem to lack that marking as far as I'm aware.

That BSW marked stock is awesome!

to illustrate the question (dating barrels - this doesn't even discuss the depots involvement and evolution, - just dealing with S&S sourced ordnance spares vs normal 98k production) I will post some trends between the two (I know this is far into the weeds for most but I have always approached things like this from a "pencil pusher, paper shuffler" view, - a trender in short....)

Regular 98k JPS 1934-1936 barrel trends (incomplete but most of my projects are only 33-50% complete - representing collected data):


1934 S147k 371 / “S” K e/49 x3 8 D (rc)
1934 S147k 575 / “S” K e/49 x3 3 D (rc)
1934 S147k 4281 / “S” K e/117 x3 13 D (JS report062110)
1934 S147k 4724 / “Sütterlin S” K e/115 x2 e/49 x1 14 D
1934 S147k 6785 / “Sütterlin S” K e/49 x3 11 D
1934 S147k 7172 / “Sütterlin S” K e/116 x2 e/115 x1 18 D

1935 S/147G 478 a / “S” K e/114 x3 20 D
1935 S/147G 823 a / “S” K e/117 x3 16 D
1935 S/147G 3238 a / “S” K e/117 x3 13 D (rc)
1935 S/147G 9224 a / “S” K e/? x3 38 D (rc)
1935 S/147G 3755 b / “S” K e/114 x3 20 D
1935 S/147G 4029 b / “S” K e/117 x3 12 D
1935 S/147G 7556 b / “S” G e/114 x3 48 D
1935 S/147G 1303 c / “S” G e/114 x3 50 D
1935 S/147G 5407 c / “S” K e/114 x3 20 D (rc)
1935 S/147G 5488 d / “S” G e/114 x3 62 D (rc)
1935 S/147G 5746 d / G / e/115 x3 / “Sütterlin S” / 51 D
1935 S/147G 6646 d / “S” G e/114 x3 62 D (Vulch 022011 report)
1935 S/147G 315 e / “Sütterlin S” G e/115 x3 / 67 D
1935 S/147G 1328 e / “Sütterlin S” G e/115 x3 / 67 D
1935 S/147G 1695 e / “S” G e/114 x3 68 D
1935 S/147G 4502 e / “Sütterlin S” G e/214 e/115 x2 69 D (KH072011)
1935 S/147G 2701 f / “Sütterlin S” G e/214 x3 85 D
1935 S/147G 3064 f / “Sütterlin S” G e/214 x3 75 D

1936 S/147 1206 a / “S” K e/214 x3 159 D
1936 S/147 3287 a / “Sütterlin S” K / e/WaA214 x3 150 E
1936 S/147 4308 b / “Sütterlin S” K / e/WaA214 x3 178 E
1936 S/147 6156 b / “S” K e/214 x3 175 E
1936 S/147 9324 b / “S” K e/WaA214 x3 134 D
1936 S/147 3911 c / K / e/214 / S / 197 D
1936 S/147 4378 c / “S” K e/214 x3 161 D (rc)
1936 S/147 9437 c / “S” K e/214 x3 203 E
1936 S/147 9360 d / *(square box?) 206 e/214 x3 (MikeS 070309 report)
1936 S/147 4211 e / “S” K / e/214x3 / 200 E
1936 S/147 4429 e / “S” K e/214 x3 218 E
1936 S/147 5106 e / “Sütterlin S” K e/214 x3 / E 220
1936 S/147 6893 e / “S” *(square box?) x2 e/214 x1 191 D (JS report062110)
1936 S/147 6726 f / “Sütterlin S” e/214 x3 257 D
1936 S/147 7150 f / “Sütterlin S” e/214 x3 286 D
1936 S/147 9550 f / “Sütterlin S” K / e/214 x3 86 D

S&S ordnance spares:

1904 Spandau 1175 a / “script fraktur S” e/115 x3 K / 28K
1905 Amberg 4291 / Sütterlin S” pyramid, G / e/214 x3 97 E (0,2 Gew98 length)
1905 DWM 4565 c / Sütterlin S” pyramid / 230 D / e/214 x3 (0,2 Gew98 length)
1907 DWM 5944 e / “Sütterlin S” pyramid, e/214 x3 202 S (0,2 Gew98 length)
1907 WMO 1800 e / “S” pyramid, 39 D 744 e/37 x3 (0,2 Gew98 length – r/s SuWW/1941 e/Su39)
1907 WMO 5298 e / e/214 x3 / “S” pyramid, 38 / 527 D e/37 x3 (0,2 Gew98 length
1912 Spandau 1456 c / “script S” pyramid, e/214 x3 38 D 423 (0,2 Gew98 length) No “S” patrone
1913 Spandau 71 i / “ S” pyramid 39 D 788 e/37 x3 (0,2 Gew98 length)
1914 Mauser 2246 c / “script fraktur S” “pyramid” 39 D 754 e/37 x3 (0,2 Gew98 length)
1914 Spandau 6834 g / G / e/WaA214? x 3 / “Sütterlin S” pyramid / 97 E (0,2 Gew98 length)
1916 Amberg 1234 u / Sütterlin S” pyramid, G / e/214 x3 95 E (0,2 Gew98 length)
1916/1920 Danzig 8805 oo / “S” e/114 x2 e/117 32K e/114 (BackbonerII)
1916 DWM 9173 ff / “Sütterlin S” pyramid / 196 D e/214 x3 (0,2 Gew98 length)
1916 MO 5816 g / G / WE/214 x3 “S” pyramid / 90 D (0,2 Gew98 length)
1916 MO 3197 r / WE/WaA214 x3 “Sütterlin S” pyramid / 116 D (Gew98 length)
1916 MO 2296 x / G / WE/214 x3 “S” pyramid / 99 D (barrel shoulder 0,2)
1916/24 Simson 160 / e/214 x3 / “S” pyramid 38 / 680 E (Zn build) (barrel shoulder 0,2)
1916 Spandau 1604 dd / “Sütterlin S” pyramid WE/WaA214 x3 / 180 E (barrel shoulder 0,2) 98k length-pos. shortened
1916 Spandau 5958 gg / “Sütterlin S” pyramid 39 481 D (barrel shoulder 0,2)
1916 Spandau 2169 5 – “Sütterlin S” pyramid 196 D e/WaA214 x3 (G98 length)
1917 Amberg 547 e / “script fraktur S” G e/214 92 E (0,2 shoulder Gew98 length)
1917 Amberg 4058 n / G / “Sütterlin S” pyramid 89 D e/WaA214 x3 (0,2 Gew98 length)
1917 Amberg 6480 n / “Sütterlin S” pyramid 38 E 737 e/37 x3(0,2 Gew98 length)
1917 Amberg 4349 o / “Sütterlin S” pyramid, e/214 x3 190 D (0,2 Gew98 length)
1917/1920 Amberg 5091 o / “S” 38D734 e/37 x3 (Gew98 length)
1917 Danzig 636 a / “S” pyramid / e/214 x3 / 136 D (0,2 Gew98 length- BSW eagle f/p)
1917 JPS 2132 l / e/117 x3 / S / 29 k (0,2 G98 lenght)
1917 WMO 4336 x / “S” pyramid / 134 D (e/114) x3 (0,2 Gew98 length)
1917 Spandau 5976 / “S” pyramid, 38 E 752 e/37 x3 (0,2 Gew98 length)
1917 Spandau 9674 / “Sütterlin S” pyramid, e/37 x1 e/214 x2 38 / 690 E (0,2 Gew98 length)
1918 Amberg 8236 f / “Sütterlin S” pyramid / 196 D (G98 length)
1918/1920 JPS 7608 b / e/WaA214 x3 / G / “S” pyramid / 82 D (0,2 Gew98 length)
1918 WMO 1124 i / S pyramid 39 D176 e/37 x3 (BS-0,2 Gew98 length) (1920)
Kar.98a 9864 b / e/214 x3 / “Sütterlin S” pyramid 38 / 704 D (barrel shoulder 0,2) SS Build rc
1925 Simson 2651 / “script fraktur S” e/81 x1 e/? x2 29 2D (0,2 Gew98 length)
1925 Simson 6751 / e/? x3 / “Sütterlin S” pyramid 38 / 558E (0,2 Gew98 length)
1925 Simson 8957 / ce bt e/37 x3 (not a period replacement)
Kar98b 4531 b / “Sütterlin S” pyramid, e/214 x3 38 573 D (0,2 Gew98 length) No “S” patrone
Kar98b 6663 e / “S”* 39D782 e/37 x3 (0,2 shoulder- KCNOct94 “SS”)
Kar98b 6867 e / “S”pyramid 38D449 e/214 x3
Kar98b 1551 f / e/214 x3 / “Sütterlin S” pyramid 38 / 479D (0,2 BS Gew98 length)
Kar98b 7536 f / e/214 x3 / “S” pyramid 38 / 639E (0,2 BS Gew98 length)
e/359 XI 1241 / “S” 39 D 111 (depot gun 0,2 BS – 98k)
1941 ce 5213 f / “S”pyramid 38 D 457 e/214 x3 (0,2 BS) Luftamt4

It appears G & K are dates, not related to model and the Danzig/15 lacks the date code? But the waffenamt being WaA214 places it to late 1935 or later... naturally this may relate to the barrel and the stock suggests much later, 1936-37 perhaps