All growing up my elderly neighbor kept 2 mausers in a 55 gallon drum in his garage that also had his rakes and shovels and misc garden tools. I always begged for him to let me buy them and he refused. So 9/11 happened and the day after I went to the recruiters office and signed up. That evening he drove up to the house and popped the trunk of his car and inside were the two mausers. He asked me to clean them up for him, and I told him I’d have them back in a day or so. He said “no…..they are yours now. You voluntarily enlisted in a time of war. You now understand. Take good care of them for me, they are yours.” Here is one, an 1939 Jp sauer with a 1939 Horster bayonet. The rifle is 100% matching down to the action screws and cleaning rod. I know it’s a little rough, but it’s one of my favorites.
My prized possession matching 1939 sauer
- Thread starter USNmars
- Start date
Honkey Tonk Devil
Well-known member
Awesome piece man. Glad you posted it here.
Pete R.
Well-known member
Awesome rifle and story, thanks for your service! I bet those rifles were as special to your neighbor as they now are to you. Could you imagine now, a young neighbor boy asking to buy your rifles? 
Those will be with you forever to pass on to your children. One of the many amazing experiences of collecting. Now let’s see the other one!
Those will be with you forever to pass on to your children. One of the many amazing experiences of collecting. Now let’s see the other one!now that you mention it I never noticed. I just went down and checked and on ththe safety are these markings, which matches the font and suffix of the sn on the breech. I think it was just never numbered.
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hale1940
Canadian Fabio
That is not a letter sufix, but a letter code used by one of the JP Sauer components suppliers. A lot of the parts on Sauer rifles were not manufactured inhouse, but out sourced to sub contractors. This is clearly an armourers safety supplied by the subcontractor.
You can even see the e/214 waffenamt. Which was the inspection team overseeing this particular subcontractor and was a different team than the one that supervised the actual JP Sauer facility.
You can even see the e/214 waffenamt. Which was the inspection team overseeing this particular subcontractor and was a different team than the one that supervised the actual JP Sauer facility.
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Kiaser Roll
Active member
Awesome enlistment gift!
I got orders for USAF Grand Forks N.D., the frozen hell of North America
I got orders for USAF Grand Forks N.D., the frozen hell of North America
214 inspection team was inspecting few factories, including Sauer. Probably different components at different factories.
hale1940
Canadian Fabio
Waffenamt team e/214 was the inspection team at JP Sauer until mid 1938, when they were replaced by team e/37. Team e/37 was firmly planted at Sauer by 1939, when the rifle we are discussing was manufactured. However, throughout the mid/late 1930s e/214 was also covering inspections for a variety of factories in the Suhl and Zella Mehlis regions, where the factory Foss & Co., who supplied this safety we are discussing was located. Its almost certain that Foss & Co. manufactured the safety for the depot system, and then later it found its way onto this rifle when the factory numbered safety broke.
The other option is that somehow this rifle came out of the factory with an unnumbered safety. Which is just highly unlikely, especially in 1939, and especially when there is a much more logical and consistent answer easily available. Lots of manufactures supplied replacement parts to the depot system… and safeties broke all the time.
Although I have no intention of selling, does a replacement safety have a big effect on value considering the rest of the rifle matches?
Mauserguy85
Well-known member
To me, very little! In an example like this… maybe $50 bucks lower or nothing lower at all compared to 100% matching. In your specific case, it looks like an armorer’s replacement and the finish on that safety is consistent with the rest of the bolt. So in my mind, it was either period replaced or someone really made an effort post war to find a good replacement. I personally have no issues with something like this. As mentioned above, the k98k safety is probably the one part of the rifle that was known to commonly fail. On many examples, you even see the safety “bent” or close to breaking.
