WMO 1915/16 Rastatt Christmas truce gewehr

Well, as the title says. I think that's the perfect name for such a rifle being posted around this time of year. Really is hard to believe that the Christmas truce was 110 years. I apologize, I haven't posted many rifles up. Unfortunately, life, work, running a business takes up a lot of my free time nowadays. It's just the way things are.

Anyway, this rifle was picked up by my buddy Connor at the 2024 SOS show. I actually helped arrange the deal between him, and another good friend of mine out of Tennessee. For his first SOS show he came home with two righteous rifles! Thank you again Tim for selling it to him.

Later on in the spring this rifle came into my possession. I ended up trading Connor a cool depot reworked Amberg Gew88, and some cash. Some of those funds were able to help purchase the centerpiece of his Imperial German collection. Not gonna say what it is. I'll let him do that one day.

So as for the Gewehr it is a WMO 1915/16 in the x letter block. Same serial number range as the war bond example Chris posted up. From looking all over it. This one is matching. Besides, the Rastatt depot bolt handle that was matched to this rifle, and with the rest of the bolt components not matching. The only bad I would say is somebody autographed the stock. Which truth be told I kind of like that. It does tell some history to it, and was most likely done when it was brought home. The other would be the broken front capture screw, and the buggered rear capture screw.

Even so I really do like this gewehr. Has a lot of character to it. And it passed through the hands of two good collector friends of mine. I forgot to mention. It has one of my favorite features I see on these rifles. I call it the muzzle cover tan effect. Caused from the muzzle covers being on these rifles for so long.

I do want to wish everybody a very Merry Christmas as well.

More pictures

More pictures

Last ones

What a lovely example! I need to go too the SOS either this year or next year, 6 day work weeks are not fun when it comes to free time

Warrior1354 said:

the Rastatt depot bolt handle that was matched to this rifle

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Can you expand on this? Curious to know more!

Glad you like this one Jordan. Tim said he had looked up the Vet’s name and he was in WWI. I don’t remember if he mentioned what unit l, but he was from Chicago.

Fal Grunt said:

Can you expand on this? Curious to know more!

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Basically that depot facility took a usable bolt. They ground off the old numbers, and then matched that bolt to this rifle. What is interesting, is that every single depot facility. Has a certain unique characteristic to them. Some I have noticed through out the years. Have a very crude appearance, and others are of outstanding quality.

Here is some other examples to compare my rifle too. Same type of work done a bolt handle numbered to match. All three of these went through the Rastatt depot facility. Thank you to Marc and Chris for posting them up in other threads. What I have noticed is that Rastatt. Has kind of a unique number 7 die punch.

With more examples being posted we can keep gathering more information.

Jdt said:

What a lovely example! I need to go too the SOS either this year or next year, 6 day work weeks are not fun when it comes to free time

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Thank you for the kind words. It really is well worth the trip to go if your able. Become a member of the OVMS and get in on Thursday when the show opens for members only that day. On Friday and Saturday it's public and members.

Warrior1354 said:

Thank you for the kind words. It really is well worth the trip to go if your able. Become a member of the OVMS and get in on Thursday when the show opens for members only that day. On Friday and Saturday it's public and members.

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Alrighty, I'll join if they will let me (Oklahoma here)

Great write up of an interesting subject and very informative. I almost always see bolt numbers crossed out and renumbered on bolt knob.

Fal Grunt said:

Can you expand on this? Curious to know more!

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Nathaniel, here are a few more examples. Like Jordan mentioned, mileage varies depending on who did them but there are several types known.

The first two photos are from a 1916 Spandau which bear the same number on both the root and ball. This gun passed through both Mainz and Köln. The number on the ball was probably done first then the subsequent depot renumbered it. I can’t recall which depot was canceled on the buttplate.

The second is a bolt ball renumber from Depot 15.

The third is from a dufflecut 1918 Danzig. It’s probably from an unknown depot on the Western Front. There’s a marking on the BP, but it’s not legible.

Great looking rifle, Jordan! I think Mauser is pretty unique considering they finished the out the block after the date change. I don’t think anyone else did that.

Something else I wanted to add to this thread. I always add a few original photographs to my rifle threads. And thank you Sam. I have some free time right now so I'm going to try to post up a few other rifles as well.

I know it's just a snapshot taken when shite was calm, but man dude in the middle with the X over his head does not have his mask on right.

Added to the reference.