If wz98a serial number 1120's owner is here I have your stock. Or it is German internally numbered 4378 or 4578

My wz98a by total production numbers is the rarest Mauser I own so imagine my surprise when this comes on a Balkan Gew 98m. Seeing if anyone here has it

I already commented on GB with the full details, but I don’t think it is a Wz98a stock.

I'm not sure where you got your information on the serial number position but it is similarly marked to my bringback wz98a (17042). Also my bringback stock has no dowel either. The new stock is too worn to see any depot marks but they both could be German numbered too and the internal channel is the Polish number

Jakeman664 said:

I'm not sure where you got your information on the serial number position but it is similarly marked to my bringback wz98a (17042). Also my bringback stock has no dowel either. The new stock is too worn to see any depot marks but they both could be German numbered too and the internal channel is the Polish number

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Thanks for providing these photos, as it sheds light on your example that wasn’t in the original post. They are indeed Polish marked (with the small oval stamps and eagle), however the serial number applied is in the German style (typically done when Polish rifles were captured and reworked by the Germans). The Poles originally serialized theirs along the length of the stock. I have two Polish Wz.98a’s and two Polish reworked Gew98’s in Wz.98a (replacement) stocks and all 4 stocks are made of beech with the hardwood dowel reinforcement above the triggerguard area.

It is curious that your 1120 example is in a walnut stock, the Poles seemed to exclusively use beech for their domestically produced rifles.

The lack of a reinforcing dowel is also interesting.

The Wz98a’s are admittedly a very tricky area of study. There is no good comprehensive coverage of these rifles in Polish or English language beyond a very brief mention in reference books and literature. Production number estimates vary but are rather small regardless. In fact I have yet to find any period photos of a Wz.98a in Polish use (I have even reached out to collectors in Poland)!

The most one can do is track and trend the examples that get posted to places like this forum or GunBoards or that come up rarely for auction.

My Gew98M is a Spandau | 1916. I believe it is in a matching numbered Polish stock as well. Stock is a "two-pieced" pattern. One clue is below the pistol grip, where it is stamped with the "BSW" stylized marking. This is likely where the rebuild took place. On another note, am happy to report after 34 years, I was afforded the opportunity to reacquire my former Wz98a. I hope to receive it (along with a Polish "K98" carbine) in a few weeks and upon my recovery from what I had to give for both (the Wz98a was six times what I sold it for in 1991!!!)...

pwcosol said:

My Gew98M is a Spandau | 1916. I believe it is in a matching numbered Polish stock as well. Stock is a "two-pieced" pattern. One clue is below the pistol grip, where it is stamped with the "BSW" stylized marking. This is likely where the rebuild took place. On another note, am happy to report after 34 years, I was afforded the opportunity to reacquire my former Wz98a. I hope to receive it (along with a Polish "K98" carbine) in a few weeks and upon my recovery from what I had to give for both (the Wz98a was six times what I sold it for in 1991!!!)...

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I hope to see your future posts on these examples pwcosol!