Third Party Press

S28 1920 marked K98k conversion

Absolut

Absolut

Senior Member
This time non professional pictures .. the rifle isn‘t perfect either (mismatch, at least stock, many other parts don‘t have a serial at all), so just to have it documented in here too. Bought it not really knowing what it was, when having home and removing the stock turns out it is a S28 rifle. Must had been converted to K98k in 1938. Note Erma marked barrel. Due to the dual marking on the barrel step I wonder if this may be a recycled barrel? No commercial firing proof stamps, no SS markings.


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Strange how the stock has been converted to use the early band spring and pin configuration. It had the groove for the regular band spring.
The lower case t on the receiver is one I’ve never seen either.
 
biggymu said:
Strange how the stock has been converted to use the early band spring and pin configuration. It had the groove for the regular band spring.
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That kept me my head scratching too .. until I thought this may be because someone wanted to re-use its early style H band with pin all the way through, so the only way to make a K98k stock work would then be to convert it back to early L shaped spring and pin.

Anyone can educate me on the barrel? Would it be a re-issued Erma K98k barrel?
 
My rebuild has an Erma barrel from the same year as well. Might be common on depot guns.

They didn’t bother to serialize the barrel on mine though.
 

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heavy_mech said:
Pretty cool. Also a Dohlen blank, although later by both steel lot and yours being e/280 x 3, rather than the e/77.
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Do we know roughly what time frame most of these conversions took place? Also, were they considered second hand weapons and do we know what kind of units they were issued to?
 
I had an ERMA barrel on gew98m years ago that I sold here to Mr farb I think ? Long gone Im sure. Most seem to be 37/38 dated well into the Nazi period Made as ordnance spares or for the rebuilding of Gew98's ?

This S28 rifle is interesting due to the fact most all have the three crown proofs on the right side this one has two with an eagle. So, Im assuming its later than the others with three crowns. Just a thought.
 
It doesn't conform to S28 trends... probable salvaged S28 receiver. It is not a typical (uniformed) S28 variant, at least as far as trends go...
 
ANDYH said:
Nice rifle indeed but that band spring arrangement is odd.
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Re-checking the stock it appears that the acceptance stamps are Eagle 280. I therefore believe the stock once came off an Erma rifle. The fact that it now has an Erma barrel and stock but somewhat got reconfigured to take the early Gew98 barrel bands makes me wonder if a S28 and Erma K98k rifle were married to each other?
 
Absolut said:
That kept me my head scratching too .. until I thought this may be because someone wanted to re-use its early style H band with pin all the way through, so the only way to make a K98k stock work would then be to convert it back to early L shaped spring and pin.

Anyone can educate me on the barrel? Would it be a re-issued Erma K98k barrel?
Click to expand...
Ordnance spare (actually recycled S28 receiver, this was once a S28 used receiver, not actually an ordnance spare) used as part of a subsequent build probably, it seems ERMA made G98 length barrel/ord.spares (for ordnance depots) till 39; usually marked "circled EE" by 1939, this is a 38 barrel, 39 was a transition year (making both but dropping G98 length in 39 (continued 98k length spares till 40).

I say a build because the receiver serial is not S28 in style and has a faint "b" suffix and original S28 never made it to the 8000/b block (6000/b is highest known and is lonely, 4000/b are rare and closest) and has fp on both receiver & barrel. Clearly original fp and serial have been scrubbed, leaving a partial b-suffix from the original S28. The right receiver has the right acceptance for a b-block S28, but added qualifiers (numbers or letters between the original acceptance stamps, this is generally considered as re-inspection of the prior acceptance and is common on Republican and early National Socialist ordnance reworks and builds).

In short a recycled S28 receiver used as the basis for a new rifle, done probably 39-40+ (possibly narrowed if other components are original, for instance the barrel Weimar FP and style/location suggests pre-war or veryearly war, though some depots carried early patterns longer
 
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Thank you. So that would kind of support/work with the thought I've mentioned above, that an Erma K98k and a S28 were scrapped for parts to make one working rifle.
 
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