steyr 1940 660 matching

Muncher 1953 said:
what was the reason for the two separate lines? (assuming both were making rifles for the Heer, not one doing a Heer contract & the other for the ss)
Click to expand...

It was planned and ordered by the OKH.

Two assembly lines had several advantages.
- The output of K98k is increased.
- If problems occur in assembly, only one assembly line may be affected and not the entire assembly, thus resulting in less downtime.
- If in the future the assembly of a weapon (like K98k) is to end and the assembly of a new weapon (like G.43) is to start, then it is also helpful. Both assembly lines increase the output of weapons before the changeover, then one assembly line is set up for the new weapon. The second assembly line continues to assemble the former weapon until the new weapon has safely started. Only then is the second assembly line set up for the new weapon.
- Assembly and quality could be better monitored, in particular critical parts like the receiver.
 
Loewe said:
825 k is very early for RD BC's for SDP 98k production; i-j was the beginning as far as trends go; 825k (this rifle) was once in the US, pics from 2005 (a high quality collector from Alabama owned this in 2005) & 2009 exist, neither show a lot but here the gap may suggest no lot, though most do sport lots in the front of the code... hard to say here but this is very early for SDP 98k (RD seem to have begun on 29/40 production, all the earliest RD lots are found here)
Click to expand...

Like you said Paul, the "660 1940" Sn. 825k is very early for a RD Radom barrel, close to your other examples in the late "i" and in the "j" block.

I have made this spreadsheet with examples, sorted by the date and you are right, they started to use the RD Radom barrels at first in G.29/40 production.

Steyr Paul b.jpg


The second spreadsheet contains three different rifles, the Steyr K98k, the K98k Polish and the G.29/40.

The Radom and Warsaw parts arrived around August 1940 in Steyr and they build up the second assembly line in the Steyr factory. In September 1940 the first 300 G.29/40 rifles got assembled. In the same month in September 1940 only 7,451 Steyr K98k got assembled (in July there was still full capacity with 11,600 Steyr K98k). In December 1940 you can notice already the raised production capacity with a total of 12,396 (7,348 Steyr K98k and 5,048 G.29/40) rifles.

Steyr Paul a.jpg

The Steyr Letten factory finished the RD barrel blanks and like you said, the first Radom barrels got used in G.29/40 assembly. Your example G.29/40 Sn. 3251a got assembled around mid-January 1941. Here is another nice example from January 1941: G29/40 A block 660 Radom Crest Kriegsmarine
This one is also a good example why we have to be careful when we use terms like "early" because this early G.29/40"a" block got assembled in 1941.

From March 1941, due to bottlenecks, RD barrels were also used in the Steyr K98k assembly, in the spreadsheet I put as example the "660 1940" Sn. 825k from April 1941. In April already a total of 18,300 rifles get assembled (16,375 Steyr K98k and 1,925 G.29/40).

In the last week of April the second assembly line starts the assembly of the K98k polnisch (e/77 Radom small font) and in the end of May 1941 already 11,500 got assembled. The same month 3,350 G.29/40 and only 4,600 Steyr K98k got assembled.

You can add another RD Radom barrel to your spreadsheet, a special one: 1917 Amberg SSZZA4 Early SS Rework 4758
Barrel code is 166 40 RD e/623 (3)
@joryfreeburg
It's a great example, congrats. Your serial number looks familiar. I will check my SS Waffenmeister lists, I think in your serial number range I have some 1917 Amberg which got used by SS cavaly units.

​

 
heavy_mech said:
So the barrel blanks from Radom seems to add credence to Stephan's timeframe for these '40 dated examples actually being assembled in late spring '41. Although the blank is dated '40, after arrival at Letten they were finished and then sent to Steyr to be assembled into complete rifles.

Is it still accepted that Radom parts first begin to arrive very late in 1940 or January '41?
Click to expand...

The Radom and Warsaw parts arrived around August 1940 in Steyr. In the same month Letten started Vis-pistol barrel production.

Regarding your other comment on the Gustloff K98ks with RD barrels. Maybe you remember that I have been pointing out for some time that some of the Gustloff "337 1940" was not assembled in 1940, but much later. You had commented on something in some of these threads. I mainly started the posts about Steyr to explain the Gustloff story.
 
Stephan98k said:
It was planned and ordered by the OKH.

Two assembly lines had several advantages.
- The output of K98k is increased.
- If problems occur in assembly, only one assembly line may be affected and not the entire assembly, thus resulting in less downtime.
- If in the future the assembly of a weapon (like K98k) is to end and the assembly of a new weapon (like G.43) is to start, then it is also helpful. Both assembly lines increase the output of weapons before the changeover, then one assembly line is set up for the new weapon. The second assembly line continues to assemble the former weapon until the new weapon has safely started. Only then is the second assembly line set up for the new weapon.
- Assembly and quality could be better monitored, in particular critical parts like the receiver.
Click to expand...
Thank you.
Having spent much of my working years in factories (windmills, power control stations, sandblasting machines & 30 years of ball bearings) the why & how of manufacturing is of interest.
 
Stephan just illustrated the future of research, trends is not nearly enough, it must be married to archival and or historical context (best when the researcher is bilingual and familiar with mfg methods); these were outstanding posts!
 
Loewe said:
825 k is very early for RD BC's for SDP 98k production; i-j was the beginning as far as trends go; 825k (this rifle) was once in the US, pics from 2005 (a high quality collector from Alabama owned this in 2005) & 2009 exist, neither show a lot but here the gap may suggest no lot, though most do sport lots in the front of the code... hard to say here but this is very early for SDP 98k (RD seem to have begun on 29/40 production, all the earliest RD lots are found here)
Click to expand...
The 660 posted was mine, I sold it to Phil, he caught me at a weak moment. I have since found a replacement, I will post soon.
 
Jhr98k said:
The 660 posted was mine, I sold it to Phil, he caught me at a weak moment. I have since found a replacement, I will post soon.
Click to expand...
Greg? If so, great to see you around! Remember MikeF and us had a little email group (exchange) going over a decade ago!
 
Loewe said:
Stephan just illustrated the future of research, trends is not nearly enough, it must be married to archival and or historical context (best when the researcher is bilingual and familiar with mfg methods); these were outstanding posts!
Click to expand...

Yes, today many more documents are available and it's important to compare all the trends and experiences of the last decades with them. If researchers like you had had this information back then, the work would be done already.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top