mauser1908
Senior Member
I posted this rifle a few years ago when I was re-photographing some of my guns. This was actually one of Mike's rifles, one of a few I've had the privilege of caring for. I've had this rifle for almost a decade now and never thought much of the Prussian final acceptance on an otherwise Bavarian rifle. I had always assumed this was just one of Amberg's early rifles that was used to fill a Prussian contract. When I posted it, Paul pointed out that the stock was made by DWM in 1915 (note the C/Y on the wrist and the characteristic lack of internal serial number). At that point in time I assumed the stock was the only part produced by DWM. At the time, the idea was suggested that DWM might have done a rebuilding/recycling operation early on during the weapons shortage of 1914-1915. After the suggestion, I basically tabled that and never looked into it further. At the time, I had taken a somewhat detailed spread of photos but didn't focus on font or part acceptance. Fast forward to last week, I pulled the thing completely apart and looked at each part serial number and acceptance stamp. What I found blew my mind.
When we look at serial number font, there are a few makers that are unmistakable. Amberg is one of these makers, specifically with the "wavy 2" and the heavy tail on their six. Amberg's font was one of the few styles that remained completely unchanged throughout the arsenal's entire production. Below is an example of a 1917 Amberg:
When I examined my 1904 Amberg, it's clear that almost none of the numbering is from Amberg thus indicating the parts were not serialized there. In addition, the acceptance is clearly DWM. Note this is a totally matching gun (Ingolstadt renumbered bolt, m/m small bolt parts).
Below is the breakdown of original Amberg manufactured parts (four in total):
Receiver
Barrel
Magazine
Magazine Floorplate
Here is the list of DWM parts:
Stock
Handguard
Bayonet Lug
Buttplate
Front Barrel Band
Rear Barrel Band
Rear sight
Rear sight elevator
Ejector Box
Follower
Trigger
Cleaning Rod
In essence, this is completely remanufactured gun. While at this point, it's the only documented example of a DWM rework, there are bound to be others out there. What I think confirms the rebuild is the textbook Ingolstadt renumbered bolt. The DWM manufactured buttplate bears an '8', indicating its presence on the rifle at the time of the renumber. In other words, the rebuild occurred then was subsequently followed by acquisition of a new bolt at Ingolstadt.
When we look at serial number font, there are a few makers that are unmistakable. Amberg is one of these makers, specifically with the "wavy 2" and the heavy tail on their six. Amberg's font was one of the few styles that remained completely unchanged throughout the arsenal's entire production. Below is an example of a 1917 Amberg:
When I examined my 1904 Amberg, it's clear that almost none of the numbering is from Amberg thus indicating the parts were not serialized there. In addition, the acceptance is clearly DWM. Note this is a totally matching gun (Ingolstadt renumbered bolt, m/m small bolt parts).
Below is the breakdown of original Amberg manufactured parts (four in total):
Receiver
Barrel
Magazine
Magazine Floorplate
Here is the list of DWM parts:
Stock
Handguard
Bayonet Lug
Buttplate
Front Barrel Band
Rear Barrel Band
Rear sight
Rear sight elevator
Ejector Box
Follower
Trigger
Cleaning Rod
In essence, this is completely remanufactured gun. While at this point, it's the only documented example of a DWM rework, there are bound to be others out there. What I think confirms the rebuild is the textbook Ingolstadt renumbered bolt. The DWM manufactured buttplate bears an '8', indicating its presence on the rifle at the time of the renumber. In other words, the rebuild occurred then was subsequently followed by acquisition of a new bolt at Ingolstadt.
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