1906 DWM Navy Gew 98 #1102 (Werft Danzig)

[chrisftk]

Hi All,

I had a little time, so here's a relatively recent one. My good friend Alex/OnlyMil offered this up to me and I thought it would be a nice one to have. It's a little salty, but presents well and is a nice closet gun. I generally don't get super excited about KM rifles, but this was a neat acquisition.

The bolt is m/m, but appears to be off another later navy DWM, as it has the c/P acceptance. The other m/m parts are the follower, floorplate, ejector box and rod. The follower and floorplate match the last 2 digits on the bolt and are also c/P accepted, oddly enough. The ejector box is also c/P

The wood has some damage on the right side between the receiver ring and triggerguard, but the stock is otherwise lovely with crisp side and wrist acceptance. The keel is worn, but the SN is visible. The stock disc is marked W.D. 709 for Werft Danzig (aka Danzig Shipyard), weapon 709. From what I've seen, this is the prevailing unit mark for 1906 navy production. The muzzle cap is also marked Werft Danzig and very close in #. Cyrus was kind enough to part with it.

The metal under the wood was positively caked in grease, which looked beautiful after the grease was removed. I liked the odd strike on the barrel fireproof.

Anyway, here are the data:

Receiver 1102
Barrel 1102 (Bo 124)
Front Sight 02
Rear Sight Leaf 02
Sight Slider 02
Ejector Box 95
Trigger Sear 02
Front Barrel Band 02
Rear Barrel Band 02
Trigger Guard 1102
Trigger Guard Screws 02/02
Floor Plate 56
Follower 56
Stock 1102 (W.D. 705)
Buttplate 1102
Bayonet Lug 02
Handguard 1102
Bolt body 4856
Safety 76
Cocking Piece 56
Shroud 56
Firing Pin 56
Extractor 56
Cleaning rod 09

 

[chrisftk]

Pics continued:

 

[biggymu]

That’s certainly something you don’t see everyday. Early and different. Nice snag Chris!

 

[MichaelWC]

Awesome rifle Chris. I like salty look the rifle has. It gives it some character. I love that muzzle cover.

 

[joryfreeburg]

That’s a cool rifle Chris…. Congrats

The metal has a sweet mellow look to it. Very nice

 

[OnlyMil]

Chris, so glad that this rifle ended up with you. You have always pointed me in the right direction and hooked me up in the past, so it is refreshing to be able to return the favor. I had spoken to some knowledgeable and well-intentioned members, among others, about this rifle's past, given there is no published source on Imperial Navy rifles. When you mentioned that you didn't have this year for DWM, given your affinity for DWM, it got the wheels turning to hand it off. It did seem a little out of place in my fledgling collection to have such a rare rifle lol, second only the Württemberg rifles it seems. Now the forum has two in this year and unit mark! Really awesome for Cyrus to hook you up with a Danzig Dockyard muzzle cover, definitely puts the cherry on top.

 

[AN-94]

That's a very nice rifle, and those acceptance stamps are super crisp too, congrats! The muzzle cover is the perfect accessory for this one. I watched a documentary on WWI subs recently and have to wonder how many carried Navy marked Gewehr 98s that they took with them on the high seas and how many are still sitting on the ocean floor now...

 

[MountainGew]

Very neat rifle! Those stock stamps are very crisp. What is the metal acceptance stamp on these KM rifles supposed to represent, from an iconography stand point?

 

[Jdt]

Nice rifle! Definitely a awesome keeper

 

[chrisftk]

Thanks guys!

Chris, so glad that this rifle ended up with you. You have always pointed me in the right direction and hooked me up in the past, so it is refreshing to be able to return the favor.

I appreciate you offering it and have enjoyed getting to know you and bringing you into the fold here. 2nd deal together and hopefully we'll do many more over the years. Your collection may be relatively new, but you have quality and that's a good place to be.

What is the metal acceptance stamp on these KM rifles supposed to represent, from an iconography stand point?

It's actually a stylized Imperial crown. It is a symbol of the German Empire as a whole and was used in heraldry/belt buckles and such representing Imperial institutions; Navy, Schutztruppe, Territory of Alsace-Lorraine, etc. It is separate and distinct from the Prussian crown, although the Kaiser served in both capacities. This was intended to be a knockoff of the Holy Roman Emperor's crown, but was never actually made, other than a wooden model, pictured below.



The Prussian crown would be familiar if looking at Prussian army belt buckles or from the receiver of Erfurt, Danzig or Spandau rifles.


Finally just a quick comparison of the crowns on a Prussian army vs imperial unit's belt buckle.

 

[MountainGew]

Thanks guys!


I appreciate you offering it and have enjoyed getting to know you and bringing you into the fold here. 2nd deal together and hopefully we'll do many more over the years. Your collection may be relatively new, but you have quality and that's a good place to be.

It's actually a stylized Imperial crown. It is a symbol of the German Empire as a whole and was used in heraldry/belt buckles and such representing Imperial institutions; Navy, Schutztruppe, Territory of Alsace-Lorraine, etc. It is separate and distinct from the Prussian crown, although the Kaiser served in both capacities. This was intended to be a knockoff of the Holy Roman Emperor's crown, but was never actually made, other than a wooden model, pictured below.

View attachment 398922

The Prussian crown would be familiar if looking at Prussian army belt buckles or from the receiver of Erfurt, Danzig or Spandau rifles.
View attachment 398923View attachment 398924

Finally just a quick comparison of the crowns on a Prussian army vs imperial unit's belt buckle.

View attachment 398927

That is awesome, thank you for the concise historical rundown!!

 

[chrisftk]

@mauser1908 will be happy.....I was discussing my 1906 first issue; altered navy luger and thought I'd add some photos as a pairing to the rifle. This one is unit marked Werft Wilhelmshaven and has the modifications to invert the safety to match the direction of other military lugers (cosmetically, the old GESICHERT/ "Safe" marking is milled off).

As most know, the naval lugers had a 6 inch barrel and a unique adjustable sight. The early ones also had a grip safety (omitted on later series) and, like the LP08 (aka Artillery), they have a specific attachable stock, though they are rare to find today.

 

[joryfreeburg]

Whoa Chris….. they make quite a pair. Congrats

 

[PrayingMantis]

Absolute stunner KM Gew, Chris, and the muzzle cover is icing on the cake. It's in the reference.

The disjointed fireproof on the barrel is interesting, makes one suspect that they stamped these in halves to make up for the curve of the barrel.

 

[chrisftk]

Absolute stunner KM Gew, Chris, and the muzzle cover is icing on the cake. It's in the reference.

The disjointed fireproof on the barrel is interesting, makes one suspect that they stamped these in halves to make up for the curve of the barrel.

Thanks Cyrus, I appreciate you helping me with the muzzle cover-- really was a nice addition.

Somewhat apropos to this rifle, I collect German manuals. I have had in my collection for a couple years a rather interesting 1906 manual for the II Werftdivision. It is loaded with information, but in particular; a nice section on the technical details and operation of the Gewehr 98. I'll get it properly scanned one day, but as of right now here is a taste. I also have an 1895-dated Matrosen-division one with a section on the 71/84.

 

[OnlyMil]

Thanks Cyrus, I appreciate you helping me with the muzzle cover-- really was a nice addition.

Somewhat apropos to this rifle, I collect German manuals. I have had in my collection for a couple years a rather interesting 1906 manual for the II Werftdivision. It is loaded with information, but in particular; a nice section on the technical details and operation of the Gewehr 98. I'll get it properly scanned one day, but as of right now here is a taste. I also have an 1895-dated Matrosen-division one with a section on the 71/84.

View attachment 399544View attachment 399545

Chris, you keep piling on lol!! First the Luger, now a dockyard manual. Makes for a great Imperial Navy trinity with the rifle. This is the first I have seen a navy manual shared. Are they relatively difficult to find? I imagine it is mostly about drill and procedure, but I bet there are at least a few insightful bits of information specific to the navy. Photos of Imperial Marines or Sailors are neat and tell their own story, but a manual really must give a glimpse of how they structured their day-to-day.

 

[mauser1908]

Chris, I mean it when I say this; this is easily one of, if not the best proofed naval gewehr I've personally seen. I find it interesting that the rear sight didn't have an additional serial number added. Must have been an early thing related to the sight updates. Anyway, excellent find, this one really is fantastic.

 

[chrisftk]

This is the first I have seen a navy manual shared. Are they relatively difficult to find?

I haven't come across many. I have a 1895 and a 1906.

Chris, I mean it when I say this; this is easily one of, if not the best proofed naval gewehr I've personally seen. I find it interesting that the rear sight didn't have an additional serial number added. Must have been an early thing related to the sight updates. Anyway, excellent find, this one really is fantastic.

Thanks Sam, it's a good example of a gun I wasn't looking for, but Alex gave me the opportunity. I had to jump.

 

[feldmütze]

Excellent pickup Chris! I've always had a sweet tooth for KM gewehrs & accessories.