1917 simson with EWB brand, is this a proverbial hens tooth?

[biggymu]

You could part it out and make money. A complete bolt runs @150 on eBay.

 

[chrisftk]

Is it possible that it was re- stocked over there and the sn was just added over here? All the screws have the same sn as the barrel & receiver? Just grasping at straws, thanks

You can never say 100%, but I'd say very unlikely.

 

[PrayingMantis]

$200 was a steal. You could sell it as is to a reenactor for well over twice that, and put that money towards a Gew that’s more original matching.

 

[Cyrano4747]

Since we're already talking about fakes here, I've got a question about the EWB marked rifles:

Has there ever been a history of people faking the brand? It's a somewhat desirable attribute, and we all know how that works.

On the one hand the brands weren't exactly a standardized marking in the first place, which opens up a lot of avenues for people to get tricky. On the other hand there's a lot of commonality and I could easily see people who know more about them than I do being able to identify the real ones.

So what's the story with them? A minefield or just a non-issue?

 

[bonemorrow98]

Since we're already talking about fakes here, I've got a question about the EWB marked rifles:

Has there ever been a history of people faking the brand? It's a somewhat desirable attribute, and we all know how that works.

On the one hand the brands weren't exactly a standardized marking in the first place, which opens up a lot of avenues for people to get tricky. On the other hand there's a lot of commonality and I could easily see people who know more about them than I do being able to identify the real ones.

So what's the story with them? A minefield or just a non-issue?

A nice looking rifle with those markings would probably be a red flag. Id expect them to be pretty worn out. I have a EWB marked Kar98 AZ and it is a very worn gun.

 

[chrisftk]

A nice looking rifle with those markings would probably be a red flag. Id expect them to be pretty worn out. I have a EWB marked Kar98 AZ and it is a very worn gun.

Actually quite the opposite-- most EWB rifles I see still in Imperial trim are generally pretty high condition. These saw minimal use and were typically stashed. The worn ones tend to be 98m that saw service after EWB.

To the point of faked EWB brands, it's certainly possible, though I've not seen one. Additionally this particular example is an Amberg stock, which screams EWB.

 

[98nooby]

I've decided to burn the fake SN's off and live with a 1917 simson that was restocked at some point in time. Just getting rid of the numbers will make me more comfortable with the rifle.

 

[98nooby]

I'll send a pic when done

 

[PrayingMantis]

Here’s the fix.

 

[98nooby]

This not only fixes it for me, but for future owners, these awesome firearms have been around for over 100 years and will still be around when all of us are gone.

 

[Cyrano4747]

That's. . . . not a terrible looking fix to a borked stock. What to do with renumbered parts is always a delicate issue but as a solution, that really doesn't bother me. I'll fully admit to kind of cringing when I read the first post saying you were going to do it, but I like it.

 

[chrisftk]

Definitely an improvement. Those humped numbers on the stock you just can't unsee. I am with you on the frustration. I bought a rifle at the Alabama auction as a gamble with minimal pics and noticed the bolt and stock were faked. I ended up selling honestly to a renenactor and taking a small hit. Just didn't want to look at it.