I have always wanted an authentic WWII mauser but just never got around to getting one. My friend bought some rifles from a widow and among them was a k98 albiet with a sporter stock. It needs some TLC but seems mechanically sound and has a good bore. I have researched the markings and have most identified with help from the postings on this forum. Two still elude me. The first is capital "HL" located just ahead of the where the barrel joins the receiver. I know "H" is for the army but what does the "L" mean. The second is what appears to be two circles about one inch ahead of the rear sight with the letter "s" in them. The rifle is not yet shipped to me by my friend so I can't take any better pictures at this time. All serial numbers match 4265au.
My First Post and First Mauser
- Thread starter MacD
- Start date
Your rifle is a dot code made in 1944 in the 'au' letter suffix. They start with the 'v' suffix in '44, then after 'z' their suffix pattern changes to 'aa', 'ab', 'ac', etc. The 'dot' and 'dou' codes were made in German-occupied Czechoslovakia during WWII. It's a shame it's been sporterized, that pretty much kills all it's value as a collectable. That doesn't mean you can't shoot it and enjoy it though!
Shield with '13' in it and 'HL' Are German identifiers for the barrel maker and barrel blank producer. The '13' I believe is for Ruhrstahl, not sure who 'HL' is..
Shield with '13' in it and 'HL' Are German identifiers for the barrel maker and barrel blank producer. The '13' I believe is for Ruhrstahl, not sure who 'HL' is..
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Sporterized rear sight and maybe front sight as well? Hard to tell from the pics. But it does kind of look like an older sporter job and those can be quite nice to shoot! Sorry, not sure what the HL stand for, L on a stock could be luftwaffe but I don't know what it means on a barrel. Not sure what that shield looking thing is either.
