Need info on Great Grandfather’s Mauser

[JwFarian]

Asking for any info on this K98… Year of production, and if the stock is original.

I know the wood cannot be a shaved down military because of the lack of sling hole. I will include a picture I found in another group of a similar looking gun held by a soldier during the war, which has similar grips.

The story of this gun is: My great Grandfather captured it during his years occupying Germany after the war. He was there from 45-50.

He captured this mauser along with a luftwaffe M40 Drilling. This gun also has the fancy engravings. I do not know if he had this done, or if he aquired them sporterized and engraved as seen here. The mauser also has a shaved barrel for weight reduction.
There is a logo of some company on all the wood and on the scope. I have no info on this company. Is the scope a WW2 production? The gun has a German eagle which means it was a Nazi production. The gun has all matching serial numbers. (2470, if anyone can do any research on it, or hint me to a place that I can)

I can provide more info/ pictures if that helps.
Thanks!

 

[biggymu]

This is a sporting rifle built most likely post war. Looks like it was a military CE (Sauer) code receiver to start with.
The scope, a Waffen Lux Heidelberg, I am not familiar with. It has an objective mount with double claw bases. The stock design appears European with the Schnabel fore end.
Can you post photos of the label on the scope and company logos on the wood.
It is nicely executed. Should make a nice deer rifle.
The photo of the German soldier doesn’t offer any clues
Not much in the way of collectors value I don’t think. Others may be able to pin down receiver date with serial number and proof styles
Is there any additional proof marks on the barrel under the wood line?
Seems funny they went to all the trouble to obscure the maker, date and barrel data, but left the firing proof and the e/280.

 

[Muncher 1953]

I think the soldier photo is also post war; partly because it’s color, but mostly because of the straps & buckles on his boots. I’m not an expert on ww2 uniforms, but I had boots in the ‘70s with exactly that style of straps, and though there may have been some like that in-period they weren’t the standard issue German boot.

 

[JwFarian]

This is a sporting rifle built most likely post war. Looks like it was a military CE (Sauer) code receiver to start with.
The scope, a Waffen Lux Heidelberg, I am not familiar with. It has an objective mount with double claw bases. The stock design appears European with the Schnabel fore end.
Can you post photos of the label on the scope and company logos on the wood.
It is nicely executed. Should make a nice deer rifle.
The photo of the German soldier doesn’t offer any clues
Not much in the way of collectors value I don’t think. Others may be able to pin down receiver date with serial number and proof styles
Is there any additional proof marks on the barrel under the wood line?
Seems funny they went to all the trouble to obscure the maker, date and barrel data, but left the firing proof and the e/280.

If it helps, he spent many years at a base in Heidelberg, so I guess it makes it likely that he did the sporterization.

 

[JwFarian]

I think the soldier photo is also post war; partly because it’s color, but mostly because of the straps & buckles on his boots. I’m not an expert on ww2 uniforms, but I had boots in the ‘70s with exactly that style of straps, and though there may have been some like that in-period they weren’t the standard issue German boot.

I found it on a FB page dedicated to original ww2 color photos. People in the comments seem to agree they are Cavalry boots. Either way, it looks similar to my rifle. Here’s an ad I found, could be post war.

 

[iron bender]

The soldier in the pic is wearing standard German issue marching boots. The straps are a separate item all together and are for ankle support while on the march

 

[biggymu]

Waffen Lux Heidelberg – Ihr Büchsenmachermeister-Betrieb mit Werkstatt

Wir sind Experte für Jagd- und Sportwaffen, anerkannter Fachhändler für namhafte Lieferanten und das AllJagd-Fachgeschäft im Rhein-Neckar-Kreis. Besuchen Sie uns in der Friedrich-Ebert-Anlage 9 in Heidelberg. Wir bieten ein umfassendes Sortiment im Bereich Jagd, Sport, Optik, Sicherheit, Freie...

www.waffen-lux.de

Waffen Lux is still in business. Given his post war service in Germany, he probably just purchased this rifle. There are thousands of sporterized Mauser made by all different skill levels. With the stamps, it looks to be a commercial product. The guy in the picture has a sporting rifle that is different in many respects.,

 

[mauser99]

the rifle isnt the same rifle so there's that.. Its a nice photo of him holding a sporting mauser.. the rifle is a post war cigarette gun or other made for the post war GI trade.

 

[luftpirate]

Nice sporting rifle. Would go well in any Mauser collection.

 

[JwFarian]

others have told me that it is not a military rifle. One man on FB said: “This is a 1921 vintage Mauser 98 made at the Erfurt Royal Arsenal just after WW1 when the 98’s were considered evil by the Allies and dealt with by the Versailles Treaty…
from my research;
1) it has the Erfurt Royal Arsenal name on the receiver
2) Serial number 4-digit also on the receiver.
3) it has the Kaiser’s stamp, not a 3rd Reich eagle on it.
4) Data about the Erfurt Arsenal immediately after the war states that the factory continued making the Mauser 98 in a sporter version until the Versailles Treaty halted all military buildup for Germany.”

What are your thoughts on this, and is it possibly true?
thanks

 

[biggymu]

None of it is true. It has the firing proof on the receiver of JP Sauer, it is a Nazi eagle, as such it is WW2 or later. “ Erfurt Royal arsenal's name on the receiver?” Where is that? Attached is what your rifle would have looked like in its original configuration with the exception of the 359 proof. Probably a CE 43. That’s all I got.

Hogwash

Sauer 42 "n" Block....

Sauer 42 "n" Block...."e" block added... I really lucked into this one earlier this week, local DFW guy was helping to liquidate his Uncles gun collection which was mainly lever guns and SAA pistols...he wasn't sure on this one, and posted a few pics and wanted to know potential value. I gave...

www.k98kforum.com

 

[heavy_mech]

As stated the small Notzi eagle firing proof clearly seen in photos 3 and 7, as well as the e/280 acceptance in photo 8 are known to us and absolutely refute what you were told. He did come up with a pretty wild story though.

 

[JwFarian]

Ok, thanks guys!
does this make my rifle worth more or less than the average mauser in good condition?

 

[moconfed]

Ok, thanks guys!
does this make my rifle worth more or less than the average mauser in good condition?

Yes. Depends on the individual that wants it, and the focus of their collection.

 

[mauser99]

its hard to say.. today an un touched k98k is highly desirable and more sought after than a high end sporter. Back then the opposite was true.. K98k's were a dime a dozen or less. This rifle is a classic European sporter done very well by a masterful gun smith. if its a family treasure keep it.

 

[JwFarian]

How about knowing it’s history. I know with a lot of allied guns you can find the serial number and see when or if it saw service and where. Is this possible with the information I have?

 

[Zeppelin5000]

How about knowing it’s history. I know with a lot of allied guns you can find the serial number and see when or if it saw service and where. Is this possible with the information I have?

You won't find any information like that from the serial number or anything else.

 

[JwFarian]

Thank you.
These are the only papers on the gun. One is the mailing ticket, the other is some paper about him getting it fixed (?)
also, not sure why it says 9mm… he did bring home some pistols (I don’t have these) that may have been mauser, but this is qualified as a rifle, so one or the other must be a typo.
are these helpful in anyway? I wish I had some paperwork for the Waffen Lux, but there are none that I know of. I do have thousands of his documents, but I would have set this aside had I noticed it when I went through it years ago

 

[heavy_mech]

I'm sure it's a typo on the possession card. Looks like it's dated June 15th, 1960.

 

[JwFarian]

What is a “chamber cast”? And is that something a gunsmith does? I thought it was just how the file was made, so not sure why it’s written in that paper