Third Party Press

No suffix Dresden Sterngewehr?

Wouldn’t call that rough at all. Nice find.

I have yet seen a truly minty (high-grade condition) Saxony-Dresden sterngewehr and this is about as nice as they get... further trends on them are plentiful and the "diversity" of receivers and sub-variations would make a modern democrat glow with pride... between receiver and date mix they are next to impossible to trend all the variations found.

Very nice example!
 
Excellent find Gene! If you clean this one it will look much better. There is nice condition hidden under the rust of decades.

Check the year on the receiver close. I'm not sure if there is something stamped after the 1916, your picture makes it hard to tell.
 
Excellent find Gene! If you clean this one it will look much better. There is nice condition hidden under the rust of decades.

Check the year on the receiver close. I'm not sure if there is something stamped after the 1916, your picture makes it hard to tell.
It's a "17" after the 1916. Just hard to see in the pics.
 
Added to the study; third lowest for 1917. By now it's been confirmed that Dresden started serial numbers over for each year, but it is still nice to see another that falls into the pattern, like this one. As for the bolt, the fireproof and acceptance is notoriously weak on Dresdens, hard to say why, but it's consistent.

Yeah with a little Ballistol and Steel Wool this Gew will really shine. You can tell from the bluing that it is in nice shape.
 
Last edited:
thx for the comments everyone…!

the "diversity" of receivers and sub-variations would make a modern democrat glow with pride…😳

yep, there is a /17 after the date on the receiver date.

i have already sacrificed my t shirt for mondays flight getting some crud off lol. not sure i have enough old rags at home to finish the job…

some pitting here and there that wont clean up, bolt root/gas shield, top of receiver and floorplate.

i have bronze brushes and bronze wool, kroil and ballistol. thats as far as i go
 
Last edited:
Could try some soap and warm water. Raw linseed oil is the only oil that should be anywhere near a rifle stock. In the pic sticky there is a 1939 BSW that a guy cleaned up cause the stock was filthy and my pic sticky BCD 41 Posen the previous owner used a green or purple scratch pad to get the stock clean.
 
 
thx again guys, i edited post above to remove potentially offensive stock cleaning content
We all appreciate it! 😂 but in all seriousness sometimes its better to just not touch it. Doesn't seem dirty at all to me and nooks n cranny's of the stock could be cleaned with a tooth brush. Hopefully no mold.
 
wow! thats a stunning rifle. thanks for posting the link. neat to compare to mine and see the similarities and the differences.
 
Awesome rifle find!! This is one of those finds people read about and dream of one day it happening to them lol. Please don't touch the stock with RLO or BLO. German rifles did not get treated with this!! Just an oil finish when it left the factory!!! Its a tragedy to see a Gewehr 98 or K98k with a shiny BLO finish.
 
thx! i see a few matching k98ks, this is the first good matching GEW98 ive ran into. being a sterngewehr was a bonus, didnt know the details till i got to diggin after i bought it. im up on the dont screw up the wood stuff lol, and i know it can be a sore subject. no power tools, chemicals, or explosives will be used cleaning the stock👻
 
thx! i see a few matching k98ks, this is the first good matching GEW98 ive ran into. being a sterngewehr was a bonus, didnt know the details till i got to diggin after i bought it. im up on the dont screw up the wood stuff lol, and i know it can be a sore subject. no power tools, chemicals, or explosives will be used cleaning the stock👻
That's a hell of a first matching Gewehr 98 to pick up, might want to pick up a lottery ticket while you're at it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jdt

Military Rifle Journal
Back
Top