Questions About ar 42 Marked Mauser

[Minnesota Belt Fed]

So I know Mauser rifle's as what they are, and love them. However, I get lost with date codes, what matches where, ect ect ect. About 8 years ago I bought a Mauser with all matching parts, code of ar 42 on the receiver ring. I believe the butt plate has a 41 stamp and I do not know if the manufacturing code is the same as the ring. The stock laminated and I do not recall if the stock is stamped with the four digit serial number. I do not believe it is. All markings appear to be original (I think, but could be wrong), and nothing appears to be stamped over/ reworked. The exposed metal itself does have heavy pitting and bluing is gone in some areas. I think I paid something like $700 for it, and I know the gun store I bought it from got it from one of the local Sheriff's Office's when they sold off old guns out of evidence that were no longer needed/ court stuff was well over with ect.

I attached a couple of pictures I snapped of it today when I took it out to shoot. My question is, what do I have? How common are the ar 42 codes? What else can you tell me about it? I will add more pictures as soon as I can get them if others are interested. Thanks! - Andy

 

[Jdt]

We. Need. More. pictures. AR 42 code K98's are really elusive for many of us collectors.

 

[Jdt]

First off if untouched and matching then congratulations, not a easy example to find. Second 700 is a absolute steal for a AR 42 code if matching and not humped/messed with. All the parts should have a "eagle 26" markings on the barrel bands, bottom metal, bolt and receiver.

AR 42, 1187 Matching

Hope you like this AR42 and bayonet. Comments welcome. I have updated photographs today, 9/8/23. Also, added a sight hood.

www.k98kforum.com

The link is to a rifle in our reference sticky section which is basically if you want to know if your rifle is correct the picture reference is as good as it gets. Compare the sticky reference rifle to yours and check if everything is where it should be. Of course tho we all would love a full picture thread of your example. I've got a AR 41 Luftwaffe and I dread the day I start the hunt for a AR 42 because I doubt I'll find one.

 

[Jdt]

One more thing Andy your rifle was made in 1942 by Mauser Borsigwalde Berlin. Again congrats on the find and absolute stole it price.

 

[AN-94]

Gonna need a lot more pictures of the bolt serial numbers, barrel bands, rear sight, receiver, etc to verify original matching status but it looks nice and $700 is a steal for a non RC K98k these days. The stock and handguard will be numbered internally so you'll need to pull the barreled action out of the stock to check. Production of Mauser Borsigwalde K98ks for 1942 is estimated to be around 115k rifles compared to Mauser Oberndorf's 360k rifles. Matching 1942 dated rifles are generally uncommon as most went to the Ostfront and were subsequently lost there.

 

[Jdt]

Gonna need a lot more pictures of the bolt serial numbers, barrel bands, rear sight, receiver, etc to verify original matching status but it looks nice and $700 is a steal for a non RC K98k these days. The stock and handguard will be numbered internally so you'll need to pull the barreled action out of the stock to check. Production of Mauser Borsigwalde K98ks for 1942 is estimated to be around 115k rifles compared to Mauser Oberndorf's 360k rifles. Matching 1942 dated rifles are generally uncommon as most went to the Ostfront and were subsequently lost there.

What this guy said on a side note I remember seeing I think on a Facebook Mauser group I'm apart of someone tracks and logs AR 42 rifles. The guy said that you will have a higher chance at finding a AR 42 setup for a ZF41 instead of a standard infantry rifle out of the number of examples he's seen and knows to exist. That guy also added don't clean it, don't sand it and don't shoot it just leave it the way it is on that Facebook post.

 

[Loewe]

Trends are skewed with MB/1942; straight up ar/42's can be tough to find in upper grades, especially in certain ranges (some blocks are overwhelming "desirable dual codes", in observations they are more common than straight up ar/42, it reminds me of Ambrose Selker comment to me that he found straight up ar/42 damn troublesome compared to vaunted dual codes... I couldn't agree more after nearly 20 years of trending, with a few exceptions)

zf41's are the most common in a, d, h, k blocks and most blocks are represented, but it is true most zf41 are not "dual codes" (some are, maybe 25-30%)

 

[Jdt]

Trends are skewed with MB/1942; straight up ar/42's can be tough to find in upper grades, especially in certain ranges (some blocks are overwhelming "desirable dual codes", in observations they are more common than straight up ar/42, it reminds me of Ambrose Selker comment to me that he found straight up ar/42 damn troublesome compared to vaunted dual codes... I couldn't agree more after nearly 20 years of trending, with a few exceptions)

zf41's are the most common in a, d, h, k blocks and most blocks are represented, but it is true most zf41 are not "dual codes" (some are, maybe 25-30%)

That's something I didn't know....a straight up AR 42 is harder to find than a dual code AR42....good golley ya gotta be kidding me!

 

[Loewe]

That's something I didn't know....a straight up AR 42 is harder to find than a dual code AR42....good golley ya gotta be kidding me!

As far as current trends go (small fractions of what were made) it is true ar/42 is tougher to find, this is especially true a-f blocks (e-block is a toss-up leaning ar)

h-L blocks are nearly universally ar42 which is most of ar/42 exist. That and the no suffix block...

 

[Minnesota Belt Fed]

First off if untouched and matching then congratulations, not a easy example to find. Second 700 is a absolute steal for a AR 42 code if matching and not humped/messed with. All the parts should have a "eagle 26" markings on the barrel bands, bottom metal, bolt and receiver.

So obviously I don’t see the eagle marking on the floor plate in the picture I posted. I will get more pictures of the rifle tomorrow. If memory serves all the parts are matching, aside from the butt plate. What is the “eagle 26” marking? What does it mean I mean?

I know it did not have a sling, front sight hood, or cleaning rod when I got it. All those are reproductions that I added after. Part of the reason I bought it was because it was all matching and didn’t appear “forced matched” from the little I do know of force matching

 

[Jdt]

So obviously I don’t see the eagle marking on the floor plate in the picture I posted. I will get more pictures of the rifle tomorrow. If memory serves all the parts are matching, aside from the butt plate. What is the “eagle 26” marking? What does it mean I mean?

I know it did not have a sling, front sight hood, or cleaning rod when I got it. All those are reproductions that I added after. Part of the reason I bought it was because it was all matching and didn’t appear “forced matched” from the little I do know of force matching

The eagle 26 marking is proof/inspection markings from the weapon inspectors at Mauser Borsigwalde Berlin. Every weapon manufacturing plant had there own eagle code to use. (I.E. e/77, e/26, e/63, etc there is a lot when you include subcontracted parts production)

So far from what I see your rifle is a first block example (first production run of 1942 for MBB) unless there is a letter block (a,b,c,d etc) that I can't see on the left side of the receiver. If you're rifle is a first block then the sticky reference rifle I put in my second comment is very relevant to your AR 42. If your rifle is matching and markings wise match in placement then ya made a home run. Please do a full pic thread of you example for all of us to see.

 

[Jdt]

So obviously I don’t see the eagle marking on the floor plate in the picture I posted. I will get more pictures of the rifle tomorrow. If memory serves all the parts are matching, aside from the butt plate. What is the “eagle 26” marking? What does it mean I mean?

I know it did not have a sling, front sight hood, or cleaning rod when I got it. All those are reproductions that I added after. Part of the reason I bought it was because it was all matching and didn’t appear “forced matched” from the little I do know of force matching

42 1940 #5906 d Luftwaffe

Got this earlier this year for $2,900. Was at a small gunshow and seen this on the table of a private seller and saw the L marked stock and matching bolt n fell in love. Sucks that during it's life someone added a single sling point on the stock you typically see on hunting rifles n shotguns...

www.k98kforum.com

A rifle from my personal collection but when taking pictures do your best to copy kinda what I did. All stock markings and markings on all the metal photographed.

 

[Stephan98k]

Gonna need a lot more pictures of the bolt serial numbers, barrel bands, rear sight, receiver, etc to verify original matching status but it looks nice and $700 is a steal for a non RC K98k these days. The stock and handguard will be numbered internally so you'll need to pull the barreled action out of the stock to check. Production of Mauser Borsigwalde K98ks for 1942 is estimated to be around 115k rifles compared to Mauser Oberndorf's 360k rifles. Matching 1942 dated rifles are generally uncommon as most went to the Ostfront and were subsequently lost there.

Actually you are right, but I would like to point out something important.

"Production of Mauser Borsigwalde K98ks for 1942 is estimated to be around 115k rifles"

The above number with around 115k K98k refers to the entire production of Mauser Berlin K98ks with "ar42" coded receivers including the "Dual Codes" up to the "l" block. In reality significantly fewer K98ks were assembled in 1942. Between January 1942 and December 1942, less than 98,000 Mauser Berlin K98ks were accepted by the Waffenamt. The "i", "k" and "l" block rifles got assembled in 1943. There was an interruption in production and K98k assembly started around mid 1942.

Further delays in the K98k assembly occurred because Mauser Berlin agreed in May 1942 to produce the G.41(W), the Gewehr 41 Walther model. A second assembly line/shift was supposed to compensate for the loss of production and they used "dual code" receivers, a short time later these plans got changed again.


"Matching 1942 dated rifles are generally uncommon as most went to the Ostfront"

Correct in this case, but sometimes there are other reasons. I have heard that the K98ks from 1941 are not that common in America either. In my tables I have collected and analyzed the data of over 500 Norwegian K98ks, the year 1941 is the most common.

 

[Stephan98k]

Trends are skewed with MB/1942; straight up ar/42's can be tough to find in upper grades, especially in certain ranges (some blocks are overwhelming "desirable dual codes", in observations they are more common than straight up ar/42, it reminds me of Ambrose Selker comment to me that he found straight up ar/42 damn troublesome compared to vaunted dual codes... I couldn't agree more after nearly 20 years of trending, with a few exceptions)

zf41's are the most common in a, d, h, k blocks and most blocks are represented, but it is true most zf41 are not "dual codes" (some are, maybe 25-30%)

I agree with Ambrose Selker and you, it's similar here.

Our observations with the Zf.41 are also identical and you amaze me with your estimate. I have calculated it and in my trends the proportion of "dual codes" is 28%.

 

[AN-94]

Actually you are right, but I would like to point out something important.

"Production of Mauser Borsigwalde K98ks for 1942 is estimated to be around 115k rifles"

The above number with around 115k K98k refers to the entire production of Mauser Berlin K98ks with "ar42" coded receivers including the "Dual Codes" up to the "l" block. In reality significantly fewer K98ks were assembled in 1942. Between January 1942 and December 1942, less than 98,000 Mauser Berlin K98ks were accepted by the Waffenamt. The "i", "k" and "l" block rifles got assembled in 1943. There was an interruption in production and K98k assembly started around mid 1942.

Further delays in the K98k assembly occurred because Mauser Berlin agreed in May 1942 to produce the G.41(W), the Gewehr 41 Walther model. A second assembly line/shift was supposed to compensate for the loss of production and they used "dual code" receivers, a short time later these plans got changed again.


"Matching 1942 dated rifles are generally uncommon as most went to the Ostfront"

Correct in this case, but sometimes there are other reasons. I have heard that the K98ks from 1941 are not that common in America either. In my tables I have collected and analyzed the data of over 500 Norwegian K98ks, the year 1941 is the most common.

Thanks for clarifying on Mauser Berlin production, I didn't know that they were considered a potential manufacturer of Gewehr 41(W)s and the use of dual codes being a result of that.

Your data on 1941 K98ks is quite interesting, I always thought that the low numbers of 41s in the US was a result of lower production totals that year and the Ostfront's beginning with the big drive to Moscow consuming a fair amount of them. I have to wonder if a majority of early 41 dated rifles ended up in occupied territories and remained there for the duration of the war and after (Norway, the Balkans, etc).

 

[Minnesota Belt Fed]

Ok, so I did get the rifle taken apart and everything appears to match. I can confirm the eagle with the 26 and that the upper handguard and stock both have the matching serial numbers. It is a"k" serial number for what its worth upon closer inspection. Here are some pictures.

 

[Cyrano4747]

Someone's shellacked the stock, which is unfortunate.

 

[Minnesota Belt Fed]

Someone's shellacked the stock, which is unfortunate.

Annnnd that was what I was waiting for someone to point out. I assumed it was too "shiny" for being original. Unfortunately that is the way it was when I bought it. Same with how the metal looks. I am assuming the rifle either was left/ kept in a rifle case with the egg shell style foam, and there was moisture, or like I said, it did come from an evidence locker so it easily could have had blood around the muzzle and down the stock/ action

 

[hale1940]

Very cool rifle and a tough code to find, as others have said. Not too many ar42’s floating around.

The shellaced stock is unfortunate, and definitely does effective the value of the rifle. But you still stole it at $700… in my opinion anyways.

 

[Jdt]

Very cool rifle and a tough code to find, as others have said. Not too many ar42’s floating around.

The shellaced stock is unfortunate, and definitely does effective the value of the rifle. But you still stole it at $700… in my opinion anyways.

He absolutely did at $700.