Spandau 1916 Gewehr 98 - My First Imperial '98

AN-94

AN-94

Well-known member
While this one isn't very rare by any means, I'm very happy to finally post my first Gewehr 98! I have learned a ton here over the past few years and finally found one that wouldn't break the bank and had a nice bore to boot. This one appears to be a nice closet find that came out an estate in WA and while it was missing the bolt stop, the rest appeared original. I've gone through many Q-tips, a bronze brush, and quite a few patches to clean this one up but thankfully, this one isn't as filthy or neglected as others I've seen and cleaned up nicely. The firing pin was clipped but I had it retipped by Don Schlickman and it turned out pretty nice. I had originally wanted a WMO but the royal Spandau crest has really grown on me and exemplifies a true Imperial rifle in my eyes. Big thanks to @Warrior1354 for the bolt stop I have on it now, @OnlyMil for the recommendation for the firing pin retip, @chrisftk for helping answer questions I had on this one and other Gewehrs, and to everyone in this forum for sharing excellent information not found anywhere else. Now I just need a proper sling and muzzle cover for it and maybe a nice Kar98 to go with it :cool:. Rifle breaks down as follows (let me know if I got anything wrong or missed something):

Receiver: 903r, C/F, C/?, C/A
Barrel: 903r, Kr 247, C/?
Bolt: 903r, C/B
Bolt Shroud: 03, C/F x 2
Safety: 03, C/F?
Cocking Piece: 03, C/?
Extractor: 03
Firing Pin: 03 C/F
Bolt Stop: 29, C/? (replaced part)
Ejector Spring: C/?
Trigger Guard: 903, C/F
Floorplate: 03, C/F
Follower: 03, C/F
Front Action Screw: 03
Rear Action Screw: 03
Sear: 03, C/F?
Rear Sight Slider: 03
Rear Sight Button: 03
Rear Sight Ramp: 03, C/B
Rear Sight Base: C/B
Front Sight: 03
Front Band: 03, C/A?
Rear Band: 03, C/?
Bayonet Lug: 03, C/B
Recoil Lug: C/F
Handguard: 903, C/? (faint on top)
Stock: 903 internal, C/FW on right, C/? on right, C/Z on right, C/Z behind trigger guard, 903 external serial
Buttplate: 903
Cleaning Rod: 03

Spandau 1916 Gewehr 98.jpgSpandau 1916 Receiver Acceptance.jpgSpandau 1916 Receiver Crest.jpgSpandau 1916 Receiver Serial.jpgSpandau 1916 Receiver Internal Inspection.jpgSpandau 1916 Receiver Right Side Internal Markings.jpgSpandau 1916 Barrel S Marking.jpgSpandau 1916 Barrel Serial Number.jpgSpandau 1916 Barrel Firing Proof.jpgSpandau 1916 Barrel Code.jpgSpandau 1916 Rear Sight Base Acceptance.jpgSpandau 1916 Rear Sight Base Solder.jpgSpandau 1916 Rear Sight Slider.jpgSpandau 1916 Side Rail.jpg
 

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  • Spandau 1916 Receiver Acceptance.jpg
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Last but not least, odds and ends. I'll probably have to do a bit work on the trigger guard as there was some light rust on the inside and take a better bore picture sometime later but wanted to share this one.

Spandau 1916 Cleaning Rod Serial.jpgSpandau 1916 Front Sight.jpg
 
Not a rare maker-date to be sure, but 1916 and this original & matching is not common... your display effort is superb, missing nothing and good quality photos, catching the BC is a real challenge for the best flippers but you caught it easily! Krupp blank is right for range, these tend to group in ranges, Bohler and Bismarckhutte bookend Krupp before and after by range.

Nice start!
 
Glad to help, I'm happy you found a good one; it's about as solid of a wartime rifle as you'll find. You did a nice job with conservative cleaning too. I can really appreciate your patience too as you looked for the "right" one. It's rewarding to see that patience pay off!

One should never turn up their nose at owning a more common maker/date in nice, honest condition.
 
I like it a lot. Congrats on picking it up, it's not easy to grab a wartime rifle in that kind of almost matching condition. Doubly so factory matching without depot replaced parts.
 
I bet you’d be pretty happy if you flipped that disc. I had a 1916 Spandau #1064 r and it was unit marked to the 95th infantry.
 
Thanks everyone, I'm really glad to have this one!

Loewe said:
Not a rare maker-date to be sure, but 1916 and this original & matching is not common... your display effort is superb, missing nothing and good quality photos, catching the BC is a real challenge for the best flippers but you caught it easily! Krupp blank is right for range, these tend to group in ranges, Bohler and Bismarckhutte bookend Krupp before and after by range.

Nice start!
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Thanks! I tried referencing previous examples for what would be useful, especially with your trend records. Nice to know that the barrel code is right for this one.

chrisftk said:
Glad to help, I'm happy you found a good one; it's about as solid of a wartime rifle as you'll find. You did a nice job with conservative cleaning too. I can really appreciate your patience too as you looked for the "right" one. It's rewarding to see that patience pay off!

One should never turn up their nose at owning a more common maker/date in nice, honest condition.
Click to expand...
Thanks Chris and I appreciate the help! I'm glad I found this one and didn't spring for something messed with. Seeing the nice honest closet finds posted here over the years has made me appreciate that an honest warhorse is better than a cleaned "pretty" rifle. Now I just need another safe if I'm going to get another, I can barely get this one to fit as is!

OzzMan said:
I bet you’d be pretty happy if you flipped that disc. I had a 1916 Spandau #1064 r and it was unit marked to the 95th infantry.
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I'd have to see if I can make a proper spanner to even attempt it, no way in hell am I going to be the guy that butchers that fastener trying to get it out. Nice to see another r block survived!
 
AN-94 said:
I'd have to see if I can make a proper spanner to even attempt it, no way in hell am I going to be the guy that butchers that fastener trying to get it out. Nice to see another r block survived!
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The spanner screw is the easy part believe it or not. The hard part is getting that disc out without butchering the wood around it. Sometimes the wood swells a little bit around the stock disc and can make removal a nightmare.
 
OzzMan said:
The spanner screw is the easy part believe it or not. The hard part is getting that disc out without butchering the wood around it. Sometimes the wood swells a little bit around the stock disc and can make removal a nightmare.
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Doesn't even sound possible to remove without damage to the wood in that case.
 
That's an awesome first gewehr 98 buddy. And a very big congratulations to you as well. I was also happy to assist you with that part you needed too. It helped bring life again to this rifle! And I can't say enough about Don. He has fixed dozens of firing pins for me over the years. He always does fantastic work!
 
Jdt said:
A lovely Gewehr 98 man! Congrats 🎉 on finally finding a Gewehr 98 for your collection :)
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Thank you! But something tells me I won't stop at just one...
PrayingMantis said:
Great Spandau; congrats! I added it to the reference. Thank you for the detailed photos.

For stock disk screws, i use the spanner bit from this set: https://www.harborfreight.com/security-bit-set-33-piece-68459.html
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Thanks for the link. I'll have to check my sets and see if I have anything like that this weekend.
Warrior1354 said:
That's an awesome first gewehr 98 buddy. And a very big congratulations to you as well. I was also happy to assist you with that part you needed too. It helped bring life again to this rifle! And I can't say enough about Don. He has fixed dozens of firing pins for me over the years. He always does fantastic work!
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Thanks, I really appreciate the bolt stop you found for this one! It was the only thing missing on this one though how someone managed to lose it in the first place is a mystery. Don did a great job on the pin, I'll definitely send another his way if I come across a rifle with a clipped pin.
 
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