SSZZA4 bnz.43

[Skrimpr]

After a year or two of lurking here in your forum and happily learning as much as i could, I gratefully present my first k98k: a bnz. 43 SSZZA4. A life long dream realized. I have many pictures to upload, so this will likely take several posts. Note that i am including photos taken by me and from the GB listing.

Details:
SN: 6380
SSZZA4 stamped adjacent to the SN on left side of barrel
All matching w/ combo of acid & stamped SN
Acid etched (80.): bolt release, bolt parts (extractor claw, safety flag), rear sight, trigger assembly, floor plate.

Menzel “C” stock, marked 6380 in barrel groove. Stock also has several asterisks and a pencil “44” and “7” on butt beneath plate. Someone appears to have put some sort of marking on the side of the stock, near bolt takedown.

Front and rear barrel band stamped 6380
Magazine follower stamped 80
Late war FN bolt body (round holes), handle stamped 6380
Receiver base stamped 6380

No SN on receiver top. No acceptance stamps (besides SSZZA4). Very few waffenamts. Bolt body: E/140. Cocking piece E/77. Rear barrel band E/623. Barrel E/26.

bpr butt plate, no other markings on plate exterior. Paint or ink eagle/swastika on underside of butt plate.

CWY CRV barrel with 0,2 marking. E/26 x2.

No markings on front sight, front sight hood, or bayonet lug

 

[Skrimpr]

Photos of the bolt:

 

[Skrimpr]

Photos of barrel and bands:

 

[Skrimpr]

Additional receiver / floor plate / follower / trigger photos:

 

[Skrimpr]

Stock photos:

 

[Jdt]

Seen that rifle on GB. Buddy of mine and myself were looking at that rifle pretty hard. Got scared off tho because of both styles of serialized parts that the SS depot system used were done on this rifle. At least that was my own conclusion which seemed like a red flag. Looking forward to seeing the discussion on this example.

 

[mrfarb]

Well….if you bought it as a 100% legit matching rifle you have an issue. For sure the stock/bands are incorrect and renumbered/replaced. The barreled receiver is a real sszza4 - looks to me to be some type of sporter rescue.

Trigger guard and floorplate seem ok, but that bolt is a problem from these photos. I’m betting if you clean out that white stuff from the numbering you’d be able to see more evidence.

 

[heavy_mech]

Something I've never seen is the barrel finisher crv. Anyone know who that is?

 

[Skrimpr]

Well….if you bought it as a 100% legit matching rifle you have an issue. For sure the stock/bands are incorrect and renumbered/replaced. The barreled receiver is a real sszza4 - looks to me to be some type of sporter rescue.

Trigger guard and floorplate seem ok, but that bolt is a problem from these photos. I’m betting if you clean out that white stuff from the numbering you’d be able to see more evidence.

Mrfarb, thank you for taking the time to review my rifle. When i get home tonight, i will remove the white stuff and retake pics.

Forgive me, but I am not yet sold that the rifle is incorrect.

Regarding the rear band, look at the font and the poor manner in which it was struck. It looks very similar to the SN on the barrel.

Yes the stock is not one of those beautiful K/DH stocks with the exterior SN most commonly found on these; however, its is still a Menzel stock, very frequently supplied to depots as replacement stocks. The SN in the barrel channel appears to be the correct font and does not appear to be a modern imprinting. Note the lack of markings on the side of the stock butt where normally you would find acceptance stamps. Is it not reasonable to believe that, in light of the common usage of Menzel stocks in depots, this rifle may have been simply issued with this stock? The “44” marking coincides with the year that this rifle would have been assembled. I wonder if there are any other examples of rifles that came from depot “7” (i believe this would be a depot number). The four asterisks on the butt are a mystery to me, but may hold a clue in authenticating the rifle.

I will state my ideas regarding the front band and bolt a bit later.

Thanks,
Dan

 

[Skrimpr]

Something I've never seen is the barrel finisher crv. Anyone know who that is?

Mech, according to this thread on gunboards, the finisher would be Fritz Werner AG, Berlin.

 

[mrfarb]

Keep digging, it will eventually reveal itself to you one way or another.

 

[Peter S]

Forgive me, but I am not yet sold that the rifle is incorrect.

Why don't you take a peak at this one.....

bnz 43

bnz 43 SSZZA4 I picked up this bnz43 a little over a week ago. I've had my eye on this one for well over 20 years and my buddy finally let it go.

www.k98kforum.com

 

[PizzaBert]

I’m far from an expert on these rifles so take this with a pinch of salt, but the serial numbers on the barrel and bands look engraved.

You can see where the numbers start is thick and terminates thin for each of these serial numbers. It looks especially strange on the zero of the rear band (perhaps just a slight double strike)

 

[Peter S]

The bands on an SSZZA4 rifle used 2 digits.

 

[mdarnell19]

Sorry but I don’t like it. Hope you didn’t pay much. Looks like a sporter rescue.

 

[Dankrez28]

This gun was on gunbroker and guns international a few years ago, went to someones collection, then reappeared on gunbroker recently. Gun definitely has issues, why it hasn’t been touched for a few months and the owner reduced the price. Still a nice rifle, but far from original condition….

 

[pzjgr]

I'd try to get your money back unless you got it cheap...

 

[pzjgr]

And from the way back machine here is one Bruce pisted up in 2010, another bnz 43...

ssZZA4 bnz43

Here is an immaculate example of a very scarce gun. SS depot assembled on an Astrawerke supplied 'bnz 43' coded receiver.

www.k98kforum.com

 

[Dankrez28]

There was a SSZZA4 posted a month ago, that was immaculate condition

 

[Jdt]

There was a SSZZA4 posted a month ago, that was immaculate condition

Where'd it pop up? I usually check GB daily for what's out there and aisde from this rifle im not aware of any others.