Unnumbered 214 g43 mounts with numbers 0 or reverse 2 questions

[indianadam]

Hello,

For many years i have seen, only in France, very few g43 mounts 214 unnumbered with only a number 0 or a reverse 2.
These mounts are ww2 original for sure.
They all are tardive with round edges.
I think they were taken by french army at BLM before they had been numbered to a rifle, witch could explain that some are visible in France..

Do you think that this 0 or reverse 2 could be a late war BLM indication of production mesure/tolerance when mounts were produced, so as to easily match it with g43 rifle rail and later numbered it to the rifle?

Indeed, i saw BLM rifles with the 0 marking on the side rail like on pictures.

For members who own 214 numbered roud edges: do yo see the reliquat of a 0 or reverse 2 number under the serial of your mount?

If you ll have another explication?

Regards

Damien

 

[Emilbusch]

Bonjour, ces montures sont des marques de wa214, donc effectivement elles sont de fabrication ww2. ce chiffre pourrait être l'identification d'une ligne de production. le marquage ne semble ni frappé ni gravé, il semble extrudé (moulé). il sera possible que les montures ou identifiées comme telles correspondent à la chaîne de production. ce marquage serait alors recouvert par le numéro de série par la suite. il faudrait pouvoir observer les montures immatriculées pour voir s'il y a une trace de ce marquage sous le numéro de série ?

 

[Nigromontanus]

For those not speaking French:

Hello, these mounts are wa214 brands, so they are actually ww2 manufacturing. this figure could be the identification of a production line. the marking seems neither stamped nor engraved, it seems extruded (molded). it will be possible that the mounts or identified as such correspond to the production chain. this marking would then be covered by the serial number thereafter. it would be necessary to be able to observe the registered mounts to see if there is a trace of this marking under the serial number?

By the way, I own one of the latest issued WaA 214 mounts. It has an upside down "2". An old collector from France told me that the unissued 214 mounts saw postwar use in French Army.

 

[JACKDANIELS]

By the way, I own one of the latest issued WaA 214 mounts. It has an upside down "2". An old collector from France told me that the unissued 214 mounts saw postwar use in French Army.

Hello, is it possible to have photos of your mount?
Thank's

 

[mdarnell19]

My guess is these are war time as they look like they are under the finish. If post war they would appear in the white I would think. I’ll check my rifle and mount when I get home.

 

[Nigromontanus]

with gun number - wartime issued. without: most likely postwar French use or postwar combined.

 

[indianadam]

Hello,
For sure they were used post war by french army in Indochina war
I have found a 214 mount unnumbered with the number 0.
I will post pictures when i will receive it.
Regards

 

[indianadam]

I remember i had an article about french army g43 sniper rifle test:

Magasine CIBLES N°448 July 2007

French army HQ ordered to test g43/zf4 rifles because after ww2, french army hadn't a sniper rifle and army was looking for one.
An essai report was sent the 7 april of 1948 to french HQ.
-10 g43 were tested
-they were taken at general reserve depot of Clermont Ferrand
-5 were g43 rifles with scopes that were used during the ww2 (scopes markings Gw zf 4 serial numbers 29695, 24006, 21307, 71040, 16266)
-5 were NOS g43 rifles with NOS scope set (one rifle was marked G43, others K43. Scopes were marked K43 serials 89287, 79548, 81944, 88962 and 87562)
-The test did not precise if scope mounts of NOS sets were numbered or not
-Rifles and mounts manufacturers were not precised
-65% of scope mounts interchangeability with others rifles were possible. 4% difficult and 31% impossible.

Lessons:
-weapons were not sighted
-best shots with scope, accuracy suffisant with iron sights
-scope adjustment is not the same for another shooter
-scope and mount assembly fiability is questionable
-bad optic quality in poor visibility, not efficience of the arrow of reticule witch is plate)
-shots were not on target at 500 meters after zeroing scope and shooting at 200 meters
-scope adjustment are ok during one day shooting
-90% 200m hits on target man lay on the ground
-interrogations about solidity of weapons even when shooting soft (somme parts break during test and others where dammaged)
-scope lateral adjustments are ok for lambda soldier
-scope elevation adjustment difficult

Test bilan:
it seems not to be an opportunnity to give this weapon to soldiers. This sniper rifle is not, at all point of view, the sniper rifle that we are looking for.

The article precises at the end that G43/zf4 were used in Indochina war as sniper rifles by airborne troops before being replaced by the Mas 49 sniper rifle.

The g43/zf4 sniper rifle was also used into this war by marines commando. It exist pictures of this men with this sniper rifle.

Some of informations are interesting even if nothing about these unnumbered mounts with 0 or reverse 2.

Regards

Damien

 

[balbuz]

Here is another example :

 

[indianadam]

Hello, nice, thanks for pictures.
Scope was originaly found with mount? If yes, what is the range of scope number please?
Thanks
Damien

 

[balbuz]

Here it is. But I don't know anything about it, sorry.

 

[indianadam]

Thanks.
The range of scope number is earlier. It does not correspond to serial range used by french army into the test with NOS scope and mounts.
It is an interesting subject. Lets conrinue the researsh
Regards
Damien

 

[indianadam]

Hello,
I've received my 0 214 mount, round edges, lever not blued. No idea about the past of the mount. I ve just buy it to an old french collector. A dow scope was on the mount, serial 24399.
The 0 is just little visible.
Regards
Damien

 

[vintagescope]

Typical "French " mount for Indochina .Quite common in France, if you look a little... I've seen more than thirty in my life. One of those that I saw was equipped with a protective leather cap assembled with large aluminum rivets, typical of local Indochinese manufacture.

 

[vintagescope]

To answer Indianadam, I saw a certain number of them with numbers of arms added by the French. For the origin of the mounts , they often came from the arsenal of Toulon, arsenal of the Navy, or from collectors who gravitated in this region... Which would suggest that these G43 with French scopes were rather in the hands of Marine Commando in Indochina .

 

[Emilbusch]

Hello everyone, maybe these mounts are part of a seizure by the French army, a bit like it was the case for the zf41 material which was seized by the French army with attempted reuse. The French army reused (or tried to do so) the material seized during the ww2. Another hypothesis about the origin of the numbers, 0 or 2 observed. The 214 mounts are intended for g43 DUVs. I noticed that on some DUV rails there are numbers as well. These numbers are observed only on 214 mounts and DUV rails. Could this be a link? The rail of my g43 has a "0" like that of the mounts.

 

[Emilbusch]

 

[Emilbusch]