Ww2 bring back Mauser

[BusinessEd]

Hello gentlemen, I just joined this forum last week. I am interested to know about this rifle that my grandfather gifted me when I was younger. Unfortunately, he passed away and there are many questions left unanswered. I was wondering if anybody could tell me the production date/location of this rifle, and what it value might be worth as a bring back, with no importation marks. Admittedly, there are two different B codes on the barrel, and the receiver, with the barrel stating BYS AND THE RECEIVER, STATING BCD 42

 

[Remfan]

Nice score. made by Gustloff Werke in 1942 according to the code. BYS indicates barrel code for Ruhrstahl AG. Looks to be in good shape from here. Great to own such an heirloom. Does the bolt match the gun's serial number by the way?

 

[whcoyote]

More photos, covering the entire rifle would help. So far all we can tell you is that it was made by Gustloff Werke in 1942. The serial number 2511i places it at a little past the middle of that year’s production.
Almost all the parts on this rifle will have either the full serial number or the last two digits of the serial number. They should all match if the rifle is still in its original configuration. There will be stampings on the stock behind the trigger guard, bottom, right side of butt aft of the take+down disk and maybe inside the barrel channel and handguard. A stock code might be found on the end of the stock under the butt plate.
Welcome to the Forum.
Someone will be along shortly with more knowledge than I have. But in a few days you should know all the details of this piece, provided you can send more photos.

 

[AN-94]

As answered above, the receiver was made by Gustloff-Weke in 1942 with the barrel blank supplied by Ruhrstahl AG. Check the metal parts for the serial numbers which if all original, will match the receiver serial number. The stock and handguard will be numbered internally, you'll have to take the barreled action out of the stock to see it. Make sure you have a set of hollow ground screwdriver bits handy if you do take it apart, too many people butcher those screw slots with whatever flathead screwdriver they have on hand. You can compare yours to some in the reference thread here, look for bcd 42s to compare with.

Picture Reference Index

COPYRIGHT NOTICE: The pictures posted are the sole property of the K98k Forum Member who posted them. Any use of these photographs other than reference here without the express permission of the K98k Forum Member will be treated as a violation of U.S. Copyright law. This thread is an index of...

www.k98kforum.com

 

[PatickD]

Stock looks Styer to me. So doubt it’s all matching.

 

[BusinessEd]

Unfortunately it is all matching EXCEPT the bolt and safety( 2511 code all around) bolt is 2336 with an R near it and safety is 5176

 

[BusinessEd]

 

[BusinessEd]

I’m sorry for the crappy quality of my post, like I said, I just join tonight and this is my first post. I’m also learning that some of the photos I take with my phone or too big to put on the forum. But any information would be extremely appreciated.

 

[BusinessEd]

More photos, covering the entire rifle would help. So far all we can tell you is that it was made by Gustloff Werke in 1942. The serial number 2511i places it at a little past the middle of that year’s production.
Almost all the parts on this rifle will have either the full serial number or the last two digits of the serial number. They should all match if the rifle is still in its original configuration. There will be stampings on the stock behind the trigger guard, bottom, right side of butt aft of the take+down disk and maybe inside the barrel channel and handguard. A stock code might be found on the end of the stock under the butt plate.
Welcome to the Forum.
Someone will be along shortly with more knowledge than I have. But in a few days you should know all the details of this piece, provided you can send more photos.

Thank you sir I’ll start looking in those places now

 

[BusinessEd]

Stock looks Styer to me. So doubt it’s all matching.

You know more than me. Can you tell me why you’re sure and what I’d need to look for?

 

[Jdt]

You know more than me. Can you tell me why you’re sure and what I’d need to look for?

A Steyr made stock has a manufacturer trait. The cutout on the stock for the bolt handle is rather small. Majority of other manufacturers had really large cutouts on there stocks for bolt handles. Steyr made stocks has the smallest cutouts.

 

[Jdt]

bcd42

photos of bcd42 #1195h

www.k98kforum.com

Pic stickied rifle that is a BCD 42 in the H production block. (Pic stickied basically means if you come here with a rifle like a BCD 42 and it matches markings etc of a stickied rifle you have a correct non humped/messed with example if unsanded because pic stickied rifles are correct examples)

 

[whcoyote]

A lot of “bring-back” rifles have mismatched bolts. I can’t describe the procedure exactly but, basically the rifle was given to the US Soldier sans bolt and the bolt given to him separately. These were issued to returning US Soldiers from captured weapons that had the bolts removed for some purpose.
Perhaps someone else can describe this process and why it was used. I do not know enough about it to accurately describe it to you.
Anyway, this may be the condition of the rifle as brought back by your Grandfather.

 

[BusinessEd]

A lot of “bring-back” rifles have mismatched bolts. I can’t describe the procedure exactly but, basically the rifle was given to the US Soldier sans bolt and the bolt given to him separately. These were issued to returning US Soldiers from captured weapons that had the bolts removed for some purpose.
Perhaps someone else can describe this process and why it was used. I do not know enough about it to accurately describe it to you.
Anyway, this may be the condition of the rifle as brought back by your Grandfather.

Appreciate your reply. Sorry I’m not coming here with a lot of knowledge. I saw on Reddit that this was most likely the place to go to ask some experts.

 

[Jdt]

Appreciate your reply. Sorry I’m not coming here with a lot of knowledge. I saw on Reddit that this was most likely the place to go to ask some experts.

We're all happy too help new owners/collectors identify what rifle they have. Some truly gold mine items are known to exist because someone was recommended to come to this forum and share pictures of what they have. We've also made people a lot of money when they find rifles in gunshows or gunshops FAR under true value. A unfinished matching BCD thick wall sniper rifle for $400 or just a hair more comes to mind. The screw holes for the scope mount were not finished and only a handful of examples are know to exist being factory captured unfinished sniper rifles with most of'em having been "finished" and turned into complete sniper rifles post war.

 

[hale1940]

A lot of “bring-back” rifles have mismatched bolts. I can’t describe the procedure exactly but, basically the rifle was given to the US Soldier sans bolt and the bolt given to him separately. These were issued to returning US Soldiers from captured weapons that had the bolts removed for some purpose.
Perhaps someone else can describe this process and why it was used. I do not know enough about it to accurately describe it to you.
Anyway, this may be the condition of the rifle as brought back by your Grandfather.

For what its worth, I believe the whole ‘bolt mm rifles = vet bring backs’ is largely a myth. While I’m sure it occasionally happened, there is little evidence to support the wide spread occurrence of the whole rifles in one pile and bolts in the other practice (which thus lead to bolt mm rifles for vets taking them home). I’ve been collecting pics of surrender/capture piles for some time now, and in basically every clear picture the bolts are still in the rifles.

Furthermore, there is an old thread discussing early K98k imports by companies like Interarms in the 1950s and 1960s. Apparently, though I fully admit this is also just here say, that when these companies would import 98k’s they package the rifles and bolts separately, since it was a more efficient use of space. That would also explain why there are so many bolt mm rifles floating around in collector circles these days.

I plan on doing a post focused on this topic sometime soon and sharing all the pics I’ve saved.

Tldr: bolt mm K98k’s are more than likely early imports and not vet bring backs.

 

[Jdt]

For what its worth, I believe the whole ‘bolt mm rifles = vet bring backs’ is largely a myth. While I’m sure it occasionally happened, there is little evidence to support the wide spread occurrence of the whole rifles in one pile and bolts in the other practice (which thus lead to bolt mm rifles for vets taking them home). I’ve been collecting pics of surrender/capture piles for some time now, and in basically every clear picture the bolts are still in the rifles.

Furthermore, there is an old thread discussing early K98k imports by companies like Interarms in the 1950s and 1960s. Apparently, though I fully admit this is also just here say, that when these companies would import 98k’s they package the rifles and bolts separately, since it was a more efficient use of space. That would also explain why there are so many bolt mm rifles floating around in collector circles these days.

I plan on doing a post focused on this topic sometime soon and sharing all the pics I’ve saved.

Tldr: bolt mm K98k’s are more than likely early imports and not vet bring backs.

This is something also discussed with Arisaka rifles as well. I remember one explanation being given in the fact that when Marines would go aboard ship if they had a war trophy the bolt was suppose to be handed in to a guard of some sort in case some rowdyness occurred. When disembarking they would get there bolt back or a random one from the guard, how early the practice of all weapons being turned into a armorer im unaware of. Unless it was shipped home, I need to chat with commies and mums on Instagram again about that practice and what he thinks. He opened my eyes to the practice of removing mums at docks when troops were headed home from Japan because at the April wanenmacher this year someone snagged a type 2 paratrooper rifle that had multiple pieces of grenade or mortar shrapnel embedded into the stock but the mum was defaced. Rifle was all matching and I was confused how such a rifle got its mum defaced and rifles like those are straight up his alley. Battle damaged only examples, he loves the 1940 AX chunk of shrapnel rifle from the sticky reference.

To add too your point being a importation practice, a collector and competition shooter in Australia during a interview with "Blotr" and Blotr himself mentioning iirc said gunshops would get SMLE rifles with bolts packaged separately and when someone bought a rifle they would get a random bolt from the gunshop employee. A shame imo we didn't get the effort like Navy arms put in to ship rifles with matching bolts unless there mismatched bolt examples got mismatched by the French.

 

[Stan]

For what its worth, I believe the whole ‘bolt mm rifles = vet bring backs’ is largely a myth. While I’m sure it occasionally happened, there is little evidence to support the wide spread occurrence of the whole rifles in one pile and bolts in the other practice (which thus lead to bolt mm rifles for vets taking them home). I’ve been collecting pics of surrender/capture piles for some time now, and in basically every clear picture the bolts are still in the rifles.

Furthermore, there is an old thread discussing early K98k imports by companies like Interarms in the 1950s and 1960s. Apparently, though I fully admit this is also just here say, that when these companies would import 98k’s they package the rifles and bolts separately, since it was a more efficient use of space. That would also explain why there are so many bolt mm rifles floating around in collector circles these days.

I plan on doing a post focused on this topic sometime soon and sharing all the pics I’ve saved.

Tldr: bolt mm K98k’s are more than likely early imports and not vet bring backs.

I don't think there is any cut-and-dry evidence one way or the other on bolt mismatched rifles. I do think all the listed possibilities MAY have happened at some point, but supporting photographic evidence not seen. In some cases bolts may have been removed at some point in time after surrender and separated for safety reasons. Most photo evidence shows them at or near the time of surrender. I have heard from some in the firearms import world that very often rifles were imported separately from bolts for shipping reasons. Reports of some mailed home rifles with mismatched bolts exist as well. They are what they are, and impossible to say the reason on pre-import marked items with certainty!

 

[Bigdibbs88]

I have personally bought multiple bolt mm rifles direct from vet families. That said I’ve also seen instances where vets brought multiple rifles home and accidentally jumbled up the parts. I doubt we will ever know how some rifles got a mm bolt and some didn’t, was probably just situation dependent.

 

[Jdt]

Makes sense there being situation depending.

I have personally bought multiple bolt mm rifles direct from vet families. That said I’ve also seen instances where vets brought multiple rifles home and accidentally jumbled up the parts. I doubt we will ever know how some rifles got a mm bolt and some didn’t, was probably just situation dependent.