Interesting Mauser

[M98Man]

Put a deposit on this one and should have paperwork finalised here in August. it's 8x57(I)S

in the attached picture

Can’t really figure it out though, very interesting, hence I'm getting it ;-)

Military stock, but grip has a large palm swell, no K98’s were ever made like that, and there’s no ‘extensions’ made to this

Front barrel band would usually go over the top wood on the stock, this is perfectly fitted ‘onto’ the barrel

There’s no recess in the stock under the bolt handle, K98’s almost always had this

There’s no butt screw plate for repressing the firing pin to clean the bolt

Belgian proof marks, but with a much larger standing eagle stamp,,not the usual Waffenamt stamp, can any ID the stamp?


My guess…captured german k98?, rebuilt by the FN factory as an early post-war sporter before they started their famous FN actions..hence, they could have created an improved ‘hunting’ grip on their usual military mauser 98 stock process. I just can't see this being a gunsmith job, the stock must have been cut like that from a factory, no gunsmith would create a large palmswell and then recreate a military stock.

What do you think?

 

[M98Man]

zoom

 

[WebleyGreene455]

The eagle on the receiver isn't a Waffenamt. It's a proof mark for the Ulm proof house, and means the gun is nitro-proofed. It goes with the one next to it for "Birmingham Nitro Proofed" at Birmingham. The lion over P.V. below those is a Belgian proof mark for Liege.

The E.L.G marking on the barrel is also a Liege proof mark.

I don't think this is a Kar98k; the bolt handle is wrong. I would say this is a converted Model 1924 or 1930 (probably the latter) Mauser made by FN. I also think the stock is pure military, just modified (possibly "bubba'd") into a sporting stock by trimming it down, and doesn't have an actual palm swell.

That said, it's still a Mauser and if the quality of the sporterizing is good, it should work out pretty well. I've seen a lot worse than that.

 

[M98Man]

Thanks for the time to reply. Yes, was definitely sure about the Belgian PV and LGE, but had no idea about the ULM proof mark, thank you for that, makes perfect sense now! Also, BNP is likely because it was brought back here to the UK, potentially re proofed in Birmingham when sporterized.

I definitely did have the FN tie feelings, and the waffenamt stamp didn't tie up, so the ULM stamp nails it to a 1930 FN action I agree with.

Seeing some pictures of the greek 1930 contracts, I can see how you note the grip (sorry, not swell, I was being daft!), was likely 'taken' in underneath, and the bottom of the butt taken 'up' to create a slimmer 'sporter' style wrist.

Seemingly it has a clean barrel and the irons at 100,200,300 regular perfectly.

This is really a purchase because I love hunting with irons (and mausers), and cannot in the UK find a Type A or B pre war Oberndorf sporter (that's my dream to own and hunt with), they virtually don't exisist as Rigby/etc. got the contracts to mutilate them into 'fancy' sporters.

I'm hoping to have some range fun with this rifle, shoot some deer in the 10-50yd range, and once that dream comes true and the intermediate length perfect type B Waffenfabrik Oberndorf roll stamped 7x57 is in my cabinet, I can retire this old sporterised job.

thanks once again for your help

 

[mark-hunter]

This is German post 1945 proof system, on rifle action. Based on Belgium stamps on barrel I would estimate:
It is possible it was rebuilt in Belgium, and later imported to west Germany, which was legally possible during post war embargo on gun production in Germany. (Germany was not allowed to produce rifles, but was allowed to import them)

 

[M98Man]

Aha! very interesting, thank you! it all sounds a touch like my original ascertation that it's been built into a sporter in belgium, and seemingly on an FN action rather than a captured K98 action.

 

[mark-hunter]

Aha! very interesting, thank you! it all sounds a touch like my original ascertation that it's been built into a sporter in belgium, and seemingly on an FN action rather than a captured K98 action.

For wartime mausers, german reich proof system 1939-1945 would apply, which would include a swastika stamp, and on your rifle i dont see it.

 

[M98Man]

you're correct, my thought was also early post-war, but looks like it was built on an FN. The Serial Number format of three numbers stamped centrally on the RHS of the front receiver ring is also in line with the FN system used on the '24 and '30 rifles I believe.

I have a gut feeling this sporterization was not a 'bubba' type job, but a post war factory rebuild or gunsmith rebuild to satisfy a hunting market where no 'hunting' rifles were widely available.

it does not give me the 'someone had a go at sporterizing' feeling, more a traditional one done because of need, rather than a 'garage' attempt.

 

[WebleyGreene455]

you're correct, my thought was also early post-war, but looks like it was built on an FN. The Serial Number format of three numbers stamped centrally on the RHS of the front receiver ring is also in line with the FN system used on the '24 and '30 rifles I believe.

I have a gut feeling this sporterization was not a 'bubba' type job, but a post war factory rebuild or gunsmith rebuild to satisfy a hunting market where no 'hunting' rifles were widely available.

it does not give me the 'someone had a go at sporterizing' feeling, more a traditional one done because of need, rather than a 'garage' attempt.

I suspect you're correct about the sporterizing being done by a postwar gunsmith. Here in the US you'll find a ton of Mausers in varying degrees of alteration, often wartime bring-backs or cheap post-war surplus. Sometimes they're quite competently done, sometimes less so.

I don't think yours was a factory alteration but it certainly appears competently done and should serve as well as any 8mm Mauser.

 

[mr mauser]

The Rifle was made for the german postwar custom service and is called "Zollkarabiner ZK 52". They were built by the famous company of Heym - Germany. Heym got the systems and barrels from FN/Liege and completed the rifles in their factory. They bear the belgium ELG -PV proof marks and on top of the barrel the marking "Fr. Wilh. Heym". They were also used by the administration of justice and the german police - often threre are identification marks of the further authorities on top of the system together with the date 1952. Many users spoke about the bad recoil of this light rifles which have no recoil pad. In the 70th and 80th they were sold on the german gun market and many hunters bought such rifles as a second gun for bad weather. They were cheap, short, reliable and are fitted with the well known and great hunting caliber 8mm Mauser (8x57 IS). Many were converted with scopes. Today good untouched pieces of this early german postwar authority rifles will bring 500 €.