Scrubbed K98a. Which country held it last?

[Phosphorus32]

I picked up this small ring (1.25”/31.8mm) Mauser K98a recently in an auction lot that included a 98/05 sawback bayonet in very good condition.  I was actually going after the bayonet for my Gew98 as much as I was going for the K98a.  This K98a was apparently re-arsenaled somewhere outside Germany after WWI.  It was clearly manufactured in Germany, as it has many imperial crown markings and the appropriate imperial German eagle on the bolt, as well as the right features like the curved stacking hook that indicate it wasn’t a Polish made rifle.  From my understanding, the beechwood stock is atypical but not unprecedented for a German K98a.  It’s a mixmaster that was presumably re-serialized as 1018, after scrubbing and rebluing (there’s some scattered shallow pitting present, and it’s all blued).  I’ve completely broken it down and cleaned and inspected it.  It has no import stamp or even pre-’68 country of manufacture/origin stamp anywhere.  Vet bringback?   I’ve seen some rather vague internet references to these going to Spain for the Civil War but I don’t see any stamps indicative of Spanish acceptance, at least that I recognize.  I’m not pretending to understand all of the stamps or subtle features so I’d be really happy to hear any insights. The bore is beautiful with sharp and clean rifling, so I wonder if it was rebarreled in the rearsenal process. Both the barrel and receiver are stamped 1018 but that probably means little since it’s the refurb SN and I don’t see an indexing mark on the barrel. I paid what I would consider quite fair for shooter in this condition, so I’m happy. Well,  I hope you enjoy the pics!



bolt handle underside




















1916 Oberndorf S98/05 Sawback

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Gew98, K98a, K98k

[Blicero]

What a rad rifle. What a long & winding road it's traveled.
I'll admit I'm a bit out to sea with 98a's but I've been operating under the impression that anything scrubbed indicates a Polish rework after the Germans ceded Danzig. If it was SCW I'd hope to see the flaming bomb stamp.

[Blicero]

And to further my Polish suspicions...the "R"s on the rear sight should indicate Radom?? I don't know.

So. Jon. I have some Funbroker gun money wasting some space. Let's talk about getting it into your hands.

[Phosphorus32]

Thanks Kevin.  I think this is a rather nice looking rifle. The flaming bomb was what I was looking for and it was nowhere to be found. I peered at the blemish in the stock above the trigger on the left side but couldn't convince myself it was now or ever anything but a blemish.  I saw the Polish received a lot of these post WWI but I didn't think it was their routine to scrub them...but I don't know.  Poland seems like the most likely option and if those R stamps are for Radom that would certainly corroborate that assignment.  With the bore that this rifle has, I'm really looking forward to shooting it but that'll have to wait.  If you're talking dollars you must like my "new" rifle, so thanks again...but I haven't even shot it yet   

I probably won't be saying anything more until Monday since I'm going to go out with a friend all weekend looking for four-legged creatures with some sort of hat rack on their heads  in other words, taking a long hike in the woods with a scoped-rifle for training weight 

[routeus1]

Doesn't Radom use , Circle 11?

[running-man]

If you're talking dollars you must like my "new" rifle, so thanks again...but I haven't even shot it yet   

A minor detail like that has never stopped Kevin before!  Be careful Jon, hes trying to take advantage of you!  You'll wind up with an Ugly Yugo M59/66 with a beaver chewed stock and a broken firing pin retainer and two boxes of tulammo loosely thrown into a cardboard box that reeks of rotten cabbage.  (ask me how I know this!) 

[Phosphorus32]

Doesn't Radom use , Circle 11?

True of the Cold War Era, but I'm not sure they were back in the post-WWI period.

If you're talking dollars you must like my "new" rifle, so thanks again...but I haven't even shot it yet   

A minor detail like that has never stopped Kevin before!  Be careful Jon, hes trying to take advantage of you!  You'll wind up with an Ugly Yugo M59/66 with a beaver chewed stock and a broken firing pin retainer and two boxes of tulammo loosely thrown into a cardboard box that reeks of rotten cabbage.  (ask me how I know this!) 

Well, in the spirit of eau de putrefied cabbage, I guess I should ship German rifles with sauerkraut and Russian with borscht and sour cream. No, I don't want the Yugo SKS formerly owned by you, after Kevin's done unspeakable things to it up in the hollers of NC   

[Dannyboy53]

Very nice looking rifle Phosphorous!

[Blicero]

So what's up here Jon? Have you taken a respite from Bambi-blasting to devote some time to figuring out what this thing is? I'm very curious to learn about these guns.

None of my books say much beyond the obligatory superficial stuff regarding Kar98s. I see what you mean about vague references online too- I did some scrounging around the forums and everybody alludes to 98a SCW guns being scrubbed but they never delve into much detail.

[Phosphorus32]

So what's up here Jon? Have you taken a respite from Bambi-blasting to devote some time to figuring out what this thing is? I'm very curious to learn about these guns.

None of my books say much beyond the obligatory superficial stuff regarding Kar98s. I see what you mean about vague references online too- I did some scrounging around the forums and everybody alludes to 98a SCW guns being scrubbed but they never delve into much detail.

Bambi and friends were safe from me but my hunting buddy (mentor) bagged a 4x4 blacktail...that we had to quarter and hump 1000 vertical feet up the 30 degree slopes of the Klickitat River gorge 

I've cross-posted on a couple of the Mauser boards and it seems to be a puzzle.  The feedback is that the Poles often scrubbed the receiver ring for those they shipped to the Republicans in the SCW but not the Kar98 side rail marking and they didn't scour the barrel and receiver of meaningful marks like this one appears to have been.  Also odd if it was SCW that there would be no country or caliber marks anywhere like the pre-68 Interarms imports of SCW relics.  I guess its origins remain a mystery. 

[Blicero]

Yep, it is Polish. I did something right!

I'll give ya $126.43 for it. It is a bubba gun after all, literally devoid and scrubbed of its history. And it is Polish, I bet ya it's a Danzig Mauser. How many Polish rifles does it take to defend against the Germans? Trick question! It's never been done.

[Phosphorus32]

Yep, it is Polish. I did something right!

I'll give ya $126.43 for it. It is a bubba gun after all, literally devoid and scrubbed of its history. And it is Polish, I bet ya it's a Danzig Mauser. How many Polish rifles does it take to defend against the Germans? Trick question! It's never been done.

Gee Wally, that sounds like a great offer, said the Beav    Like you said, it's pretty much worthless as bubba'd (or whatever the Polish term is...maybe usunięty for scrubbed).

Danzig arsenal origins seem logical given it's proximity to Gdansk, Poland   

Probably a bring back, but again, from where? You'd think if it was recaptured by the Germans it'd have eagles.

Those poor Poles.  For the definition of "being stuck between a rock and a hard place", see Poland.

[Dannyboy53]

The Polish army has been the butt of many jokes but they made a danged good accounting for themselves at Westerplatte in 1939! They ultimately lost the fight for that small island/city but the Germans paid a big price for it.

[Phosphorus32]

The Polish army has been the butt of many jokes but they made a danged good accounting for themselves at Westerplatte in 1939! They ultimately lost the fight for that small island/city but the Germans paid a big price for it.

Agreed Danny.  They fought a hard two front battle with antiquated equipment and tactics against Guderian's blitzkrieg on the west and Stalin's human waves on the east.  They also contributed in a substantial way to the Allies fight from '42 to the end.

[Dannyboy53]

Very true Phosphorus, in the air battles and on the ground.

[Blicero]

I'm thinking this one is an import. I just looked at my two Spanish Mausers, neither of them are marked. Assuming that The Legends are correct in calling these Spanish-possessed guns, I guess it's fair to say some their German stuff peppered the crates when we imported them pre-'68.

Kind of a semi-related rant here. I'm growing weary of looking at every German gun being labeled a bring back just because it lacks the stamp. I got this from the widow of the vet who just passed away Shiva rest his soul. No you didn't. Shut the hell up. And unless you have some paperwork, it's just another gun.
You know I'm not ****ing at you about it...I'm just ****in'.

These are neat little rifles, I'm happy you're able to snag one. Now find one of the original Kar98s, before they tweaked them into 98a, and you'll undoubtedly have me giddy!

[Phosphorus32]

I'm thinking this one is an import. I just looked at my two Spanish Mausers, neither of them are marked. Assuming that The Legends are correct in calling these Spanish-possessed guns, I guess it's fair to say some their German stuff peppered the crates when we imported them pre-'68.

Kind of a semi-related rant here. I'm growing weary of looking at every German gun being labeled a bring back just because it lacks the stamp. I got this from the widow of the vet who just passed away Shiva rest his soul. No you didn't. Shut the hell up. And unless you have some paperwork, it's just another gun.
You know I'm not ****ing at you about it...I'm just ****in'.

These are neat little rifles, I'm happy you're able to snag one. Now find one of the original Kar98s, before they tweaked them into 98a, and you'll undoubtedly have me giddy!

Okay, okay    I certainly have no proof that it's a bringback.  I suppose a lot more firearms slipped through importation without their meaningless little country stamps in the pre-'68 era 

Yeah, a Kar98 would be the crown of anyone's German Mauser collection on the rarity index  ...well except for the Tankgewehr   

Honestly, I'd rather have the Kar98

[Blicero]

Oops, now we gotta reset the board to "0 days since last time Phosphorus brought up Tankgewehrs."

Was this an icollector find? I swear I need to start surfing that site. So what's next? Kar88? Gew91? I'm looking at a K88 right now that I came close to buying, until a friend talked me out of it when he told me the S Patrone conversion doesn't necessarily make it safe to shoot. Something about pressures and charges and diameters or some such...Anyway, the price on this Kar looks good, the gun looks good. Hit me up & I'll show it to you, if I can't have it you may as well.

[Phosphorus32]

Oops, now we gotta reset the board to "0 days since last time Phosphorus brought up Tankgewehrs."

Was this an icollector find? I swear I need to start surfing that site. So what's next? Kar88? Gew91? I'm looking at a K88 right now that I came close to buying, until a friend talked me out of it when he told me the S Patrone conversion doesn't necessarily make it safe to shoot. Something about pressures and charges and diameters or some such...Anyway, the price on this Kar looks good, the gun looks good. Hit me up & I'll show it to you, if I can't have it you may as well.

Yup, the K98a and bayonet were an icollector lot.  Thanks, I recently added a Kar88 at a parts gun price that Bubba got his hands on, unfortunately  so I've got a bit of a long term project in that category...