1917 GEW98 Mauser project

[DammitBoy]

I have inherited an old WWI mauser from my father that has been sporterized.

I would like to return it to it's correct configuration if possible. I'm hoping someone out there can correctly identify exactly which type this rifle is and help me find a replacement stock and handguard for it.



It has a 23 1/2" barrel and is an 8mm caliber. The shorter barrel seems to be original and not modified.

Any help with this project would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Duke of Doubt]

It does not appear to be WWI era. We'll need a photo of the receiver crest and any markings. I have a few ideas, but need more to go on.

 

[DammitBoy]

Ok Duke, I'll upload some more pics when I get home tonight. It does have 1917 stamped into the head and it does have gew98 stamped on the side of the receiver.

It also has markings for the german factory it was manufactuered in and all the serial numbers I can see are matching.

 

[Funderb]

It looks like you're going to need to cut that barrel longer.

 

[rcmodel]

Cut it longer! Good'n!

Can't tell for sure from the picture, but it kinda looks like an 03 Springfield front band & sight too!

rc

 

[DammitBoy]

Yeah, it's an '03 Springfield...

 

[Duke of Doubt]

Looks like a DWM 98 barrelled action in an unknown, perhaps Czech sporterized stock, with a Springfield '03 rear sight and front sight, and an unknown Mauser-series bolt.

More photos, preferably of the rear sight, bolt and stock disk?

 

[DammitBoy]

Ok, but the bolt matches the action and the rear sight is a typical mauser sight - I know that much.

I'll have to post pics after I take them - later on, have to go to work.

Thanks for the input.

 

[rcmodel]

Yeah, it's an '03 Springfield...

I didn't say it was a Springfield.
I said the front sight band/ramp and front sight blade appear to be off a Springfield.

Which would be a common conversion years ago if the Mauser barrel were cut off and the Springfield sight band installed by the guy who sporterized it.

rc

 

[Ohio Gun Guy]

My humble opinion / but somewhat educated opinion is that it is a ww1 era mauser that was modernized and re-used by the Germans. In research about guns I have owned, I came accross this several times.

Then it was brought here (One way or the other) and was sporterized. Taking that gun and returning it to ww1 configuration means replacing every part less the reciever. The result would mean a mis-matched ww1 era parts gun. I think, that you could do better by buying a ww1 mauser and preserving it. I appreciate the historical preservation attitude, but unless you have a money to put towards it, that you konw you could not recover then I would reconsider. Perhaps you should keep it as a piece of your families history. It appears to be a well done sporterization.

 

[DammitBoy]

Thanks, I appreciate your input.

I have been considering the option of going full-blown gonzo on sporterizing it if it was deemed too much of a project to bring it back to correct configuration.

I'm not much of a bolt action guy, but I thought this might be a fun project - in one direction or another.

I still have my dad's WWII USMC issue .45 colt, his KaBar and several guns we hunted together with - so I've got plenty of other guns to keep as mementos of our sharing a love of guns.

(edit) I was searching for any kind of record on this gun and found a gew98 7mm mauser barrel all wrapped up in the back of my Dad's gun locker (Hmmm, maybe I should clean this sucker out completely?) it is the correct 29" long, the bore is excellent, but there is some surface pitts on the blue finish. The sights are identical to that on the mauser I have pictured in this thread.

 

[DammitBoy]

This stock looks identical to the stock on my rifle. Duke, what makes you say the stock on my weapon seems to be a Czech stock?

I will post pics of the sights later today.

 

[Duke of Doubt]

Dammitboy: "Duke, what makes you say the stock on my weapon seems to be a Czech stock?"

The stock disk looked Czech to me from your first pic. I could be mistaken. Try to get a close-up of the disk.

Notice the sight differences -- the 98 Gewehr you posted for comparison has the classic "roller coaster" rear sight. Yours has a tangent leaf sight. Might be later Mauser, but looks Springfield from your first pic (mostly based on the leaf pin head). That's why we need a close-up of the rear sight.

 

[Rob P.]

Other WWII mausers have the tangent leaf front sight. My Turk mauser has the tangent leaf sight as do the Swedish mausers.

A lot of the GEW's were rebarrelled between WWI and WWII. At the time the new barrels could have included the newer tangent leaf rear sights. As the serial numbers all match, I'd say it's a pretty good bet that this is what happened.

 

[Jim K]

There were hundreds of thousands of those rifles given a "hack saw" sporterizing job after WWII. The rifle is indeed from the WWI era, but the rear sight indicates that the Germans may have updated it to a more modern configuration, probably before WWII.

The front sight does look like an M1903 band, a common way to put a front sight on a cut barrel in the post-WWII era in the US.

Frankly, I think trying to restore that rifle would be expensive, time consuming and ultimately frustrating. That is the way your father had it and used it; IMHO leaving it as is will better serve his memory.

Jim

 

[DammitBoy]

Mystery solved at the gun show last week. I took the sporterized mauser with me, to get a few opinions on the gun.

As luck would have it, there were several WWI and WWII booths set-up for display only with the usual expert crowd hanging around them.

The general consensus was that my Dad's mauser was a factory modified gun - the work being done between the wars. Everyone who looked at the gun said the refit work was excellent and not 'shop' work.

One guy was interested enough to make me a trade on a 1915 Danzig with all matching serial numbers, the original sling, and bayonet for my rifle.

Now I've got a good example of a WWI G98 in my collection, so it was a win/win for everybody concerned.

It was a really great show, I also bought a Bushmaster Carbon 15 pistol, a Betamag for it, and a Ruger Mark III Hunter in stainless with the fluted barrel. I wrapped up the show by buying my son a crossbow and about 400.00 in ammo.