German WW 2 rifle information

cigarman

cigarman

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Our family has a WW 2 German rifle brought back by a relative (RCAF vet). He followed the D day landing across Europe. I don't have much expertise on the subject but think it is a K98 and based on markings the maker is Mauser, Borsigwalde - "243" 1939. I'm guessing but looks like serial numbers do not match.

PICTURES AT THIS LINK https://photos.app.goo.gl/cPE8dtbadN9aSKkc6

Any other information that can be offered would be appreciated.

cheers
 
WWII German K98 sporterized. Made at Mauser-Werke AG, Werk Borsigwalde, Berlin-Borsigwalde, Eichborndamm 1939.

Action, Trigger guard and screws match, Floorplate is miss-matched, Can't see much else. What are you looking for? Value?

P
 
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cigarman said:
I'd be interested in knowing the value, also why you consider it sporterized?
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They should look like the top rifle...

9387054_1.jpg
 
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Value likely took a heavy drop with the wood being chopped up as it is. The action and barrel is intact it seems at least. But it's a far cry from what it used to be. Shame really.
 
The three digit serial number is deceiving. As I recall you need five elements to definitively identify a specific K98.

Serial number
Letter prefix on the serial number
Year
Maker code
Model information on the left sidewall.
 
Any story on how the vet and where he found it and how he got it back? We don’t often have an opportunity in Canada to hear the story on verified bring backs, if that is the case with this one. Most were picked out of a barrel in the army surplus store for 25$
 
Mr. Dynamite said:
Any story on how the vet and where he found it and how he got it back? We don’t often have an opportunity in Canada to hear the story on verified bring backs, if that is the case with this one. Most were picked out of a barrel in the army surplus store for 25$
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I'm proud to say this vet was my mom's brother however sadly he has now passed. He was ground crew for the Canadian RCAF spitfires, No 421 "Red Indian" squadron. One of their spits is at the Canadian Aviation Museum - check wikipedia for squad spitfire pic, tour and duty. I heard a number of stories in his later years and I know that as the squadron followed the Allied front across Europe they just picked up whatever struck their fancy and there was lots to choose from since action was so close.

On surplus mods: Would like to say I'm an avid history buff and appreciate pristine artifacts as much, if not more than anyone.
To those who support the right to own a gun with harsh comments about mods to vet bring backs perhaps first find out who made the mods. If it was the vet, consider that he volunteered to risk his life in service of his country while getting that rifle (artifact) - shouldn't he have the right to do whatever he likes to it?
 
cigarman said:
I'm proud to say this vet was my mom's brother however sadly he has now passed. He was ground crew for the Canadian RCAF spitfires, No 421 "Red Indian" squadron. One of their spits is at the Canadian Aviation Museum - check wikipedia for squad spitfire pic, tour and duty. I heard a number of stories in his later years and I know that as the squadron followed the Allied front across Europe they just picked up whatever struck their fancy and there was lots to choose from since action was so close.

On surplus mods: Would like to say I'm an avid history buff and appreciate pristine artifacts as much, if not more than anyone.
To those who support the right to own a gun with harsh comments about mods to vet bring backs perhaps first find out who made the mods. If it was the vet, consider that he volunteered to risk his life in service of his country while getting that rifle (artifact) - shouldn't he have the right to do whatever he likes to it?
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You absolutely have the right to do whatever you want to your property but in terms of value it does not matter one lick who did the sporter job. The reason all matching originals are more desirable is because anytime someone does this to a nice matching bring back the unmessed with ones go up in value.
 
No disrespect in any way of the matter intended. It's just that it being a vet bringback on its own doesn't really uphold the value in today's collector market. Folks want a fully intact rifle as it was issued and would likely pay some serious coin to have it in their possession, or would just simply like to see rifles as they were made. Folks can do whatever the heck they like to their own stuff, and back then I doubt they were really thinking about guys like us in the future drooling over a pristine rifle.

Im personally of the opinion that rifles should be left as they are and its disappointing to see them chopped up, but to folks that fought and took them home saw them as another hunting rifle to add to the rack. Nothing wrong with that.
 
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Unless your Uncle happened to be an officer, I find it hard to believe that he personally brought back this rifle. Americans had no problem hauling back half of Europe, Canadians on the other hand were told in no uncertain terms that bad things would happen if they were caught with "looted" items. This speech was often given on the troop transport back to Canada, a day or two prior to docking, and was the signal to dispose of ones "ill-gotten" gains overboard. Rumour has it that one should dredge the approaches to many Eastern ports as you could find many a treasure...

Supposedly there were going to be inspections taking place during the disembarkation process in Canada, although one rarely hears of this having taken place. I'd imagine some of the Officer Corps may have gotten items at a bargain on the trip home.
 
7ECA said:
Unless your Uncle happened to be an officer, I find it hard to believe that he personally brought back this rifle. Americans had no problem hauling back half of Europe, Canadians on the other hand were told in no uncertain terms that bad things would happen if they were caught with "looted" items. This speech was often given on the troop transport back to Canada, a day or two prior to docking, and was the signal to dispose of ones "ill-gotten" gains overboard. Rumour has it that one should dredge the approaches to many Eastern ports as you could find many a treasure...

Supposedly there were going to be inspections taking place during the disembarkation process in Canada, although one rarely hears of this having taken place. I'd imagine some of the Officer Corps may have gotten items at a bargain on the trip home.
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I choose not to argue with someone who was there (or imagined they were).
 
7ECA said:
Unless your Uncle happened to be an officer, I find it hard to believe that he personally brought back this rifle. Americans had no problem hauling back half of Europe, Canadians on the other hand were told in no uncertain terms that bad things would happen if they were caught with "looted" items. This speech was often given on the troop transport back to Canada, a day or two prior to docking, and was the signal to dispose of ones "ill-gotten" gains overboard. Rumour has it that one should dredge the approaches to many Eastern ports as you could find many a treasure...

Supposedly there were going to be inspections taking place during the disembarkation process in Canada, although one rarely hears of this having taken place. I'd imagine some of the Officer Corps may have gotten items at a bargain on the trip home.
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I was an infantry officer in the British Army in the 1980s.. During my service my battalion wasn't in any circumstances where any of us would have been picking up souvenirs, but my general experience of soldiers suggests the non-commissioned ranks were much more likely to be competent in carrying off such things than most officers.
 
cigarman said:
I choose not to argue with someone who was there (or imagined they were).
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Imagined they were? What the heck does that mean?

TheTooner said:
I was an infantry officer in the British Army in the 1980s.. During my service my battalion wasn't in any circumstances where any of us would have been picking up souvenirs, but my general experience of soldiers suggests the non-commissioned ranks were much more likely to be competent in carrying off such things than most officers.
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Reading the accounts of soldiers fighting in the Second World War, it is clear this is a long standing tradition dating back to the days of old. But, reading accounts concerning Canadians, many speak of the late night trips on deck for a smoke... and disposing of treasure overboard.
 
Don't kid yourself. There was lots brought back. The good stuff is salted away in collections and never makes the light of day. Depends when you were born and who you knew. For the Real Young Google Foo Manchoo's of today looking for every possible answer on the computer or book, that answer doesn't exist, just remember, hardly anyone from that era used a computer and that generation is few and far between. Not all information gets posted like a rumor on face book. Sometimes it was a face to face conversation with the vet.

You're gonna ask yourself, how did the world exist without computers as your little world inside your head implodes...


Mr. Dynamite said:
We don’t often have an opportunity in Canada to hear the story on verified bring backs, if that is the case with this one.
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cigarman said:
I choose not to argue with someone who was there (or imagined they were).
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Lol. Aaannndd this thread lost me. The amount of emotional attachment to “war souvenir” stories I have heard over the year which upon the slightest inspection are untrue is staggering. Not even wasting my time.
 
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