The German service rifle legacy continues...
- Thread starter Nabs
- Start date
- Location
- Leduc County, Alberta
Jawohl! Range Reports a must! 
Bore slugged out to be .321 so I can use .321 spitzers. The .318 round nose bullets are very hard to find but I have seen people casting their own as they are lead core without any copper jacketing.
It could but these three rifles are examples that focus on Germany's transition to smokeless powder, small caliber rounds which, to me, is a very interesting period to study. Not to forget in 1914, these "Big 3" were the ones that Germany had issued their troops with the Gewehr 98 for frontline troops, the 88s to reserve, landwehr and recruiting depots, and the 71s and 71/84s for Landwehr and garrison duties.
I was focusing on 1914 but when I get my RC Kar98k fixed up, you can bet on another group shot. There is little difference between the Gewehr 71 and 71/84 except for the obvious repeater modification and some visual differences. I don't see the point to spending $1000 + atm to acquire a Gewehr 71 when I already have an all matching 71/84. Perhaps in the future but I am guessing they will only get more expensive as time goes on.
The Gewehr 98 is right in front with the 98/05 "Butcher" bayonet on top. She was re-worked during the 1920s and again during 1939 but is beautiful non the less.
I also forgot to mention that none of these rifles have import marks or are duffelcuts. The Gewehr 98 is not marked "1920" either.
All three rifles certainly have a story to tell as to their service life and how they ultimately ended up in Canada.
All three rifles certainly have a story to tell as to their service life and how they ultimately ended up in Canada.
and then there's the M71 Carbine, and the Kar 98a, and....... Yes it never ends.
My mistake. My Gew 98 has a straight bolt handle and the lange rear sight. I mistook yours for a K98k (but on second look it's too long to be one).
I would love to get ahold of a Kar.88 or Gewehr 91 but they are tough little buggers to find and command a high price (especially for military marked ones).
I'm happy and content with my "Big 3" and I am itching to get out to the range and then post a range report.
- Location
- Smithers, B.C.
Good luck on that. I'll stick to my Finns. Remember, to Win You Need A Finn!
Juuust kidding. Get me a Kar 88 while your at it.
Juuust kidding. Get me a Kar 88 while your at it.
Its an 05 conversion, there were only ~30,000 88/14s made with only one known example existing in the United States today. I have seen pictures and lets say the workmanship is of a much lower quality than pre-war standards.
Here are some pictures of my 88/05s action:
Shot 1
Shot 2
Shot 3
Nabs, can you tell me exactly what these rifles are, from top to bottom? I would love to learn more about these, but my knowledge is limited to WW2 era (can't collect it all
Joe
Back to front:
Gewehr 71/84, Gewehr 88/05, and Gewehr 98b.
The Gewehr 71/84 was manufactured in 1888 (a very interesting year for Prussia as it saw the crowning of three Emperors or Kaisers). Not to forget just two years previously, the French had successfully tested the Lebel 1886 with smokeless powder and a smaller diameter bullet with a rimmed cartridge. This immediately rendered all large caliber rifles using black powder obsolete. You can imagine the pressure this put on the Germans to develop something comparable. This Gewehr 71/84 has regimental markings linking it to a Infantry replacement regiment and it appears it was not re-issued or re-worked since 1888. She is in fantastic condition considering her age and I believe that the soldier who had her probably wall-mounted her for many years and took extremely good care of her. Don't forget, she originally used a black powder cartridge which is extremely corrosive. The bore has a few pits but the rifling has to be 95% +.
The Gewehr 88/05 is an interesting one as she was manufactured in 1890 and was assigned to an Infantry regiment recruiting depot (for training of new recruits). She had the 1905 modifications done to her at the Spandau arsenal works sometime between 1903 and 1905 to conform with the Gewehr 98 specifications (most notably the charger clip guides on the sides of the receiver and the notch cut into the rear of the receiver). Her "S" marking came probably a few years earlier, at the turn of the century, to conform to the 154gr Spitzer round for use in the en-bloc clips. Sometime between 1916 and 1918, she was given to the Turks to augment their weapon supply shortage and she has had her rear sight (which is matching) scrubbed and re-stamped in Arabic numerals. The bolt is also a Czech replacement piece that was ordered by the Turks during the 1920s when the British, instead of taking the inferior rifles back with them, removed the original bolts instead. Since then, she was not turned into a "Turfek 1935" and her physical history stops in the 1920s as far as I can tell by examining the rifle.
The interesting thing about the Gewehr 98b is that she was re-worked during the 1920s and modified to the Kar98b standard sometime between 1926 and 1932 (she has Simson Suhl, HZa Spandau, and Weimar republic acceptance marks). She was again re-worked during 1939 and is marked with Third Reich acceptance stamps as well as a replacement barrel. She may not look like a regular Gewehr 98 but she has more history than one. This rifle not only saw WW1 service but service with the Weimar republic (she must have been hidden away from the French inspectors during the early 20s) and the Third Reich during the pre war years and ww2. As mentioned previously, she bears Imperial, Weimar Republic, and Third Reich acceptance stamps. Better yet, she is in excellent shooting condition. How many Gewehr 98s can say that ?
All are very interesting pieces in their own right as none are duffelcuts or import marked. I would be very interested in finding out how these rifles left their original places and ended up in Canada (or the US and brought across the border sometime later).
Hope this explains things in a nut shell for you.
I could go on but I would write a books worth for you. I received help from numerous sources including the internet, an extremely good reference book (called "The German Gew.88 'Commission' Rifle by Paul S. Scarlata), and other gun board forums. It is still a work in progress but I know so much more about these rifles (didn't even know the Gewehr 88 or 71/84 existed two months ago) than I knew six months ago. A year ago, I would have only quoted the Gewehr 98 and Kar98k as German rifles that come to my mind but now it is filled with about a dozen.
