mauser k98 cupped butplate vs flat buttplate

antidote1985

antidote1985

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hi!
i have a question in mind ... why ther german in the 1934-1940 have a flat buttplate and after that (1940-41) switch to cupped buttplate??? just to know, i dont understand why a country in total war like germany create a buttplate that take more iron..?? than the first one

dont laugh at me i just dont figure why


Antidote
 
The design change was to keep the wood from splitting at the butt. They also added the front sight hood at that time to protect the front sight post.
 
I like my mausers like I like my women, cupped, not flat.

The above post is correct, when exposed to combat elements a cupped butt holds the wood together better.
 
There's a little more to that answer. Prior to 1939, the majority of stocks were walnut. Walnut Mauser stocks had been around forever and was a known quantity. In 1939, for the first time, laminated beech stocks started to outnumber walnut stocks. Beech is VERY common in German forests and walnut was almost depleted in that country, so it made sense. The laminate stock is heavier and in theory more robust, but the laminations can, at times, crack or split if jarred sharply on the end grain. Field experience showed that the flat buttplate with its screws effectively pushing the laminations apart slightly increased the instances of de-lamination at the butt (in lie with the buttplate screws) under hard field conditions.

The solution they came up with is actually really elegant. It simultaneously eliminates hand fitting at the buttplate, a skilled trade that was expensive for the factories to maintain, whilst forcing the beech lamination layers to stay compressed to each other. The new butt was also more robust, stood up well to parade square use, and was manufactured from a cheap stamping instead of a pricey forging.

That being said, a properly fitted flat buttplate is, in my view, more aesthetically pleasing.
 
i have a k98 1940 code 42,missmatch, with a laminated blond stock(Dez 1938 stamp in the sotck) L on the right side with 2 birds, with flat buttplate, it looks very great for a missmatch k98.

thanx for your answers!!!
 
antidote1985 said:
i have a k98 1940 code 42,missmatch, with a laminated blond stock(Dez 1938 stamp in the sotck) L on the right side with 2 birds, with flat buttplate, it looks very great for a missmatch k98.

thanx for your answers!!!
Click to expand...
Well the flat butt plate stock is the correct configuration for your 1940 Mauser Oberndorf k98k. L on the side is for Luftwaffe issue Sounds like a nice one. Post up some pics!
 
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