Gewehr 98 late war stocks

[Nabs]

Hello all,

I have been resisting asking this question for a few months but I figured I would give it a try.

Some of you may remember that I am in the process of restoring a 1905 dated Gewehr 98 that was turned into a home made sporter sometime back. Well, I managed to clean all the parts up and restore complete functionality to the rifle as it was simply a mess when I got it. Better yet, I was able to locate a replacement barrel and all the missing pieces needed to complete the rifle. Originally, I was going to attempt to splice a replacement fore-end onto the cut down stock. Why you may ask ? Well the stock, what is left of it, is original to the rifle and still in decent shape minus the "handling" marks over the past century.

Now I come to the reason why I am posting this thread. I have thought about leaving the stock as it is as there are some very interesting repair depot markings still present as well as stock cartouches and Imperial inspection marks. To clean up the stock would mean the possible loss of these markings. I am wondering if anyone has or knows of someone or some place that has a Gewehr 98 typical late war stock that has not been butchered and still in full military length and configuration ? The type of stock I would be targeting is a beech wood stock with bolt down disc, and finger grooves. Imperial markings would be a plus as well but I won't be picky. A beech hand guard would also be desirable.

My understanding is that surplus Gewehr 98s in May 1916 right up until the end of 1918 went to Turkey. I am hoping to salvage a late war trim stock and hand guard off one of these rifles. Another reason I am targeting this type of stock for the Gewehr 98 is that I do not own any very late war Gewehr 98s with this type of stock configuration. What comes close is one of my Gewehr 98s with the take down disc but her stock is walnut.

I am going to take the rifle to my local gunsmith to swap the barrels to see if my replacement works out properly. Should it work out, I would seriously consider a beech stock and hand guard replacement.

That is my predicament, can anyone help me out ?

 

[The Kurgan]

Fix your current stock and save yourself a whole heap of trouble

 

[Nabs]

Yeah I might have to go with that option. Gewehr 98 stocks are simply not common in Canada. Worth a try though.

If anyone does have a beech stock and hand guard available, let me know.

 

[Drachenblut]

One option you could consider, if you really want to, is to import a full stock from the USA. Otherwise, keep it as a project and splice on the wood. In the end it is your rifle, your descision. Good luck!

 

[Nabs]

That was my second option. Though I am sure I can find someone in the U.S. who could sell me the set, I was hoping to find someone in Canada first.

For now, I am going to have to entertain option one and restore the stock to full military length and configuration.

 

[The Kurgan]

That was my second option. Though I am sure I can find someone in the U.S. who could sell me the set, I was hoping to find someone in Canada first.

For now, I am going to have to entertain option one and restore the stock to full military length and configuration.

Let me know if you need any assistance/advice with refinishing. I am a big supporter of oiled finishes, which is what your 98 started life with.

 

[Nabs]

I will certainly need help re-finishing the stock. The biggest issue at the moment will be the method of splicing the new stock fore end of the old stock. I have an idea where to chop both pieces and mate them together as the previous owner of my 1905 Danzig not only rounded off the chopped down fore end but the portion of the wood where the hand guard would have originally sat.

Since you have had experience working with wood, I am wondering if there is some sort of wood filler that I could use to fill in some of the deep dings and scraps on the original stock and some handling marks on the new fore end ?

 

[The Kurgan]

I will certainly need help re-finishing the stock. The biggest issue at the moment will be the method of splicing the new stock fore end of the old stock. I have an idea where to chop both pieces and mate them together as the previous owner of my 1905 Danzig not only rounded off the chopped down fore end but the portion of the wood where the hand guard would have originally sat.

Since you have had experience working with wood, I am wondering if there is some sort of wood filler that I could use to fill in some of the deep dings and scraps on the original stock and some handling marks on the new fore end ?

I make a few different filler "brews"... one is a mix of quality wood filler (use a medium walnut shade for the GEW 98) and very small amount of fine saw dust from an inconspicuous area of the stock... blend and fill. 24 hrs later... lightly sand and tung oil. Its a bit of a finicky exercise and you may need a couple of trys to make perfect. Sometimes you can even skip adding saw dust. I also sometimes use a high quality "2 ton bond" carpenters glue and saw dust mix. The problem with glue is that it is usually harder than the wood stock, and therefore difficult to sand flush with the surface. Glue doesn't always react well to oil coats either.

Prior to doing this, the entire stock needs to be thoroughly cleaned. I would use a quality stripper product (remember, there is no shellac finish to come off, just grime, "Turkish skin cells" , oils, and dirt) and 00 steel wool to clean the surface. I finish all my jobs with 0000 steel wool. It nicely polishes off the filth without sanding. The filled areas will never be a perfect match colour wise, but they will at least be flush with the surface, smooth to the touch, and usually end up looking "antiqued".

If the surface is really bad, and you are o.k. with refinishing, I would fill as noted above, and then sand the entire stock (or just upper stock) with medium, then fine, then extra fine sandpaper, then finish with 0000 steel wool. After all is done, add a couple of coats of tung oil, and it will look much improved. Any shallow dings may/will get sanded away. Often, you don't have to remove much wood by sanding, just enough to "clean up" the surface. In fact, most of the cartouches and stamps will remain intact if you are careful.