1916 Spandau Gewehr 98 Rifle……………(f 736) SOLD

World War One Imperial German Gewehr 98 from Spandau 1916

The Backbone of The Imperial German Army.  The famous (or infamous) G98.  Classic Mauser action German infantry rifle of the First World War German Army.  With its standard flag safety, straight armed bolt action and large ring receiver.   Reliable, accurate and hard hitting.  The Gew is equipped with in internal staggered 5-round magazine.  The bolt cocks on closing and the safety has three positions; Fire, Safe and Locked Safe.  The Gew 98 has a full length European Walnut stock and a short handguard over the barrel just in front of the Lange Visiere ramp sights.  The absence of grasping groves indicates that this is an early stock. However careful inspection has revealed the serial number stamped into the underside of the butt-stock just below the swivel mount.

The G98 measures 49″ in length.  The round barrel is 29.1/2″ long and the trigger pull measures 13″ to centre. Steel fittings and furniture to stock with removable magazine floor-plate to dump rounds if required.  Nearly all the furniture is marked with the last two digits of the number.  Cleaning rod is absent.  Straight bolt handle with force matched (or re-stamped last digit) all in the white, the actual handle and bolt knob turning a dark brown.  Imperial acceptance marks on the underside of the bolt stub.  Some other components of the bolt numbered “69”  Bolt removal catch number correctly “92”  The receiver is marked with a “crown / SPANDAU /1916”  Spandau being one of the Prussian Government Arsenals producing the Gewehr.

All the stock fittings are correctly numbered for this rifle, including the steel butt-plate.  The receiver is marked with the serial number in full on the LHS reading “392 d”  The action sidewall is marked adjacently in gothic script Gew 98″  The sidewall is interrupted with a cut-out for the thumb, as is the stock, for when depressing the charger clip full of ammunition into the magazine.  The obverse of the receiver is marked with three Imperial German acceptance stamps on of which appears to be the crowned “W” of Wuttemburg.  That particular mark is repeated on the RHS of the butt, below the unit disk, along with the crowned FW and one other.

There is a small “S” on the top of the barrel behind the rear sight the marking for the “S-Patronen cartridge.  The rear sight is long tangent type graduated from 400 to 2000 meters, marked on the top RHS with “92.”  The trigger guard has the sling swivel hole in the forward portion of the bow.  The floor plate and trigger guard plate all have matching “92” and inspectors marks on them.  Standard vacant rear sling swivel attachment – the front attachment hanging from the mid-band.  H-shaped forend cap with stacking hook and nose-cap with bayonet fitting stub – both numbered “92”  Barrel receiver ring marked with calibre designation “7.91” ans single stock reinforcement lug under receiver.  The slight inconsistencies have to be assessed when viewing this rifle as a whole, but on balance many of them may be attributed to official armoury activity of the period.

The bore is pretty good for one of these old rifles and certainly has a lot left in it for the casual shooter, with good RH twist four groove rifling.  No bad pitting and reasonable depth to the grooves.  This is a good representative example of a G98, British proofed and ready for use as it was 102 years ago.

Stock No’ f 736

£ 950.  SOLD

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