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Observations On Collecting Imperial German Rifles

One of the first problems I became aware of when I began to collect Imperial German rifles is that there is an incredible lack of printed reference material on them.

I had been collecting the Kar.98k since 1984, and I had always thought that the 98k had suffered from a lack of reference material, but by contrast, the Gewehr 98 and Kar.98a have so little to refer to in their study that it is nearly pointless to reference any worthwhile book.

The closest books that maybe of some help are listed in the credits below, and are all stalwart references to any military rifle collector, but the Imperial coverage per book is of minimal value to any in-depth study of the Gew 98 or 98a.

One of the first questions that come to mind when one first starts out collecting these rifles, especially like myself who has some background in 98k, is the very open and clear manner the manufacturer places its name on the top of the receiver. No attempt at deception as in the Second World War, and of course, the reasons are obvious if one thinks about it (aviation is in its infancy and is no real threat to the manufacture of any industry)

The makers of the Gewehr98 are listed below; there were 11 makers, broken down to 4 government arsenals & 7 commercial concerns:

Bavarian Arsenal Amberg
Prussian Arsenal Danzig
Prussian Arsenal Erfurt
Prussian Arsenal Spandau

Waffenfabrik Mauser A.G. Oberndorff A/N.
Deutsche Waffen Und Munitionsfabriken. Berlin
C.G. Haenel Suhl
V.C. Schilling & Co. Suhl
Waffenwerke Oberspree Kornbusch & Co. (subsidiary of DWM 1916 & In 1918 Oberspree name only, Kornbusch dropped)
Simson & Co. Suhl
J.P. Sauer & Sohn Suhl

Next comes what to look for in the often encounter term “original”, the Gewehr 98 originally came with a bright finished (in the white) receiver, entire bolt, follower, butt plate, bayonet lug, recoil cross bolt, unit disk or bolt take down disc, & cleaning rod. The blued parts include barrel, trigger guard, both sights, floorplate & spring, both front & rear band, plus both band retainers.

Also of note, is that unlike the 98k where all digits of the serial number are prevalent on most parts (if there is adequate space), the Gew 98 use’s only the full serial including suffix on the receiver, barrel, & bolt top flat; the trigger guard (not floor plate), butt plate, & stock have the entire serial minus the suffix. All other serial numbered parts will be with the last 2 digits.

This is important because for example on post war German rebuilds the Germans added the first two digits to parts like the front & rear band. If you see a complete serial on the front band it is not in original Imperial trim, this is not the only point to look for & often the first thing that will come out at you when trying to determine if a Gew 98 is original or not will be the absence of bright parts, -the German’s post war blued all the rifles parts during the re-arsenal process.

This is more important when you buy replacement parts for your rifle’s restoration, if possible you want to stick to proper period parts (example if you have an Imperial Gewehr98 you want to use bright finish parts & 2 digit serials when restoring, if it has the tangent rear sight & been blued, use blued full serialed parts, that way at least it will be proper for the state the rifle is currently in.)

Next was rarity of the individual makers? There of course are no set in stone figures that I am aware of, though there are some generally accepted views on what is rare. Generally one can consider the government arsenals as common during the war (except Erfurt Arsenal who stopped Gew 98 production early- not sure exactly, but probably about 1908-09, -although they did put to use some receivers in 1915-17 for the Stern Gewehr- these are fairly desirable, especially the 1915 production) as are the top producers, which include DWM & Mauser Oberndorf.

From my observations, I would list most common as: Spandau 1st; Mauser Oberndorf 2nd (especially 1916-17); DWM & Danzig tied for 3rd; Amberg 5th; JP Sauer 6th; Waffenwerke Oberspree Kornbusch & CG Haenel tied for 7th; VC Shilling 8th; Simson 9th & scarcest.

A note on rarity by manufacturer; I believe rarity by condition or date of manufacture is more important to the value of an Imperial rifle.

An original, all matching pre war Gewehr 98 rifle is quite a desirable rifle, most went through at least one rework or rebuild during the war- finding one totally original is quite rare.

Gewehr98’s dated 1915 are also some what scarce- especially the Suhl makers & Erfurt; 1918 dated Gewehr 98s in original Imperial configuration are also scarce in the United States, except possibly for Mauser Oberndorf, which seems to have a direct connection to Turkey late in the war? I would have to say ¾ of all 1916-18 Mauser Oberndorf Gew 98 rifles I come across have a Turkish past.

Lastly one more question that comes up from time to time & is of interest to the beginner is the changes that occurred 1916 to the Gewehr 98 manufacture.

Starting in 1916 (and by 1917 routinely applied) changes in the manufacture of the Gewehr 98 was seen, the finger groove in the stock; use of beech for stocks (walnut remained in use till the end); & the introduction of the bolt takedown disc in place of the unit marking disc. The changes were not overnight & there is a great deal of variation during 1916 & into 1917.

The reference material that would be helpful to the new collector:

Mauser Bolt Rifles, by Ludwig Olson
German Military Rifles & Machine Pistols, by Gotz
The German Rifle, by John Walter
Central Powers Small Arms of World War One, by John Walter
The Imperial German Regimental Marking, by Jeff Noll (http://home.earthlink.net/~nopubl/)
The German Sniper, by Robert Senich
German Small Arms Markings, by Gortz & Bryans

John Walters “The German Rifle” is probably the best single reference, but it is dated, it also has errors (needs an update), Olsons “Mauser Bolt Rifles is very good & has the benefit of being updated often- it is a lot of book for the dollar, but is fairly brief on the Gew 98; Jeff Noll’s “The Imperial German Regimental Marking” is invaluable for identifying pre war rifles with unit markings. If I could own only one of the books, I would buy John Walter’s “The German Rifle”.

I will gladly help with an evaluation or give an opinion if you have a rifle that you have questions about. Send pictures if possible & or give as much detailed information as possible. If you desire to part with a rifle I can help there as well.

I can be contacted at graf@gewehr98.com