WW I Mauser Rifle

**Haw1936** · 10-17-2014, 07:41 PM

A friend was showing me an old rifle his father had given to him years ago. His father was a soldier in WWI. He took the rifle off a dead German soldier and brought it home with him. The S/N on the rifle is 2799 and the year is 1916. The rifle had a lot of dust and lint on it, but was in great shape. He had put Scotch Tape over the muzzle to keep trash out of it. It needs a light oil rubdown to get the lint and dust bunnies off. I was wondering if there is a place to Google to see if we can find the German soldier's name that the weapon was issued to?

I was going to remove the bolt, but something kept me from taking it out of the receiver. I had held the trigger down thinking that would release it, but no go.

**Espenlaub Militaria** · 10-17-2014 07:41 PM

We also buy and trade your items and full collections!

**HARRY THE MOLE** · 10-17-2014, 07:59 PM

There is a catch to the left-rear of the receiver. It looks like an oblong box with a screw-head to the rear. Lift the bolt and draw it back almost fully to the rear. Pull the front of the oblong box to the left and the bolt will slide out.

**MAP** · 10-17-2014, 08:27 PM

Haw,

Welcome to the forum.

Please show us more pictures!!! It looks like a real beauty from what little we can see. So far, I'm really liking the grain in the stock!!

Always wanted one of these for my collection! Nice rifle

Michael

**Haw1936** · 10-17-2014, 11:51 PM

Thanks for the information on removing the bolt. I used to own a WWII 8mm Mauser that was called the 44/47 I believe. It was a great shooting rifle, but I wanted something else a lot worse and sold it. Then the prices sky rocketed right after that. Ah, if we only knew the future! When you mentioned that box on the left rear, I remembered that my rifle had the same thing. I'm 78 and my forgetter is working overtime now-a-days. The only other pictures I took are the butt, the other side, and the barrel section. The friend had a piece of Scotch Tape over the end of the barrel to keep trash out. The rifle has a lot of dust and lint on it. I want to take some more pictures with my Canon camera (the pictures I posted was what I took with my phone), but with the gun wiped with a slightly oiled rag to get rid of the lint and dust.

Right now I'm trying to find out what the gun is worth because he would sell it if he could get the right offer. He's a good friend and I offered him $500 but he just smiled. There is a lot of history behind that gun. I wish there was some way of finding out the soldier's name that carried it. Back in 1962-63 I worked in Paris and had an opportunity to visit the WWI trenches, etc., as well as the Normandy beaches. When we were in Paris, you could still see bullet damage on the side of some of the buildings. I went back in 68 and rented a car and could not find my way around due to all the changes in the highway system around Paris. The last time I was there was in 78.

**Walkwolf** · 10-17-2014, 11:55 PM

The stock does have nice grain, and looks like
she's been hanging on a wall for some time.
It's a nice one - I hope you can work
out a deal with him for it.........

**oradour** · 10-18-2014, 12:06 AM

Haw1936, unless your G98 has Imperial German Army "Regimentals" (markings to a unit) usually on the butt, stamped into a metal roundal or on the butt plate, you will have no way of telling to which unit the rifle was issued to.....they were never stamped with a soldiers individual name.........
Prost ! Steve.

**Haw1936** · 10-18-2014, 12:13 AM

Thanks Steve. I'll run over to my friends house and taken a closer look at it.

**Hoss** · 10-18-2014, 07:01 AM

Beautiful example do the bolt and receiver numbers match? the wood grain is outstanding my first German W1 rifle was a 98a from an old Gent in ManchesterUK when I was a young kid, a superior had smashed off the rear safety housing and lever with a hammer then handed it back to take home. I loved it hung on my bedroom wall for years.

Eric

**HARRY THE MOLE** · 10-18-2014, 09:31 AM

You are unlikely to find a regimental disc on a 1916 dated rifle. They were no longer fitted by then, and had been replaced with a bolt stripping aid - the washer you see passing through the stock. My own example is a 1902 Danzig-made rifle which does have the marker. And it was issued to the 29th infantry regiment which were part of the German 7th army at the battle of the Marne in August 1914. That is lovely woodwork on your friends example!

**Haw1936** · 10-24-2014, 02:39 AM

Here are some pictures showing markings on the stock (not real clear) that I took today. This same marking is on the butt plate, but not very visible in the pictures.

I have several more pictures of the rifle, but too many to post at this time.

Is there a place to list rifles like this to sell?

Also, the friend gave me two bayonets from either WWI or II which I thought might fit my M1 Garand. I think they will fit the WWI USA rifle. Here is a picture of them.