Description
Item Description
Bryant Ridge Auction Company is pleased to present this collectible bolt-action rifle today; this is the German Gewehr 98 Reworked as a Short Rail Sniper Rifle!
This extremely rare Gewehr 98 has been converted to a Short Siderail Sniper Rifle and bears the "SS" mark and the "death head" stamp.
This extremely rare Gewehr 98 has been converted to a Short Siderail Sniper Rifle and bears the "SS" mark and the "death head" stamp.
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SPECIFICATIONS:
Manufacturer: German
Model: Gewehr 98 Reworked to a Short Siderail Sniper Rifle
Serial: 4911
Caliber: 7.92×57mm Mauser (8mm Mauser)
Finish: Blue
Barrel Length: 23.62"
Optics/Sights: Open-Pointed-Post-Type (Barlycorn) Front with Tangent Leaf with V-Notch Rear
Stock/Grips: Smooth Hardwood
Action: Bolt
Markings: Features multiple German proof marks. The left side of the barrel shows the serial number and "SS2 Totenkopf" stamp. The top of the barrel is stamped "660 20 38 BO". The pistol grip is stamped with a skull.
Bryant Ridge's Analysis:
We gladly offer a 3 day unfired inspection policy from the time that the firearm is delivered to your FFL. Refunds are available for all qualifying orders.
Model: Gewehr 98 Reworked to a Short Siderail Sniper Rifle
Serial: 4911
Caliber: 7.92×57mm Mauser (8mm Mauser)
Finish: Blue
Barrel Length: 23.62"
Optics/Sights: Open-Pointed-Post-Type (Barlycorn) Front with Tangent Leaf with V-Notch Rear
Stock/Grips: Smooth Hardwood
Action: Bolt
Markings: Features multiple German proof marks. The left side of the barrel shows the serial number and "SS2 Totenkopf" stamp. The top of the barrel is stamped "660 20 38 BO". The pistol grip is stamped with a skull.
Bryant Ridge's Analysis:
The Gewehr 98, also known as G98, Gew 98, or M98, is a bolt-action rifle manufactured by Mauser for the German Empire. It served as the primary service rifle for the German Army from 1898 to 1935. The rifle's action used a 5-round stripper clip loaded with the 7.92×57mm Mauser cartridge. The Gewehr 98 action improved several bolt-action engineering concepts, which were later adopted by other countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan. The rifle replaced the Gewehr 1888 as Germany's primary service rifle and was first used in combat during the Chinese Boxer Rebellion. During World War I, it served as the primary German infantry service rifle. The Ottoman Empire and Nationalist Spain also used the Gewehr 98. It was later replaced by the Karabiner 98k, a carbine version that used the same design and was used by the Wehrmacht under the German Reich from 1935 to 1945.
Totenkopf (literally "dead person's head") is the German word for skull. The word is often used to denote a symbolic, graphic, or sculptural symbol, common in Western culture, representing a human skull- usually frontal, more rarely in profile with or without the mandible. Other human skeletal parts may be added in some cases, often including two crossed long bones (femurs) depicted below or behind the skull. The human skull is an internationally used symbol for death, the defiance of death, danger, or the dead, as well as piracy or toxicity. In English, the term Totenkopf is commonly associated with 19th- and 20th-century German military use, particularly in the German Reich.
After the end of World War I, Germany started a secret system of rearmament called "Aufrüstung". They were quietly breaking the restrictions placed on them by the Allies at Versailles in 1919. This system was greatly expanded after the National Socialist German Workers' Party came to power in 1933. One small part of this was the limited issue of rifles equipped with telescopic sights, mostly left over from World War I. The SS, under Heinrich Himmler, were the only ones within the army who were actually trained to shoot to any sort of standard. In the mid-1930s, SS snipers began to be equipped with the first purpose-made sniper rifle to be adopted post-armistice, the Karabiner 98k, with a short side rail mount. However, due to the shortage of new K98k rifles, many reworked World War I-era Gewehr 98 and Karabiner 98a rifles were also being used. They had a steel rail attached to the left side of the receiver with three mounting screws and a lever-operated, quick-detach, U-shaped scope mount holding either a 4X Ajak, Hensoldt, Kahles, or Zeiss telescopic sight. These rifles began to be issued in early 1941 and were the first of a large number of sniper rifle variants to be subsequently fielded by Germany.
This rifle underwent factory rework by the Germans before World War II. It was originally a WWI Gewehr 98 but was transformed into a Short Siderail Sniper Rifle for WWII. The receiver features the correct early Gewehr 98 style and is marked with "0 2 7,9" on the receiver ring. The rifle was sent back to the factory for repair or overhaul, where it was fitted with a later pattern improved short side base and mount, and received a new barrel. The scope base has a screw pattern of three main screws with a top-bottom-top position locking screws. The barrel bears a "sig runes 2/Totenkopf" proof, which indicates that it was reissued by the second "SS" ordnance depot. Additionally, the intertwined "660 20 38 B0" maker marks and "eagle/WaA" proof are present on the barrel.
The owner believes, if memory serves correctly that this particular example has the "SSZZA4" markings under the barrel (which can be seen if the stock is removed.) However, we did not remove the stock to verify this. These rifles are mentioned in the book "Backbone of the Wehrmacht, The German K98K Rifle" by Richard D. Law, in chapter 7, page 297, with actual pictures depicting the marking shown in this rifle on page 301. The book also contains three pictures of the palm swell Totenkopf, which is found on this rifle, on page 306. According to the owner, this is one of seven vets' bringbacks that he procured from two brothers who had served in WWII almost 30 years ago. This particular rifle cost $2500 back then, and the owner claims that he has not seen another SS Sniper in his travels around the world, including 7 years of being stationed in Europe and visiting every WWII museum he could find. He believes that this rifle is a true "hen's tooth".
Return Policy:After the end of World War I, Germany started a secret system of rearmament called "Aufrüstung". They were quietly breaking the restrictions placed on them by the Allies at Versailles in 1919. This system was greatly expanded after the National Socialist German Workers' Party came to power in 1933. One small part of this was the limited issue of rifles equipped with telescopic sights, mostly left over from World War I. The SS, under Heinrich Himmler, were the only ones within the army who were actually trained to shoot to any sort of standard. In the mid-1930s, SS snipers began to be equipped with the first purpose-made sniper rifle to be adopted post-armistice, the Karabiner 98k, with a short side rail mount. However, due to the shortage of new K98k rifles, many reworked World War I-era Gewehr 98 and Karabiner 98a rifles were also being used. They had a steel rail attached to the left side of the receiver with three mounting screws and a lever-operated, quick-detach, U-shaped scope mount holding either a 4X Ajak, Hensoldt, Kahles, or Zeiss telescopic sight. These rifles began to be issued in early 1941 and were the first of a large number of sniper rifle variants to be subsequently fielded by Germany.
This rifle underwent factory rework by the Germans before World War II. It was originally a WWI Gewehr 98 but was transformed into a Short Siderail Sniper Rifle for WWII. The receiver features the correct early Gewehr 98 style and is marked with "0 2 7,9" on the receiver ring. The rifle was sent back to the factory for repair or overhaul, where it was fitted with a later pattern improved short side base and mount, and received a new barrel. The scope base has a screw pattern of three main screws with a top-bottom-top position locking screws. The barrel bears a "sig runes 2/Totenkopf" proof, which indicates that it was reissued by the second "SS" ordnance depot. Additionally, the intertwined "660 20 38 B0" maker marks and "eagle/WaA" proof are present on the barrel.
The owner believes, if memory serves correctly that this particular example has the "SSZZA4" markings under the barrel (which can be seen if the stock is removed.) However, we did not remove the stock to verify this. These rifles are mentioned in the book "Backbone of the Wehrmacht, The German K98K Rifle" by Richard D. Law, in chapter 7, page 297, with actual pictures depicting the marking shown in this rifle on page 301. The book also contains three pictures of the palm swell Totenkopf, which is found on this rifle, on page 306. According to the owner, this is one of seven vets' bringbacks that he procured from two brothers who had served in WWII almost 30 years ago. This particular rifle cost $2500 back then, and the owner claims that he has not seen another SS Sniper in his travels around the world, including 7 years of being stationed in Europe and visiting every WWII museum he could find. He believes that this rifle is a true "hen's tooth".
We gladly offer a 3 day unfired inspection policy from the time that the firearm is delivered to your FFL. Refunds are available for all qualifying orders.
Shipping Details
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Return Policy
We gladly offer a 3 day unfired inspection policy from the time that the firearm is delivered to your FFL. Refunds are available for all qualifying orders.
Additional Details
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