Description
One of only 99,265 made by ERFURTER MACHINENFABRIK (ERMA) in 1937!
This is one of the lowest number of K98k’s made in any one year by any factory & according to page 268 of Richard Law’s bible ‘Backbone of the Wehrmacht’ means this rifle represents just 0.7% of total K98k production!
Recently imported from the US & for the 1st time offered for sale in Australia is this fine example of a highly desirable 1937 ERMA made Kar98k which has all of the correct ’77’ & ‘280’ Waffenamts & correctly marked S/27 over 1937. S/27 was the secret squirrel code the Nazi’s used to try to hide production data from the Allied Inspectors in the lead up to WW2.
This rifle sports matching numbers on the barrel, receiver, front sight, full rear sight, magazine follower, floor plate (inc. all capture screws) & complete bolt. The front barrel band is unnumbered & only the rear band is a different number.
The fact that this rifle remained in this great condition with the correct flat butt plate stock which is laminated where most were solid & almost fully matching is a great find for the knowledgeable collector.
For the serious collector who knows what this is, this very desirable example of a hard to find very early production Kar98k German service rifle manufactured by a manufacturer known for producing a very small number of Kar98k’s before shifting to manufacturing machine pistols such as the MP38 & MP40 is offered for sale.
Pre-war K98’s are highly valued by serious collectors as these were all of the highest quality plus the attrition rate along with the relatively few manufactured (especially by ERMA) makes this a very collectable rifle.
If you collect K98 rifles you will know this is one of the hardest ones to get & you should not pass it up.
It looks all correct & sports a correct stock with the correct flat butt plate with all milled parts & all of the correct markings where you would expect to find them. It presents as original & is in great condition as can be seen in the photos with the wood very good with the expected marks from 8 years of solid service & it has a very good amount of the original blue still present. The bore is excellent, so definitely a shooter.
There is a rebate on the underside of the butt for what may well be a post war sling mount which can easily be repaired & evidence of a historical repair on the wrist (see photos) which is as solid as you would expect having mostly likely have been done by the unit Armourer. There is absolutely no movement & in our opinion this just adds character with no risk if the rifle was to be shot.
This is a fantastic example of a hard to obtain early K98k rifle in this great original condition so don’t delay if you are a serious collector or think this is for you.
This bears all the hallmarks of being a captured war trophy, taken back to the US by a returning GI. The fact that this has a matching bolt supports this, as it is known that all rifles which were surrendered at the end of hostilities were put in a pile with removed bolts in another pile. As was their way, all who wanted a souvenir were told ‘take a rifle & a find a bolt.’
Supporting this is the fact there is no US import mark anywhere which would be the case if it were imported into the US post war.
Do your own research & you will see that this great example of a hard to find Kar98k which would make an excellent addition to any serious Mauser collection or a damn great start to one.
We are offering this rifle as a collectable piece of military history & acknowledge the grievous atrocities committed by the Nazi regime & some of its military, particularly toward the peoples of occupied territory & the Jewish population in Europe. In no way do we condone or glorify the Nazi regime which must be remembered for the vile stain on human history that it was.
These are the only photos at this time so please view them carefully as they form the main description & override all written information. You can wait for more & take the chance it will be sold (which history shows it will be) or make your decision based on what you see & be the lucky one who adds this outstanding & rare Kar98k to their collection.
Whilst we check these out for serviceability, the warranty has expired & these are sold on an as is basis.
As with all used guns, we recommend you have this checked by a suitably qualified person prior to shooting.
Call for shipping cost to your dealer.
