From the October 1999 issue, pages 272 - 273.

BY MARION MERICLE

The first rifle is a GEW-91 artillery rifle. This is the same as the KAR-88 cavalry carbine with a nosecap stacking hook (similar to the KAR-98a of WWI). At the 12-12-98 North Atlanta trade center gun show, almost at the end of my walk through that I do before the public comes in, I saw what looked like a KAR-88 German Carbine. I started to go on by but something said Marion go back and look. I went and picked it up and saw the GEW 91 on the left rail. The stacking hook had been ground off but other wise the rifle is complete, with the bore shot out (dark). The man had a price of $265.000 on it and he took the $250.00 1 offered him. The reason I did not look at it at first (and I later talked to others that had seen it before me that said the same thing) is that with the stacking hook missing I thought it was a KAR 88 carbine, not the ultra rare GEW 91. This is the first GEW 91 I have ever seen. The stacking hook can be fixed by: heliarc welding a cut off KAR.98a hook on, grinding and rebrowning. The rifle is an Erfurt 1891, serial #7958 (no letter), which makes it very early first production according to John Walter's book "The German Rifle." On page 94 he says, "The majority of GEW.91's were manufactured in Suhl by a handful of private contractors." Erfurt, the carbine specialist, must have developed the GEW.91 rifle and made a trial run. Everything is matching except the bolt, lower band, and upper band. On the left side of the buttstock behind the sling slot is a marking disk hole filled in with wood that looks as old as the stock.

The second rifle is a M-71 Jaeger rifle. At the 12-19-98 Lawrenceville Ga. gun show a fellow dealer, Bobby O., had this rifle on his table before the show opened for $750.00 and I purchased it as I have seen only one other M-71 Jaeger rifle 16 years earlier at the old Atlanta Lakewood Fairgrounds gun show. The rifle is marked "OESTERR. WAFFFB. GES." (STEYR) 1874 serial #5236 (no letter.). It is all matching (with matching bolt body) except for the cocking piece, safety and firing pin nut. The lower swivel stud is broken off in the buttstock and the lower band has the swivel base ground off the lower band. (I can fix this by tig welding also.) Now for some details on this rifle. All the M-71 Jaeger rifles I have read or heard about are marked on the left receiver rail "J. G. MOD. 7l." This rifle is marked "B. MOD. 71." There is no question about the very clear Gothic "B." I am going to take a shot on this very early production M-71 Jaeger rifle and call this a Buchse (rifle) Model 1871. The reason I say this is that the special rifle the Jaeger troops used before the Issue of the M-71 Jaeger rifle was the Zundelbuche Mod.65: (the needle fire rifle 1865) probably after a small number of Jaeger M-71 rifles were made the designation was changed to J. G. Mod.71. While on the subject of early issue Jaeger rifles in Walter's book on page 63 is stated: "The first production rifle was displayed before the Kaiser on 22 March 1875"and "the weapon was adopted on 18 January 1876." This rifle is dated 1874 twice on the right back of the split bridge, (manf. and issue dates.) This is an early Jager rifle indeed. The rifle has an almost perfect bore and has more clear cartouches on the wood that I have ever seen on a German rifle. A couple of interesting things about this rifle is: the cleaning rod has a steel tip not a brass one like most M-71's I have seen and heard about. The most interesting thing about this rifle is: on the right buttstock is stamped horizontal, in five lines: "Kriegerkameradschaft Falkenstein Von Kamerad Generalarzt, Dr. Papenhausen 23.4.1933." This is hand stamped but very professionally done. I guess this old rifle at this late date, 1933, must have been presented to someone on retirement from the German armed forces. I can't figure it all out so if some members can translate it, please do so.

The third rifle was: a standard M-71 rifle, I purchased this rifle from Larry Eisel, through the 1-99 "M.R.J." for $305.00 delivered and a fine rifle it is, thanks Larry. The rifle is: Amberg 1875 serial #27926. In Walter's book on page 53 he said "no M1871 rifles were made in Barvaria (Amberg) until 1877" of course this rifle is the 27,926th rifle in 1875. It is all matching except the bolt that matches itself. It has a very good bore and the cleaning rod also has a steel tip. On the top of the buttplate is the unit mark: "19.'L.I.4.9." the rifle is complete in all respects. Amberg M-71's are hard to find. This is it, none are for sale of course, and if any members have questions or comments let me know.