Welcome to the forum!

There are actually three types of buttplates: flat, cupped, and cupped with a hole (Kriegsmodell). Flat buttplates were discontinued late in 1940 and cupped buttplates were introduced to prevent delaminating of the buttstock.

Collectors lean towards correctness rather than style. Earlier rifles should have flat buttplates, 1941 and later should have cupped buttplates. Late in the war the bolt takedown disk was deleted from the buttstock and a throught-hole was added to the cupped buttplate to serve the same purpose.

By the way, if you have specific K98 questions there is a separate forum just for the K98 http://forums.gunboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=6

 

Welcome to the forum!

There are actually three types of buttplates: flat, cupped, and cupped with a hole (Kriegsmodell). Flat buttplates were discontinued late in 1940 and cupped buttplates were introduced to prevent delaminating of the buttstock.

Collectors lean towards correctness rather than style. Earlier rifles should have flat buttplates, 1941 and later should have cupped buttplates. Late in the war the bolt takedown disk was deleted from the buttstock and a throught-hole was added to the cupped buttplate to serve the same purpose.

By the way, if you have specific K98 questions there is a separate forum just for the K98 The K98 Mauser Forum

You forgot about the sniper variant butt plates.

 

Quote: "Would a flat plate style ever have been replaced on a stock with a cup style?"
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No. The flat butt plate will not work on a stock that originally had a cupped plate. The stock made for a cupped plate is recessed for the lip of the cupped butt plate.

 

Thanks for the info. I have a K98k "duv 41" on the receiver with "1820" on the receiver and stock only--all other numbers are completely different--probably one of those "Russian captures". The butt plate is the flat type, so it may be one of the last K98ks with this buttplate design? I've got some more questions that I will post in the K98 forum.

 

Your rifle is a "Russian Capture". Just as with the other parts, the stock came from a different rifle. The number stamped on the left side of the buttstock was stamped by the Soviets after the rifle was rebuilt. There might be a number stamped inside the barrel channel of the stock or on the bottom of the stock, and inside the handguard. Those are the original Nazi numbers.

 

Sure enough! I just looked at the inside of the stock in the barrel channel and it reads: 9268 Bo 5 30 39 The "B" may actually be a "D"; it's hard to make out.
Those last numbers aren't the date of the stock, are they? Don't the Europeans reverse their day/month numbers versus from American method? So, this 1941 rifle should have a cupped buttstock, not the flat plate one that Ivan put on it, right?

 

Sure enough! I just looked at the inside of the stock in the barrel channel and it reads: 9268 Bo 5 30 39 The "B" may actually be a "D"; it's hard to make out.
Those last numbers aren't the date of the stock, are they?

Yes they are. 1939 stock.

 

Depends on WHEN in 41 it was made.
I have an all matched 41DUV with a flat buttplate but it was made early in 41.
Later in 41 they switched to cupped...
If your serial number lacks a letter suffix then it would be SUPER early and therefore need a flat buttplate stock.

 

Ditto chasdev.

Even though a design change is supposed to take effect at a certain time, parts that have already been fabricated and in stock at the time must be used up first. Hence the early year rifles may still have the order designed parts. The 1938 "S-series" rifles are a good example of this. Hitler ordered the dropping of the S/ from the code on the receiver rings of rifles at the beginning of 1938. However, the rifles made in the early part of 1938 still had the S/ in the code since the receivers had already been made up.

Mike

 

Did they serialise butplates?

 

My DUV41 has the serial number on the buttplate.

 

The 39 does reprsent the year 1939, however the first numbers are for #5 machine/operator and 30th week of the year, not May 30th. Sometimes the first two numbers will run to-gether, as in 530 39. These codes are usually found under the butt plate, ocassionally in barrel channel.

 

the only cupped Ive seen serialized are from '41, flat? not sure. most ive seen are.

 

Cupped butt plates came into use in 1940. They were phased in over time by the different factories, but by 41 most should be cupped.
Original flat butt plates should all be ser nr'd. The cupped were numbered into 1942, but this had stopped before 1943.
The east German rebuilds will have the nr on the butt plate.
Sarge

 

Cupped butt plates came into use in 1940. They were phased in over time by the different factories, but by 41 most should be cupped.
Original flat butt plates should all be ser nr'd. The cupped were numbered into 1942, but this had stopped before 1943.
The east German rebuilds will have the nr on the butt plate.
Sarge

Hello, I just joined the forum looking for information about my K98 and reading this made me go back to double check my rifle, it’s a 1943 with a flat butt plate matching my rifle numbers. Is this common or I have a unicorn ? Please let me know how is this possible, thanks in advance and regards.

 

Like Sarge said, the transition was not immediate and some makers kept using flat buttplates into 1942. Some early letter block duv 41's have a flat buttplate.

 

 

Pictures of the numbering on the rifle and stock will confirm.

 

 

Having trouble seeing pics. Only one visible is the top of the receiver.
Need pics of left side of receiver and barrel, as well as any numbering on stock and bands.

 

Having trouble seeing pics. Only one visible is the top of the receiver.
Need pics of left side of receiver and barrel, as well as any numbering on stock and bands.

 

Only seeing the pic of the buttplate.

 

I listed 6 pics, I can see them, I’ll try again, it’s all matching numbers, CE 43, thanks.

 

Really hard to see in the photo, but the buttplate s/n looks like it was stamped over a different number. Also, the recoil lug looks to have a WaA655, which would be correct for a 1940 or so Mauser Oberndorf stock. It may POSSIBLY be an earlier salvaged stock used for a repair. I'm not well versed in depot or field repairs to say for certain. There are some other concerns on your rifle with the bolt s/n, and the use of an "H" style upper band still in 43. I would expect a closed milled or stamped upper band by then.

 

Thank you very much for your response, it might be my lack II knowledge about this rifle in general but I still don’t know where I’m standing with this rifle. Is a matching numbers 1943 CE rifle or a Frankenstein ? Thanks again.

 

Wrong font on receiver serial. Bolt appears to be faked as well.

 

When you say “fake” that means somebody made the marks and not the factory ?

 

Well, to be specific, somebody did the numbering at the factory, but the numbering on the pictured rifle was not done at the factory, but was done by somebody.
In my opinion, and based off quick research on known examples of 1943 Sauer built 98k rifles.

 

Thanks for the info.