[Stan61]

I wonder if it is a Chinese barreled action that came in with all of the imports from China? It could have been assembled into a stock either by the importer or sold as a barreled action and assembled by the buyer. I think 1930 was the first year that FN had a contract with China for rifles & carbines, all of which were intermediate length actions. Could it have been for one of the law enforcement agencies in the International Settelment at Shanghai?
Dan

All possible for sure! Sometimes trying to figure out the exact origins of these things is an impossible task. Throw in reworks, importer fabrications and Bubba into the equation can muddy it all up. Finding out what NSK is would be the big clue!

 

[Cleo45]

The Chinese connection seems to be the most likely Dan, although if memory serves (not always my best friend!), Vandelinden indicates that the oldest documented Chinese contract M24s were 1931 dated? I am away from my refs so I am by no means certain of that date. Regardless, the font used on the "1930" stamp is identical in size and font to the later Chinese dated M24s. And Vanderlinden definitely mentions that FN built small lots of M24s for police/paramilitary organizations.

 

[scandiknivars]

Correct the first Chinese contract was in 1931 for Model 1924 rifles. However I was thinking of security forces supplies by the various European powers that inhabited the International Settlement in Shanghai. Also I think the custom force at the port were led by European officers. Those contracts would probably have been funneled through the FN agent there and could have been earlier. I had initially thought it might be Estonian or Lithuanian but their orders were later and for Model 1930 rifles. The only other country I can think of that ordered Model 1924 rifles other than the Serbs, Croates, & Slovens was Abyssinia and it has no "Lion of Juda" inspection mark that I can see. I would be curious to know if it is import marked on the barrel. I guess we need to wait until the OP receives the rifle and we can get better pictures and more detail. It's an interesting rifle for sure.
Dan

 

[Cleo45]

Very possible this went to China before the larger 1931 and later shipments. Just got to find out what NSK means now!

The barrel is import stamps (8mm M98 Germany and CAI St Alb Vt so Century was imported this rifle at some point.

 

[FIB48]

Not 100% correct, but import mark suggests there is possibility it came out of China.

 

[Cleo45]

Just made contact with the guy who runs the mausercn blogspot you linked above (is that you FIB48?) and he made a good point: the rifle appears to be in far better shape than most rifles that went to China and returned, particularly given the early date of manufacture and what would have been a long residence in China.

 

[scandiknivars]

I was trolling though old posts looking for something else when I ran across this post dealing with an FN 1924 with no side rail address but a 1930 date on the receiver with similair letters below the date. It's an interesting read and there are some comments by John Wall.

Unusual FN Model 1924 - Chinese?

I attach a series of pictures of a rifle I purchased at a gun show last summer. It is clearly an FN Model 1924 with lots of Belgian proof marks (including the B. Blindee, "PV" and Liege marks). However it lacks the usual "Fabrique Nationale" stamping on the left side of the action (it does not...

www.gunboards.com

Dan

 

[Cleo45]

Thanks Dan, great find! I had not thought of searching for MSK or HSK but will give that a try as well.

The fact that the thread you found suggests the first letter on the receiver might be a reversed "N" screams of Chinese fakery. Unfortunately, the 2009 thread no longer has the photos attached. Do you know of any way to get access to those photos, if they are archived at all? I might drop this question on the Site Help Forum to see if they still exist. I also dropped a PM with the link to this thread to ABMausers, who started the 2009 thread, to see if that person is still active on Gunboards.

Two steps forward, one back, but I think we are making some progress!

 

[Cleo45]

The NSK marked FN 24 has arrived and after taking a load of new pics, I have come to some conclusions (supported by some of the attached images):

Barrel: The barrel is a replacement as it does not share the corrosion seen on the receiver and its sports an unmatched serial number and Serbian Cyrillic stamp adjacent to the serial number (looks like a backwards 7 in pic below). It was FN proofed with an inspector whose stamp was * over P. Multiple sources state that Adolphe Delcommune, the * over P inspector who stamped it, only worked at FN from 1952 to 1960. Either there is another inspector that used the *P stamp in the 1920-1940 period (other examples of this have been documented), or the barrel was made during FN’s post-war M30 production and fitted to the NSK receiver at some later date. Question: will an FN M24 receiver accept a barrel made for a post-war FN M30 rifle?

Receiver: Receiver appears to be a genuine FN-built Model 24 receiver, properly proof stamped and built 1928 or later (see * over O stamp). No sign it was ever blued, corrosion below wood line is similar to other Chinese FN 24s I have seen, but note there is no such corrosion on the barrel. Lack of FN side rail stamp is unexplained but I see no indication it was scrubbed. The font used for the “1930” stamp on the receiver is identical to that used by FN on their Chinese contract Mausers. While Vanderlinden (FN Mauser Rifles, page 289) says the earliest observe Chinese contract rifles were dates 1931, Ball (Mauser Military Rifles of the World, page 86) indicates FN supplied 24,000 M24 and M30 Mausers to China from 1930 to 1934. So the 1930 date on this rifle could indicate it was part of the first year of Chinese production. Sadly, the N.S.K stamp remains a mystery but if the rifle was Chinese issue, it may have something to do with the Kuomintang (Nationalist) party, led by Chiang Kai-shek. Question: what other FN foreign contracts resulted in only the manufacture year being stamped on the receiver?

Bolt: The bolt looks to be a genuine FN M24 bolt, built in 1928 or later (see * over G stamp) and not matched to the receiver. The lack of Serbian Cyrillic letters on the bolt suggests the bolt was manufactured for a contract other than the one for the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.

Trigger Guard Assembly: the trigger guard housing serial number matches the receiver serial number, suggesting the trigger guard housing was FN made and matched to the receiver on production. The trigger itself bears a Serbian Cyrillic stamp, suggesting derivation during the FN contract with the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes that started in the 1920s. Some other parts look to be FN stamped or possibly derived from post-War M48 production.

Stock: the stock is clearly a Yugoslavian stock dating from the reign of Serbian King Peter II (1934 to 1945). The stock, hand guard, barrel bands and butt plate are matched to themselves but nothing else. The rest of the stock furniture is of inconclusive origin.

Current Final Conclusion: The receiver and trigger guard assembly were part of a foreign M24 contract dated 1930. The condition of the N.S.K letters comapred to the 1930 stamp suggests they were done at the same time. The original barrel, bolt and stock on this 1930 dated rifle are long gone. At some point in time either before or after its original service, the barrel, stock and bolt were replaced with their current items. This refurb could have occurred before or after import to the US by CAI. Surviving CAI records may or may not be able to clarify what condition the rifle was in when it arrived.

I really need to hear from other NSK rifle owners to find out how their examples differ and what other pieces of evidence they might have that can answer the NSK question.

 

[scandiknivars]

Interesting and thought provoking to say the least.
Dan

 

[Cleo45]

Just noticed another NSK carbine with FN markings is listed for auction at Rock Island (Three European Military Mauser Bolt Action Rifles | Rock Island Auction)

Missing some parts but is crested the same as my 1930 NSK carbine. Numbers match on the bolt, floor plate and triggerguard, other parts unnumbered. The bolt handle number was deformed when the handle was reshaped (ruined!). The entire rear sight assembly is absent allowing you to see the top of the barrel through the hole in hand guard. Also looks like it has been reblued at some point and the stock has been sanded and refinished.

But other than the period after the "K", the crest on the carbine on RIA looks like the same font and size as mine. No closer to answering who made these and for whom but we now know of at least three of them out there

 

[DocAV]

Just a suggestion out of left field:
N.S.K. : NIPPON S***** KAISHA
Japanese Trading Company supplying Chinese Warlords ( North Eastern China) in 1930s.

There were several Japanese Overseas Trading Companies distributing Small Arms in China and elsewhere in the Interwar Period.
Much like ALFA & AKAH in Germany before WWI.

DocAV

 

[Cleo45]

Thanks Doc, I will follow up on that. I was hoping the NSK meant something like that. I will let everyone know what I can dig up.

 

[Stan61]

Yes interesting possibility on NSK. It is very possible that somebody may have later assembled such an action with some available Yugoslav M1924 stock, etc. to build a complete rifle as those parts would swap. That could explain the parts seemingly unrelated to the original rifle.

 

[Cleo45]

I have limited info on 2 other NSKs, one is just a receiver but the one I opened this thread on and the one at RIA likely have stocks that are not original. Maybe they were rode hard and put away wet so the metal was pulled and tansplanted into better wood?