[hoosier8]

I have a DOT 1944 all matching numbers 54XX aj, except bayonet and scabbard. It looks to be a duffle cut. No import markings and nothing peened. No number on receiver (normal I think for some DOTs) but number on barrel Wa63 marking on top of reciever and two on right side. Mod 98 and eagle on left side. Barrel has eagle on left side and DOT shield 13 with sn 54xx aj and wa63 on top. It also has EJ in large letters. It has a 12.5" cleaning rod and e marked bayonet lug. The stock is laminated with DOT on bottom and eagle and large H on right side and the SN stamped in the channel and looks like red glue. The barrel lands look immaculate. The trigger guard is marked B inside with an eagle 135 on the outside. Looks like phosphate finish, dark. It has an original sling.

The odd marking is a very crude number electro penciled by hand on the bolt under the extractor and looks like the same number that has been ground off the left side of the rear sight base (I can just make out the faint outline of the last two numbers). The number is W0025595.

Three things:

Any ideas on the electric pencil number?

What would the large E J stamped in the barrel mean?

Any idea how much it is worth.

Thanks,

 

[Kursk]

sounds promising. can you post photos of the electro pencil?

 

[hoosier8]

Tomorrow, going to bed now. LOL

 

[hoosier8]

Here is a pic of the bolt etching. The sight picture isn't great and I can't capture what looks like the last 5 in the number but it is left of the mark on the right and is as crude as the bolt etching. You can see where it has been ground all the way across.

 

[Kursk]

i have no idea why that bolt would be marked that way. others will chime in i am sure. anyway it looks like a pretty nice rifle so maybe you could post a bunch of pics of it?

 

[hoosier8]

More Pics. Some things I am not sure about. The upper guard is not laminated. Were they? There are no markings on the butt cup. I also included a pick of the sling plate and have no idea if it is an original or not. It may have been added later like the miss-matched bayonet. The Bayo has a different number on the sheath and the blade so it was probably purchased just to have one with the rifle.

 

[hoosier8]

More Pics. My picture of the SN in the stock channel is hard to see but matches the numbers. I did not include a pic of the "cocking disk???" at the end of the bolt because the pic did not come out but it matches also.

 

[ditch68]

Nice rifle, thanks for posting.

The EP numbers are odd, I can't give you any guidance there.

The handguard should be laminate, but walnut could maybe be original, I suppose. Is it dot marked?

I'm not sure I like the serial on the upper band, but I don't have my photo bank with me to compare. Can you get a clearer shot of the other band?

The EJ on the barrel is a steel batch code from the barrel maker.

Jeff

 

[hoosier8]

Last Picture.

 

[CapnJohn]

WWW.YCGG.ORG, UNDER ARTICLES

http://mauser98k.internetdsl.pl/indexen.html


http://www.archive.org/details/Training_vid

disassembly instructions read the following...
http://surplusrifle.com/mauser98k/index.asp

http://home.scarlet.be/p.colmant/german-codes.htm

http://www.radix.net/~bbrown/codes_full.html

 

[Bill In Indiana]

I agree with ditch...the front band looks WRONG....numbering is off, and the condition of the band compared to the rest of the rifle. I suspect this rifle was restored. Most likely the front band was lost as duffle cuts often make the front loose and bands and the retaining spring can pop off and get lost. Looks like this is what happened and somebody added a new band and numbered it IMHO.

 

[Turbo Archie]

Over all nice rifle!!


The stock has been cleaned and I'm with Ditch in that I think the front band was lost due to the duffle cut and has been replaced.


I also think the handguard is lam..

..

 

[hoosier8]

Looking closely at the band, I am beginning to think it was scrubbed. It does not have the flaws the other side has and you can see the different color above and below the number that may not show on the pic. I bought this as an all matching bringback at a local small gun shop. I don't want to embarrass myself and say how much so any valuation will help either ease my mind or make me decide to take it back and complain.

 

[touhy]

agree front band numbers wrong. Look at the 4. Also different finish on front band. Rear band good.

Are you sure handgaurd is not laminated? Looks like white glue laminate in my little iPhone screen.

 

[Kursk]

the 4 on the front band is definately a different font than the rear band. i also think the stock could have been stripped at one point. why? i stripped a m24/47 stock one time that was heavily saturated in cosmo. it left greyish dark spots in dings and cuts, etc. of the stock. it almost looks like the same happened with this stock. the contrast of a chemically treated stock usually is a tattle tale. it is a nice rifle though.

if you look at the weld beads on the front band and compare the numbered side to the other side, you can definately see where it was ground. looks pretty obvious now?

 

[hoosier8]

The top handguard is the second to the last pic in the second set and it I do not see the layers that the red glue stock has. It also does not have a stamped number like the lower stock and when I took it apart, it looks like it might possibly have had something red shellac like, very small amounts on the edges. Maybe you can see it on the lower right area of the inner upper hand guard.

Thanks everyone for your help.

Edit, after looking closely I think the upper guard is laminated.

 

[anttom]

Nice Find

The fact that it was duffle bag cut and repaired with a replacement front band that was renumbered does not detract that much from an over all original matching nice dot 44. The stock cleaning was not done poorly. I think the E.P. numbers were placed there by a previous owner to identify the rifle in his collection, or better yet by the vet it was a bringback for to do the same, but this is pure speculation on my part. I would think that you have an $850.00 investment.

 

[hoosier8]

I don't have a way to gauge the barrel and have not slugged it but here is an enhanced picture of the muzzle. The crown looks real shiny in the picture only because of the contrast and level. The lands come to the end and look fairly crisp. I have no idea how many rounds have been through this.

There is also some pencil marking under the butt cup on the stock that I cannot make out. The inside of the butt cup has red paint worn off, some left on the stock.

 

[Turbo Archie]

Is the handguard numbered and matching??




..

 

[RayG_Wisconsin]

Just for infomation, there are a number of rifles in the same serial number range of au were the 2nd number on the front band was mis-stamped. I have a DOT, 7679au that all numbers match except the 6 on the front band is stamped an 8 and the 8 is out of line (above the other numbers). Another forum member advised me that he has a rifle also in the same month serial number range as mine and the 2nd number on his band is mis-stamped also. He said he knows of a couple of other rifles in that range that are stamped the same way. It appears that there may have been a malfunction with the stamping machine at the factory during that number series were the numbers weren't indexing correctly. This rifle is also in the same serial number range of the rifles having the wrong 2nd number and it appears the mis-stamped 2nd number may have removed and the proper number added.
Ray