S42

Little info please? (First of all the firewall is down here at school so its already a good day) What exactly does S42 mean? I have a DWM 1917 Mod 98 that has S42 on right side of the receiver at the distance of the front sight. How does this fit with the Luger S42?


Roadkill

[Johnny Peppers]

S/42, along with 42 and byf, was the manufacturer code for Mauser. Among other things,Mauser also made K98k rifles and made replacement parts for both the K98k and P08. Not sure that I understand where the S/42 is on your G98, but many reworked G98's are found with Mauser marked parts.

If you look at the gun profile from the side with the bolt handle facing you the S42 is located underneath the REAR sight(sorry)right at the stock line. And its a Mod 98. Sorry for the confusion. My mistake.


Roadkill

Your rifle was modified by Mauser sometime between 1934 and 1938 by changing the old style "Lange" rear sight with the k98k style tangent rear sight. If you look close around the S/42 marking I think you will find either a "K", "G" or "1936" mark which of course represents the year of the modification (K=1934, G=1935). These rifles were from stocks of hidden arms that were brought into the light of day after Hitler gained power (the legit/Versailles tracked arms were all converted to 98b configuration much earlier in the 1920's and would also be 1920 "double date" stamped. I have for a long time felt that these mid-30's conversions were arms that were siezed from the SA in the Summer of 1934 (177,000 rifles reported).

Sir,


Thanks for the info, makes sense. I have a gentleman who visits occasionally who was in the Luftwaffe in the war time. He clearly stated that his "basic tng" was with a Mod 98.

Roadkill

I should add that these rifles were originally referred to as Gewehr 98 (Gew 98) regardless of how they are marked on the left receiver side. Many of these modified Gew were sent/sold? to Spain to assist Franco in the 1936 Civil War. They were also used extensively by the early Luftwaffe, Navy, and SS. It was not until at least 1942 before they were completley ( and this was not really absolute) replaced in all front line combat units. Many of these rifles were given to German satelite nations during WWII and many others were used at the end of the war by the Volkstrum units. Quite a few have been imported both by Interarms in the 50's -60's and then in the 90's out of Eastern Europe. They are not widley understood or appreciated however one would be hardpressed to find a military arm of any nation and any era that has been thru hands of history to the degree of these modified G-98's.

So S42 on a Luger is a Mauser made pistol but on a Gew 98 means its a Mauser rework regardless of the firearms maker?

Was S42 used on any Lugers besides Mausers?

Roadkill

[Thor]

You find it on some barrels when a Luger was rebarreled by Mauser. ~Thor~

Just visited your web page. Excellent work on both the page and the firearms. I'm scouting an Erfurt 1918 in poor external condition that would be a candidate. He wants way too much for it but I haven't walked in with cash yet. I'll be better prepared than before when I go in.


RGG/Roadkill

[Thor]

Thank you very much! I just finished a P.38 and I am working on a PPK and the safety lever is fire blued like the originals! ~Thor~




http://boards.rennlist.com/upload/DSCN0003(22).JPG

Roadkill - Look onthe underside of your rear sight leaf to see if it has a G, K, or 1936.

Roger, will do. Going up to the arms room later, weather has school shut down, terrible that all I can do today is mess around with guns. I'll take the Gew 98 down and take it apart and see what I can find. Thor, is that the same fire bluing on the P 38 as was on the earlier 1911s ?

RGG/Roadkill

[Thor]

Don't know what was on the 1911s, the fire blue is the safety of the PPK, not P38. The grip screws, pins and some leaf springs on Lugers were also fire blued on early models. ~Thor~

I've only seen pictures of a few, ususally pre WWI 1911s,commercial models. If I remember thet were the safety lever, the take down pin and maybe the hammer. Very beautiful. The Gew 98 is a S/42G, has the Weimar eagle on underside of barrel with Do16, the o has the German "umlaut" pronunciation sign above it. I'm not sure I'd want to know the whole history of it. It definitely has seen a few shoot outs.


RGG/Roadkill