DWM Mauser Type C ????

[Penultimate]

I have added some pictures and edited this first submission accordingly. Axel E. kindly provided a reply before he could see these pictures I have added.

If my new rifle was marked "Obendorff", I would feel quite comfortable identifying it as a pre-war Type C Mauser. It is instead a DWM marked receiver. Given this, I would tag it as a very tidy post WWI field grade guild gun except for pre-1913 civilian proof marks and main features at a distance at least identical to three other "mystery mauser" examples chatted up on the web that I think are from the same production run. Mine makes an appearance-wise quadruplet (given the ravages of 100 years of modifications) that I would guess started out looking the same, all with a serial number of under 400. Mine is serialized #302 with pictures thumb nailed below and in added posts. Here is a link to pictures of one of its siblings, #388, for comparison which I include to let you know there are more like mine. You can probably find the other two by spending an hour or two googling.

http://parallaxscurioandrelicfirearm...7#.UoGG9HAjLg8

My rifle is different from the one shown in the following details:

1. Mine has a plain metal buttplate (which I think original) in lieu of #388's pad.
2. Mine lacks the added Lyman sight as seen on #388.
3. Mine has what looks to be the "standard" Type 3 Mauser 2-leaf express sight (marked 200 and 300) in place (where #388 displays an empty dovetail).
4. Mine lacks the serial number and "made in Germany" cartouche on the stock underside as shown on #388. This might be because "made in germany" makes sense only on a rifle exported to an English speaking country (and mine didn't go to one), or because my stock may have been refinished some time ago.
5. Although probably just luck of the draw, the stock on mine, while clearly original, has 100% tiger-stripe figure.

The front sight, stepped barrel, stock profile. grip AND forearm checkering pattern, double set trigger, associated bottom metal, proofs (including four dot diamond), marking, and mark positions on mine appear the same as shown at the link for #388.

Some of the web chatter related to this (#388) and the other siblings (which I think from the same production run) want to dismiss the examples as "guild" because DWM was exclusively military production. Other bits imply "Type C" were made up pretty much from whatever parts were available from where-ever, and that DWM examples are just "Type C" variations. An interesting "story" suggesting these were "Plezier" rifles, a very few of which were included with military shipments from DWM as "bribes" or "thank yous" for senior officers is also out there.

In any event, lightening has struck enough in pretty much the same place here for me to think DWM produced at least several hundred rifles like this (in 7X57 and maybe 8x57 chamberings), either to "Plezier" or because they had a small commercial market going.

Can anybody shed light?

I am curious how someone more expert than I might categorize my piece and thence value.

This first set of pictures gives a pretty good idea of general condition and appearance. A first-blush look suggest to me that DWM assembled this rifle (and probably a batch of like rifles) using mostly parts from the stream for the M1908 Brazilian contract. Barrel, front sight, bolt configuration, butt plate, etc. seem to me like they are from the "carbine" or "short rifle" configuration."

The rear sight has two leaves, the fixed marked "200" and the folding marked "300"

[Axel E]

Again, I can only repeat here what I wrote on nitroexpress forum on two other such DWM rifles, especially #388:
Though this rifle may look like a sporterized surplus military rifle, it is not. At the time it was proofed there were no "surplus" M98 rifles, as these were still state of the art military rifles.
The CROWN-crown/N proofmark shows it was civilian proofed according to the rule of July 23, 1893, using the special "4000 atm proof powder". This proof was in use mainly before 1912, though Zella-Mehlis apparently sometimes used up left-over powder up to 1922. IMHO this rifle was proofed before WW1.
In those innocent days around 1900 it was usual practice to include some sporting rifles in the military calibers into each shipment of military rifles to foreign countries. These were meant as "presents" to the decision-making officers. Mauser, Oberndorf sent C-type "Army Hunting Rifles", for example some in 7.65 mm for Argentinia, see Jon Speed's first book "Mauser-OOSR" page 111. Some South American military rifle contracts even demanded a number of sporting rifles to be sent with the military ones.
Ludwig Loewe/DWM also had sporters, the so-called "Plezier rifles" (Plezier is Dutch/Afrikaans for pleasure, fun or sport) built on left over M93 Spanish Mauser actions and shipped them, together with the military M95 7x57 Mausers, to the South African republics Orange Free State and Transvaal, where the sporters were not only used for hunting, but for shooting Brits too. These Plezier Mausers are now rare and sought-after collector items. All these rifles show civilian proofmarks.
IMHO this DWM made, civilian proofed sporter served as a present (or bribe) when it was shipped to a South American country. At least, it looks somewhat similar to a Mauser C-type with the military stepped barrel and front sight base. The commercial market was left to DWM's subsidiary Mauser, Oberndorf. Though DWM did not offer sporters to the public, they made several hundred such simple sporters at least, but not for sale.
Interesting to me on this rifle is the set trigger arrangement. The spring of the double set trigger is the long Mauser factory type, not the short V-type of the contemporary Suhl-made rifles. But the set trigger asembly is mounted into the triggerguard with a seperate housing, other than the Mauser commercial ones. The two small crosspins holding the housing are visible in one of the photos. The Magazine-triggerguard unit with hinged, button release floorplate apparently comes from either Argentine 1909 or Portuguese Vegueiro production, both are the same.
The load information "2.57 gramm Gewehrblättchenpulver = rifle flake powder / Stahlmantelgeschoss = steel jacketed bullet" is of the type used up to 1912, so this rifle was civilian proofed before.
IMHO the stock looks more like a pre-1912 Mauser B one instead of the usual "sporterized military" C type one. The red rubber recoil pad certainly is a later add-on, as is the Lyman #35 peep sight.
I am waiting for your photos to learn more about these rifles. At the moment I don't know the meaning of the "four circles" mark. Maybe it only served to obliterate a previous mark that would show the original destination of the part?

[Penultimate]

More pictures, I hope.

Here, hopefully, are more pictures.

These show details and markings as shown. "7" is present top dead center at the barrel base. The bottom side of the receiver is without marks.

[Penultimate]

Much to my surprise, this adding picture business works. Here is the last batch unless someone requests additional views.

Details on the front sight and sling band. The floor plate release seems designed for a cartridge nose applied to the rear side of the trigger guard. small mark floor plate in advance of hinge is "diamond" composed of four small circles as is well shown on #388. No "made in" marks are evident on stock on this rifle, but they might have been sanded off in some long ago refinish. If you look critically at top-front of the comb on this stock, you will see it has been imperfectly shortened about 1/4", perhaps to camoflage a "boo-boo" or to accommodate a big hand. Tiger striping on stock is really flashy/optically dynamic in the sun.

I can take pictures of interior details if anyone wishes.