German WW2 Ordnance Codes forMilitary Rifles
Mauser 98 Serial Number Location
Sweden adopted a Mauser carbine in 1894 and a Mauser rifle in 1896, both chambered for the 6.5x55 cartridge. Also in 1896, Germany experimented with Mausers of various calibers. I inherited a Mauser GEW 98 Erfurt 1916, serial number 5284 from my father. Everything looks to be original as I can research. Any other information I can provide to get some more details back. Thank you for your knowledge and help.
Mauser 98 Serial Number Locations
German WW2-era military rifles usually have markings on the receiver,barrel, rear sight, and stock, from which one can get some informationabout the history of the piece.
The top of the receiver (that part of the barrel into which the boltshoves the cartridge) usually has a 2- or 3-letter code with a numberbelow it. (Early codes were sometimes numerical or a combination ofletters and numbers.) The code indicates the manufacturer of thereceiver, and the number below the code is the year in which the part wasmade. Other markings are usually either proof marks (indicating that thebarrel was test fired with cartridges loaded with a larger charge ofgunpowder than normally used to ensure safety) or Waffenamt (ordnancedepartment) markings, indicated by the symbol of an eagle withoutstreached wings with the letters WaAxxx below, where xxx is a 2- or3-digit number indicating which Waffenamt accepted the piece.
The following table lists the ordnance codes found in Mauser BoltRifles by L. Olson (third edition, F. Brownell & Son, 1976, 12thprinting 1991). They can be used to get some historical information aboutyour particular rifle.
These codes may apply to German pistols of the same era, but I have noinformation about that.
As always, I'm not responsible for any inaccuracies in Olson's data, justfor the transcription. Please report any errors to me.
Mauser Gewehr 98 Serial Numbers
| Code | Manufacturer |
|---|---|
| ar | Mauser-Werke AG,Werk Borsigwalde, Berlin-Borsigwalde, Eichborndamm |
| ax | FeinmechanischeWerke GmbH, Erfurt, Altonaerstr. 25 |
| bcd | Gustloff Werke,Werk Wiemar, Weimar |
| bcd/ar | Dual code;denotes manufacture jointly by Gustloff Werke in Weimar, and Mauser-WerkeAG, Berlin |
| bnz | Steyr-Daimler-Puch AG, Werk Steyr, Steyr, Austria |
| byf | Mauser-Werke AG,Oberndorf a./N |
| ce | J.P. Sauer & Sohn,Suhl |
| dot | WaffenwerkeBruenn AG, Brno, Czechoslovakia |
| dou | WaffenwerkeBruenn AG, Werk Bystrica |
| duv | Berlin-LuebeckerMaschinenfabriken, Werk Luebeck |
| svw | Late code forMauser-Werke AG, Oberndorf a./N |
| swp | Late code forWaffenwerke Bruenn AG, Brno, Czechoslovakia |
| S/27 | ErfurterMaschinenfabrik (ERMA); came under same management as FeinmechanischeWerke GmbH |
| S/27G | ErfurterMaschinenfabrik (ERMA); came under same management as FeinmechanischeWerke GmbH |
| S/42 | Mauser-Werke AG,Oberndorf a./N, early code |
| S/42G | Mauser-WerkeAG, Oberndorf a./N, production in 1935 |
| S/42K | Mauser-WerkeAG, Oberndorf a./N, production in 1934 |
| S/147 | J.P. Sauer &Sohn, Suhl |
| S/147G | J.P. Sauer &Sohn, Suhl |
| S/147K | J.P. Sauer &Sohn, Suhl |
| S/237 | Berlin-Luebecker Maschinenfabriken, Werk Luebeck |
| S243 | Mauser-Werke AG,Werk Borsigwalde, Berlin-Borsigwalde, Eichborndamm |
| S243G | Mauser-WerkeAG, Werk Borsigwalde, Berlin-Borsigwalde, Eichborndamm |
| 27 | ErfurterMaschinenfabrik (ERMA); came under same management as FeinmechanischeWerke GmbH |
| 42 | Mauser-Werke AG,Oberndorf a./N, early code |
| 147 | J.P. Sauer &Sohn, Suhl |
| 237 | Berlin-LuebeckerMaschinenfabriken, Werk Luebeck |
| 243 | Mauser-Werke AG,Werk Borsigwalde, Berlin-Borsigwalde, Eichborndamm |
| 337 | Gustloff Werke,Werk Weimar, Weimar |
| 660 | Steyr-DaimlerPuch, Steyr, Austria |
| 945 | WaffenwerkeBruenn AG, Brno, Czechoslovakia |