I picked this action up a while ago but don't have enough literature to identify what it is.It is polished so no proof marks.These are the only marks I can find on it.Any help appreciated.
The two figured stamps are on the mag. follower and the action has a four digit serial no.

THe Nazi eagle narrows it down to about 20 different manufacturers. A side veiw of the action, showing the bridge would help. Another help would be a side view of the bolt shroud.

A question that is difficult to verify in your Pic is the floorplate machined? It doesn't look stamped. But that will help to considerably narrow the field.

One last verification is it a large ring? It looks to be a large ring to me but without a ruler sitting on that first shot, I can't be sure.

THe Nazi eagle gets the manufacter down to mid to late 30's, I don't think its a BRNO cause they weren't marked on the feed rail like that ( at least mine isn't). And assuming the floorplate is machined, that means it was pre 1944, so its narrowed down to a 10 year period or so.

Here is a link to mauser information for these years:

http://users.swing.be/sw017995/k98kmarkings.htm

I don't think the BRNO's are on this list though, just the German manufacturers.

Hope this helps.

Thanks schromf;the floorplate is machined and the action is a large ringed.Are there different versions of the Nazi eagle because every one that I've seen had the eagle standing on a ringed swastika,this one (obviously worn)is standing on top of SU4.The other interest is the four digit serial no.with no letter prefix.I thought that possibly this could date it to around 1902,prior to the letter and five digit serial no.but I'm not sure.
Maybe these can help further.

My guess is that you will never know for sure. It appears to me that it was surface ground when the rear bridge was milled. It looks like someone at some point spent a little time polishing things up and probably washed out the markings and original serial number only to restamp it. I have two actions that were ground, polished and restamped. The only reason I know what they were is that they were original before the work. Good luck though.
Alan

My mauser book is up north and I am making some SWAG's here ( scientific wild ass guess ) with out data.

First Nazi eagle 1934-1945 Germany didn't resume domestic arms production till very near that date due to the Versailes treaty. Nothing before that date had the eagle. So that is the era don't bother looking outside that unless it was an arsenal refinish, and I don't suspect that as the Germans had a fetish for stamping everything and there would be other telltale signs.

Documented is that in 1944 the Germans went to a single date code ex: instead of the 4 digit where it started then to 2 digit, and finally a single digit date code. Also in 1945 all bottom metal was stamped not machined.

One theory on my part is it is a Steyr, or Sauer, which in some Teutonic mindset could be Factory SU and 4 as the year of production. I would expect BCD, BNZ or CE for those factory codes though.


1934 to 1944 is pretty certain, German production ( it certainly isn't a BRMO of a French manufactured ). The letter code on the serial number is a red herring.

Below is a link:

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

I gives a little of the explaination of these codes, but read the part about this was secret coded info. It gets real sketchy between P through ZZZ on codes. They are not all identified. And SU is clearly missing.

Even the subcontractor markings are gone or indescript, the best I see is the safety marking is that "337" ? Middle digit is hard to read.

I know this didn't solve your mystery, but I hope it helps. The top stamp on your feedrail looks like a ordinace officers proof mark to me. But agian thats a guess, and yes this might be real tough to positive ID, with all the marking gone.

Carnivore;I think you are right,this is going to be really tough.I have a mate who knows someone in Police scientific branch and he reckons that a type of chemical can be applied to the action which will highlight the bruising in the metal from the stamping and show some sort of figure and numbers.Who knows,maybe!!
schromf;I like your SWAG,might be better than my mates SWAMP (scientific wild ass magic potion).The digits on the safety,from 6" away,are 3(4??)0 7.Thanks for your considerable trouble.

this could be absolutely anything. Bolts, bottom metal, and other parts get changed all the time, so I see the Eagles as meaningless in relation to the action. 99% of all Mausers out there are a Franken-Mauser to at least some degree.