I received a call the other day about a custom rifle made on a DWM 98 Mauser and marked on the top of the receiver is "Spitzer Bullet". Has anyone seen these markings before? The owner feels that the these marking are as original as the DWM marking on the side. I asked for pictures and will post them when I get them.

If I remember correctly DWM patented the Spitzer Bullet.

I would have to see good photos also. I are very interested in seeing the photos.

I have an old Mauser catalog that lists a "spitzer bullet" version. So it would not be out of line to have that model so marked.

is the "spitzer" a reference to the bore diameter?

quote:

is the "spitzer" a reference to the bore diameter?

No just pointed versus round nose bullets.

Then would it have indicated a change in twist when the spitzer was adopted versus the old heavy round nose bullets? I would think something like that or else it was pure marketing?

http://proofhouse.com/index.htm

Doesnt answer your question, I dont think just ran through it quickly. Nice to have around for other things that might come up.

I'm punching in the dark, here, but there were/are two bore diameters, was the spitzer designated as one of them, the round nose he other?

If my question has been answered, forgive me, it takes a while for me.

Would it possibly refer to different throating for the spitzer and the round nose?

quote:

Spitzer Bullet

Refers to the sights being regulated to the spitzer version rather than the round nose version of the cartridge. Typically 7x57 or 8x57.

Sorry, still no pictures from the owner.

I think this is the DWM patent that the USA paid about 400K to after the war because the 30-06 bullet infringed on their patent.
http://www.google.com/patents?...v=onepage&q=&f=false

Mystery solved,
Hans Tauscher a pre-WWI New York dealer of Mauser rifles sold a "Spitzer-Bullet" model rifle made in both 7 & 8mm made for the spitzer bullet and marked on the receiver ring in english "Spitzer-Bullet".

http://www.jouster.com/forums/showthread.php?t=303

http://www.landofborchardt.com/tauscher-article.html

VERY GOOD! Thank you Micheal.

The Mausers were military and were marked "SJ". It inidcated that the rifle was chambered for the new (around 1900) pointed ("Spitzer" meant pointed" in the German military parlance of the era) infantry bullet that was introduced about that time. Why "SJ" and not "SI"? Because S and I are interchangeable in this application, so to avoid possible misinterpretaion of the letter "i" and calling it a numeral "1", the designation was made to read "SJ" so there wopuld be no question about what it said, "Spitzer Infantry". The Mauser military cartridges prior to this time had all been round-nose types as had the the American Krag. When the US started paying royalties to the Mauser company so we could use the '98 action as the basis for our new Springfield rifle (we paid Mauser a royalty on each '03 Springfield we built until April, 1917), the rifle was chambered for the new cartridge chambered for it and known as the 03-03 cartridge, the bullet being a 220 grain jacketed roundnose.. When the Germans came out with the "SJ" bullet, the US followed suit by adopting a spitzer bullet in a new cartridge for the '03 Springfield rifle and naming the new cartridge the 03-06, with a (I believe) 176 grain jacketed spitzer (pointed ) bullet. Which is why, dear hearts, the 1903 Springfield is chambered for the .30-06 cartridge. By the way, if you see at a flea market or gun show (they are the same now) an old box of military ammunition marked .30-06 Mark 1, grab them. Those cartridges are boat-tail bullets that the US used for a few years until they found that the boattail did not add anything to accuracy and quit making them because they cost more to make but had no redeeming attribute to justify the extra cost.

I now relinquish my soap-box to someone else.