German Model 98K Mauser, Bolt Action, Magazine Rifle, Serial Number 4744 C, Caliber 7.92 x 57 mm Mauser

Technical Description: German Model 98K Mauser, bolt action, magazine rifle, serial number 4744 C, caliber 7.92 x 57 mm Mauser. Standard military configuration with sling and bayonet. Manufactured in Czechoslovakia during WWII for German forces. Material and workmanship indicate late war manufacture. Marked on the barrel forward of the receiver ring is JK and a small RAMPANT LION, and 4744/c. On the left receiver wall is marked CESKOSLOVENSKA ZBROJOVKA, A.S. BRNO. All marking on the receiver ring top have been removed. Standard inverted V front sight and tangent rear sight. Stamped butt plate with dismounting hole. The magazine floor plate is numbered 9740, the trigger guard plate is numbered 5230. The trigger guard is the milled type, the sling band and the upper band are the stamped and welded type. Rifle has the correct cleaning rod. All metal work is blued except the bight finished butt plate. The bolt is numbered 4744 on the turned down bolt handle root.  The stock is laminated beech wood. The rifle bore is excellent. The bayonet is a standard WWII bayonet with a 10 inch blade with a blued finish. The left side of the blade is marked 44fnj, and on the right side is marked 788/e. The handle is blued with bakelite grips. The ball tipped metal scabbard is marked at the throat 3808/d, the scabbard has been cleaned bright but is showing staining. The scabbard is complete with a brown leather frog. Excellent WWII display piece. Historical Significance: The Model 98k, though at first designated a carbine, was actually a short rifle. It had a barrel length of 23.62 inches, which made it suitable for use by all troops. This dispensed with the need for rifles of different barrel lengths, i.e., long barrel for infantry, short barrel for cavalry or other special troops. The model 98k was the standard rifle of the German Army throughout World War II.  The Mauser 98 was also made for export sale. It was sold commercially in both military and sporting models. The arm was also produced by factories outside Germany, either under license from the Mauser company or after the Mauser patents expired. Factories in Belgium, Czechoslovakia, China, Poland, Austria, Spain, and other countries have manufactured the arm. The arm has been made in a myriad of models and manufacturing variations, ranging from finely and beautifully finished pre-World War I models, to the homely guns made in Germany during the final days of the Third Reich in 1945. 1939-1945, World War II Various Model 98 Mauser rifles were used in larger number than any other type of rifle during the war, and undoubtedly saw more combat use and fired more ammunition in battle than any other rifle.