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WWII J. P. Sauer and Sohns K98 Short Side Rail Sniper Rifle with Kahles Scope and Matching Mount

Currency:USD Category:Antiques / Firearms & Armory Start Price:4,000.00 USD Estimated At:NA
WWII J. P. Sauer and Sohns K98 Short Side Rail Sniper Rifle with Kahles Scope and Matching Mount
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Estimate: $8000 - 12000
This is a fine example of a mid WWII German short side rail type sniper rifle that was made by the J.P. Sauer & Sohns company. This type of rifle was actually an early 1930s era development that was produced throughout the war but eventually proved to be a weak design and not as robust or durable as the late war long side rails and turret mounted type of sniper rifles, because the scope base eventually came lose under the recoil of constant firing. Consequently these were used less and less as the war progressed and eventually were phased out totally from service in 1943/44. The top of the receiver is marked with "ce" the wartime code for JP Sauer and Sohns over 43 for the year of manufacture. The right side of the receiver ring and rear section of the barrel is marked with the standard Eagle 37 and 280 Waffenamt proofs, along with the large Nazi Eagle firing proof. It has the standard base and short side rail mount with the single large locking lever on the left side without the locking screw on top. The scope is a wartime contract Kahles that is marked on the rear end of the tube, "K KAHLES/WIEN/H/4X60", with the left side of the windage base marked with number 40101. The underside of the mount has a single assembly number 4 and so does the back side of the locking lever. The mount is numbered to the gun.The top of the mount carries the commercial company name "Weihrauch/HZW" inside a circular logo. The rifle is fitted with the milled components, trigger guard, floor plate and barrel bands and it has the wartime laminated stock and hand guard that is fitted with a cupped butt plate. The right side of the butt stock has a single "eagle/H" Heers proof below the take down bolt. with a partially obscured Waffenamt proof behind the pistol grip. It is complete with a wartime brown cross-hatched leather sling, the cleaning rod, front sight cover and a set of unmarked brown leather lens caps.
BBL: 23 inch
Stock: laminated
Gauge: 7.92 mm Mauser
Finish: blue
Grips:
Serial Number: 5463f
Condition: Fine overall with 70% plus of the original blue finish remaining with wear and blue loss on all the exposed metal surfaces. The scope mount and scope retain 85% of their original blue finish with brown spotting and flaking of the blue finish on the scope and mount themselves. The stock is in very good condition overall with light pressure dents and dings in several areas with minor scratches and handling marks overall, but still retains their original stock finishes. The sling and lens caps are both also in very good condition with a nice color on both showing light use. The rifle shows moderate wartime use with a pristine bore and is a highly desirable representative example of a K98 short side sniper rifle that saw sniper usage in the field. Very few of these short side rails survived the war, since they were one of the early systems. It is rare to find one that is all matching and clearly saw action with a sniper. Reportedly purchased in Syracuse from a veteran.