Rare, Bringback 'bnz 43' K98 - SS Contract

Description

6/2/26 - Here for sale we have a German K98 that was manufactured by Steyr in 1943. This gun was supposedly brought home by a Steve A. Blasko who served in the 783rd Ordinance Company as part of the 83rd Infantry Division. This gun is very interesting and falls into the correct serial number range for the "bnz 43" SS contract. This rifle has many of the correct characteristics for a bnz 43 SS contract gun according to "Karabiner 98k" by Bruce Karem and Michael Steves. To start, the gun has less Waffen proofs than you would typically see for a Heer contract. Second, it has the large bnz 43 marked receiver signifying that it was made at Gusen concentration camp. The milling marks on the receiver are also consistent with Gusen production, as these are crude enough to have failed typical army inspection. The bolt is matching to the gun and matching numbers are found on the bolt root and safety, in typical SS contract fashion. The bolt root is also stamped with E/77 (Radom) which could be correct since Gusen used Radom made parts. The bolt extractor is oddly numbered "13" and has a Waffen 280 proof stamp of which may not be correct. The bolt release lever is non-matching and has a Mauser proof. The barrel and rear sight assembly are also correct for this contract, with the rear sight matching the gun and having E/77 proofs. The trigger housing is matching the gun but has Mauser proofs, as does the floor plate. In "Karabiner 98k" there is a confirmed SS contract bnz 4 code rifle with these characteristics pictured, but we cannot say for sure that they are correct or incorrect for this bnz 43. The stock appears to be correct with a matching handguard and stock. The stock has a faint E/623 proof at the wrist.

The gun retains roughly 50-60% of overall condition with major loss over all metal parts except the trigger housing and floor plate. The spring between the front and rear barrel bands is missing. The sight hood is also missing. The stock looks to have been lightly sanded and has some dings and dents but is overall in good condition. The bore is bright with sharp rifling. The gun comes in an original wooden box in which the soldier supposedly shipped the rifle home in. It is addressed to "Mr. S. Blasko". There is also a capture paper included but is different than the ones we are used to seeing. It does not name the soldier or list the K98 by serial number. It is signed by an officer from the 783rd Ordinance company. Lastly, there is a packet print out of Mr. Steve Blasko service and unit history included.

This item is for sale on Consignment. If you would like to consign with the Legacy Collectibles team, or have any questions please call 610-981-6041 or Email: info@legacy-collectibles.com