German .22 cal. Rifle
2016/7/22 9:13:49
Question
To Doug,
I finally found someone who may be able to help me. My father gave me an old German .22 rifle and I can not find any information on it. I found similar one's, but not this one. I will try to give you the best description of the rifle that I can. On the receiver just above the bolt opening is a "G"(German style). Under the "G" is written Gustloff-Werke. Under that is Waffenwerk-Suhl. There is a bird with N under it on the upper left side of that. On the left side of the barrel is Kal.22 Lang Fur Buchsen 258029 with a bird/N under it. Just before the bolt on the receiver is K.K. Wehrsportgewehl. On the left side of the butt stock is a circle with SAd.NSDAP. In the center of that is an insignia. The rifle is a single shot. The only thing missing is the original sling and a bayonet. If you know where I can get the missing items, it would be appreciated. The rifle is in good to very good condition. Could you give me the approximate value and any other information. Thanks, Tom(Zimmie)
Answer
Thomas,
OK...I first let me tell you about the rifle. K.K. Wehrsportgewehl or KKW is used to describe training rifles that were used by the German military between the WWI and WWII. The treaty at the end of WWI put severe restrictions on ammunition product in Germany and in order to give the military the ability deliver marksmanship training, many of these KKW trainers were produced in .22 caliber. They were also much cheaper to produce and shoot. The trainers were manufactured under license by a variety of arms makers including Walther and Mauser.
Your rifle was produced by Gustloff-Werke in Suhl, Germany. The original firm was Simson & Co. founded in 1865. Somewhere around 1933-34, the Nazis 'nationalized' the plant because of its Jewish ownership. It was originally renamed Berlin-Suhler-Waffen and then in 1939 renamed to Gustloff Werke after an anti-semite Nazi leader who was assassinated by a Jewish student in 1936. Gustloff Werke later opened another factory at Buchenwald and used political prisoners as workers. Not such a nice legacy, but an interesting historical fact. The "G" is simply the Gustloff logo.
The Eagle-N is a Nazi military acceptance mark or proof mark. These were typical on firearms manufactured for the Nazi regime.
As far as the SAd.NSDAP, this is the designation for the Nazi paramilitary organization called the "Brown Shirts" or Sturmabteilung or "Stormtroopers". If this is the case, your rifle might be on the rarer side...
Honestly, I would have no idea where you might find the bayonet or an original sling. You might try search for WWII German memorabilia sites on Google. That's about all the advice I can offer there.
In terms of the value, I can't really help you out. These rifles tend to be collectable and the values can vary widely based on the 'uniqueness' of the rifle, it's value to a particular collector, etc. Book values don't mean too much on pieces like these. I have seen some of these that have the SAd.NSDAP markings going for between $800 and $1200 depending on condition. They could be much more valuable to an individual collector looking for this specific type of piece.
That's about all I have for you. Hope I have given you some additional info...
Best regards,
Doug
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