I've had this rifle for a few years, and I got it form a private party for well under $200 so it really doesn't matter what the reality is, I'm
very happy with it and very glad to have it, but it does have a minor mystery!
It all appears to be correct for a standard Gew98, though it is all mismatched and pretty well worn. Shoots okay with a dark bore with strong rifling, but it is not a tack driver by any means. The stock is very well worn, with no sharp edges to the grasping grooves and the buttplate hangs a bit over the toe of the butt, which has been worn/shrunk away, leaving a sharp thin edge hanging down. While very heavily worn the stock has no deep scratches, gouges, splits, chips, dings or dents, just a whole lot of miles!
The only markings that don't seem consistent with German origin are the importers mark on the right side of the receiver ring which is weakly stamped CAI or CAL 8mm TURKE. The TURKE is actually TURKEY but the Y is stamped on top of a pre-existing acceptance mark and only the very bottom of it is visible. As I say this is a weak stamp, which is why I'm having some trouble deciding whether the import mark is CAI for Century Arms International, or CAL for Caliber.The receiver bridge also has a four digit serial number stamped on it that is different from the four digit number on the left side of the receiver ring, while the bolt has some faint markings at the base of the handle including a non-numeric figure and the number 12, which matches nothing else.
To me the mystery is what defines this as a Turkish rifle, other than the import stamp, and the general overall worn condition. It seems to not have been "rebuilt" in anyway and is still fully in Gew98 configuration, just a total mismatch with some multiple numbering issues. It was sold to me as having been Turkish, and the general condition seems consistent with that, but otherwise I just don't know for sure, and probably never will!
Any thoughts, or key identifiers?
It all appears to be correct for a standard Gew98, though it is all mismatched and pretty well worn. Shoots okay with a dark bore with strong rifling, but it is not a tack driver by any means. The stock is very well worn, with no sharp edges to the grasping grooves and the buttplate hangs a bit over the toe of the butt, which has been worn/shrunk away, leaving a sharp thin edge hanging down. While very heavily worn the stock has no deep scratches, gouges, splits, chips, dings or dents, just a whole lot of miles!
The only markings that don't seem consistent with German origin are the importers mark on the right side of the receiver ring which is weakly stamped CAI or CAL 8mm TURKE. The TURKE is actually TURKEY but the Y is stamped on top of a pre-existing acceptance mark and only the very bottom of it is visible. As I say this is a weak stamp, which is why I'm having some trouble deciding whether the import mark is CAI for Century Arms International, or CAL for Caliber.The receiver bridge also has a four digit serial number stamped on it that is different from the four digit number on the left side of the receiver ring, while the bolt has some faint markings at the base of the handle including a non-numeric figure and the number 12, which matches nothing else.
To me the mystery is what defines this as a Turkish rifle, other than the import stamp, and the general overall worn condition. It seems to not have been "rebuilt" in anyway and is still fully in Gew98 configuration, just a total mismatch with some multiple numbering issues. It was sold to me as having been Turkish, and the general condition seems consistent with that, but otherwise I just don't know for sure, and probably never will!
Any thoughts, or key identifiers?
