Mauser Mod 98 Serial Numbers
German WW2 Ordnance Codes forMilitary Rifles
German WW2-era military rifles usually have markings on the receiver,barrel, rear sight, and stock, from which one can get some informationabout the history of the piece.
The top of the receiver (that part of the barrel into which the bolt shoves the cartridge) usually has a 2- or 3-letter code with a number below it. (Early codes were sometimes numerical or a combination of letters and numbers.) The code indicates the manufacturer of the receiver, and the number below the code is the year in which the part was. The full serial number was used during the renumbering process as opposed to the 2 digit serial numbers used on imperial rifles. These reworked Gew.98’s have the winged eagle of the Weimar inspectors. Modified Weimar Receiver acceptance proofs Note the inspectors proof marks between the original Imperial proofs. Card 3 The Gewehr.98 In an.
The top of the receiver (that part of the barrel into which the boltshoves the cartridge) usually has a 2- or 3-letter code with a numberbelow it. (Early codes were sometimes numerical or a combination ofletters and numbers.) The code indicates the manufacturer of thereceiver, and the number below the code is the year in which the part wasmade. Other markings are usually either proof marks (indicating that thebarrel was test fired with cartridges loaded with a larger charge ofgunpowder than normally used to ensure safety) or Waffenamt (ordnancedepartment) markings, indicated by the symbol of an eagle withoutstreached wings with the letters WaAxxx below, where xxx is a 2- or3-digit number indicating which Waffenamt accepted the piece.

Established in 1869 by Peter and Wilhelm Mauser, this company came under effective control of Ludwig Loewe and Company of Berlin in 1887. In 1896, latter company was reorganized under name Deutsches Waffen und Munition as it is better known, DWM. The Gewehr 98 (abbreviated G98, Gew 98, or M98) is a German bolt action rifle made by Mauser firing cartridges from a 5-round internal clip-loaded magazine.It was the German service rifle from 1898 to 1935, when it was replaced by the Karabiner 98k, a shorter weapon using the same basic design. Match the cartridge the rifle fires with a likely country of origin and model. Mauser-pattern bolt-actions were manufactured in countries including Germany, Turkey, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Sweden, Belgium, Argentina and Chile, so the round the rifle fires can help you identify the rifle's origins and model, like the 1891 Argentine, 1909 Argentine, Spanish 1893, Chilean 1895 and the Swedish 1896.
Model 98 Mauser Serial Numbers
The following table lists the ordnance codes found in Mauser BoltRifles by L. Olson (third edition, F. Brownell & Son, 1976, 12thprinting 1991). They can be used to get some historical information aboutyour particular rifle.
Mauser Mod 98 Serial Numbers 1

Mauser Mod 98 Serial Numbers Lookup
These codes may apply to German pistols of the same era, but I have noinformation about that. Cvv balance checker software.
German Mauser Model 98 Serial Numbers
As always, I'm not responsible for any inaccuracies in Olson's data, justfor the transcription. Please report any errors to me.

Code | Manufacturer |
---|---|
ar | Mauser-Werke AG,Werk Borsigwalde, Berlin-Borsigwalde, Eichborndamm |
ax | FeinmechanischeWerke GmbH, Erfurt, Altonaerstr. 25 |
bcd | Gustloff Werke,Werk Wiemar, Weimar |
bcd/ar | Dual code;denotes manufacture jointly by Gustloff Werke in Weimar, and Mauser-WerkeAG, Berlin |
bnz | Steyr-Daimler-Puch AG, Werk Steyr, Steyr, Austria |
byf | Mauser-Werke AG,Oberndorf a./N |
ce | J.P. Sauer & Sohn,Suhl |
dot | WaffenwerkeBruenn AG, Brno, Czechoslovakia |
dou | WaffenwerkeBruenn AG, Werk Bystrica |
duv | Berlin-LuebeckerMaschinenfabriken, Werk Luebeck |
svw | Late code forMauser-Werke AG, Oberndorf a./N |
swp | Late code forWaffenwerke Bruenn AG, Brno, Czechoslovakia |
S/27 | ErfurterMaschinenfabrik (ERMA); came under same management as FeinmechanischeWerke GmbH |
S/27G | ErfurterMaschinenfabrik (ERMA); came under same management as FeinmechanischeWerke GmbH |
S/42 | Mauser-Werke AG,Oberndorf a./N, early code |
S/42G | Mauser-WerkeAG, Oberndorf a./N, production in 1935 |
S/42K | Mauser-WerkeAG, Oberndorf a./N, production in 1934 |
S/147 | J.P. Sauer &Sohn, Suhl |
S/147G | J.P. Sauer &Sohn, Suhl |
S/147K | J.P. Sauer &Sohn, Suhl |
S/237 | Berlin-Luebecker Maschinenfabriken, Werk Luebeck |
S243 | Mauser-Werke AG,Werk Borsigwalde, Berlin-Borsigwalde, Eichborndamm |
S243G | Mauser-WerkeAG, Werk Borsigwalde, Berlin-Borsigwalde, Eichborndamm |
27 | ErfurterMaschinenfabrik (ERMA); came under same management as FeinmechanischeWerke GmbH |
42 | Mauser-Werke AG,Oberndorf a./N, early code |
147 | J.P. Sauer &Sohn, Suhl |
237 | Berlin-LuebeckerMaschinenfabriken, Werk Luebeck |
243 | Mauser-Werke AG,Werk Borsigwalde, Berlin-Borsigwalde, Eichborndamm |
337 | Gustloff Werke,Werk Weimar, Weimar |
660 | Steyr-DaimlerPuch, Steyr, Austria |
945 | WaffenwerkeBruenn AG, Brno, Czechoslovakia |

