Journal
Articles
Collector notes on identification, markings, models, history, and care.
History
Where hammer-forged rifle barrels originatedBased on published German and English sources, compared with the Suhl/BLM hypotheses. Research notes and slugged barrels by MC.
2026-08-28 · 14 min
Ammunition
German military ammunition: 9 mm Parabellum, 7.92×57, 7.92×33 KurzThe three service cartridges behind the catalogue — pistol, full-power rifle, and intermediate Kurz.
2026-08-27 · 10 min
Care and storage
Pre-war, wartime, and postwar Mauser finishes — and why they matterHigh-polish blue, phosphate, laminate, and arsenal refinish are not the same condition grade. They are different objects.
2026-06-04 · 8 min
Models & variants
.22 training rifles — why they matterDSM 34 and KKW are not side-notes. They are how the Mauser system was taught, and they belong in a serious 98 collection.
2026-05-21 · 7 min
History
Berlin-Lübecker Maschinenfabriken and hammer-forged barrelsWhat hammer forging does to a barrel, why GFM/Steyr is named after 1945, and why BLM-as-inventor should not be repeated. See the later research note on origins.
2026-04-02 · 8 min
Collecting & condition
Matching numbers, force-matched parts, and what they meanHow German numbering worked, what ‘all matching’ should mean, and how to spot numbers applied with a punch after 1945.
2026-03-28 · 9 min
Markings & codes
How to read K98k maker codes and date stampsReceiver codes, dates, and why the barrel code is a separate fact from the factory on the ring.
2026-03-12 · 9 min
Models & variants
Gewehr 98 to K98k: what actually changedLength, bolt handle, sight, sling, stock, and the things that did not change: the 98 action and 7.92×57.
2026-02-18 · 8 min
Identification
The rare 1920 S.28 code rifleWhy a 1920-stamped Gewehr 98 with an S.28 mark is not a K98k letter code, and how to avoid paying for a story.
2026-01-09 · 8 min