K98k, byf 43

1943 · byf · 7.92×57 mm

Collector notes

byf is the late letter code for Mauser Oberndorf. A 1943 rifle typically shows laminated stock, a duller finish than 1938, and the first wave of wartime simplifications. It is still a fully serviceable K98k. Collectors use byf 43 rifles as the mid-war benchmark: no longer pre-war polish, not yet the roughest 1945 assembly. Hammer-forged barrels from Berlin-Lübecker and other barrel sources begin to appear in the wider 1943–44 supply chain; barrel codes deserve a photograph of their own.

Specifications

Model	K98k
Calibre	7.92×57 mm
Manufacturer	Mauser-Werke AG, Oberndorf
Date / code	1943 · byf
Serial range	byf 43 lettered blocks
Stock	Laminated beech, wartime
Sights	K98k tangent, hood often present
Sling	K98k leather, sometimes ersatz late in the year
Markings	Receiver: byf 43. WaA. Laminate stock serial. Barrel codes independent of the receiver code.
Country of use	Germany
Condition	Very good