1930s German Rearmament: JP Sauer's Pre-K98k Rifle

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When the German Army announced in 1934 that it would be adopting a new standard rifle, the JP Sauer company jumped at the chance to submit a model for consideration. Auger has a complete production line for the Mauser pattern rifles, having produced Gewehr 98s during World War One, and it had access to Mauser’s “Gewehr für Deutsches Reichspost” rifles that were clearly the basis for what the Army wanted. So Sauer didn’t just submit a model for Army consideration, they actually put it into full production without waiting for the Army’ decision (Mauser did the same).
As it turned out, the Sauer rifle differed from the final K98k standard only in its barrel band retention system. After this pattern was announced in June 1935, the company transitioned its production to meet those details. The rifles already made were still taken into military service, though.
This example is marked S/147/K, indicating Sauer production in 1934. It I the highest known serial number of this year, and a beautiful example. It is all matching, and still has very good finish and very nice stock markings. A really interesting piece of the story of German 1930s rearmament!
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[@jaredanderson682]

Up to 2000 meter sights, you know, for all those long range precision shots German postal workers have to make on their route

[@chemistryofquestionablequa6252]

Hey, it's a dangerous job. There are some mean dogs out there...

[@joshuarebennack68]

If you were a postman in late-Weimar/early-Nazi Germany, I think you would want to shoot at long range too.

[@c1ph3rpunk]

So many sights are in the “wishful thinking” category.

[@robosoldier11]

How else you expect to stop a would be mail thief if they are already nearing the horizon?

[@c1ph3rpunk]

@@robosoldier11 mortar? Field artillery? I mean, why not issue a howitzer to the department office.

[@alexdemoya2119]

Fitting as the interwar developments of the BF109 fighter was covered up as a fast mail plane. So Germany was very serious about their mail in the 1930s it seems.

[@Chaosrain112]

They had to climb in their armored mail carriers and deliver mail as fast as possible over the border.

[@alexsis1778]

@@Chaosrain112 Neither border guards nor fortresses nor bunkers nor foreign capitals stays these couriers from the swift delivery of their appointed rounds.

[@kti5682]

Versailles must have limited the investments in the railway system.

[@CtrlAltRetreat]

@@tra-viskaiser8737 When you need to deliver the 250kg messages to the troops on the front line in time. They're packages that show you care that they were there.

[@matthayward7889]

IIRC the Do-17 medium bomber was also originally a “high speed mail plane”

[@JudoStev]

Honestly, the bits of history are my favorite parts of these videos. I came to look at cool guns but I stayed for the esoteric history. It's like you give us little snapshots of the state of the world or the country the firearm was manufactured in. Thanks for continuing to do this for all these years.

[@lbh002]

Excellent recap of the rearming of interwar Germany. Also the gun is pretty cool too. Thx Ian! I know that years in the future scholars and students will be mining your videos for reference. You are like the library of Alexandria, but for Forgotten Weapons.

[@AshleyPomeroy]

"We know very little of the twentieth century, save that the centre of firearms manufacture was a country called France"

[@46FreddieMercury91]

@@FormerMPSGT the British and Belgians were retreating too. Everyone was retreating. They had no means or training for counteracting the new blitzkrieg tactics. The french kept the Germans back long enough to allow the BEF to escape

[@tombogan03884]

" mining your videos for reference. " I already do . LOL

[@funnystuff9602]

46FreddieMercury91 don’t even try to defend the French lol

[@ramonandrajo6348]

@@46FreddieMercury91 And that led to the USA and Great Britain making an alliance with the Soviet Union in order to defeat the "bad guys" of WWII.

[@jackstecker5796]

I just imagine some dude in the post office, getting a crate of Mausers shipped to him, and thinking, "what the hell am I supposed to do with these?"

[@AshleyPomeroy]

There's another, better world where the German Post Office militarised, overthrew the Nazis and the SS, declared The New German Postal Republic and dedicated itself to facilitating the efficient delivery of post across Europe.

[@michaelf.2449]

@@AshleyPomeroy it's a glorious union of efficiency and integrity that holds the NGPR together!

[@88manta88]

Shoot Bolshevik mail!

[@jackgirote9132]

Then a serious looking man with a small mustache and a brown shirt shows up asking for the crate.

[@jimcappa6815]

Appreciated the ramble! It was quite informative. I can just picture the German government explaining where the guns are going. "Of course these aren't for the military. They're for the...post office. Yeah, the post office! That's the ticket! They're for the post office!"

[@joeydussell9407]

Supposedly, ww1 vets would work as mercenaries for the post office because due to unstability and communist uprisings postal caravans needed armed protection

[@joeydussell9407]

@@mattrobson3603 haha yeah, large red dogs, saying something’s bout the working class uniting, quite scary

[@AshleyPomeroy]

I remember reading that one of the first organisations to adopt the Thompson SMG was the US postal service (or alternatively the US Marine Corps owned them, but Marines were loaned to the US postal service to protect mail trains etc). They don't issue firearms to their employees nowadays.

[@joeydussell9407]

@@AshleyPomeroy makes sense, in the 30s and 40s we’re talking about a time when outlaws could still exsist, nowadays if you try and rob a post office the police will be there before you can get away

[@Kremit_the_Forg]

On the phone: "Well yes, clearly they are for the postman... Yes, we ordered more than the army, there are more postman than soldiers right now... Yes.. yes... With all due respect Sir, I'm not telling you how to do your job either so... Yes. Have a nice day too." "Hans! While you are at it, order some of those fancy tanks will you? Lettere are getting quiet heavy these days."

[@Kingwoodish]

Rifles for the Post Office. OK.. As a very young man I sorted US mail in a railroad Mail car. We had registered mail, high value, as well as First class mail. We clerks were issued Colt Agent 38 special revolvers in a flapped holster. Armed robberies of mail cars happened in train stations and slow section of track ways. Never had to defend the mail.

[@illegalclown]

Neat. I picked up one of these pre-K98ks 10-15 years ago at a local shop. I got a stupid good deal on it, for less than half of what the Russian captured ones were going for at the time. The only thing "wrong" with it was that it was in a Czech stock.

[@seanhraba747]

Mine is a G code ( 1935), unfortunately mine is an RC mix master, the bolt is from an AB Mauser 😳.

[@robertkerber831]

Yeah, I do too, it has Waffenampt Inspector stamps so early that there is no information on some of them. When I researched the rifle 10 years ago I could only find 2 other rifles existing with WaA markings similar to mine, and all are within approximately 1000 sn#'s of each other. None are complete number-matching, but mine has the most number-matching parts of the three. I've had some true hardcore 98 Mauser experts inspect it and the baffled looks on their faces regarding the origin and style of it's Inspector's acceptance proof markings is precious, but all agreed that they are legit and original. My best guess is that this group of odd rifles with rare or unknown waffs were some sort of in-between created after the 1933 DRP/Banner models and before or during the beginning of the S/42K and S/147K MO and Sauer produced pre-acceptance models. Maybe the beginning of a WaA Inspector's training school for standards, I dunno. The rifles and arms created in the period of German transition between the end of Weimar acceptance eagles and the infancy of the Nazi acceptance eagles I find to be the most fascinating!

[@informationwarlord]

The ramblings are my favorite part of the videos.

[@ketchman8299]

Your "Rambling's" is one of the main reasons I subscribe. Excellent video.

[@heinrichschmitt5252]

Hey Ian when we get a history lesson as well as educational information about one of our favorite rifles don't worry about the length of the content. We're here listening to every word.

[@morganfreeman-sheehy842]

This is a firearms *history* channel. We came here specifically because we WANTED to see long-ish videos about history.

[@shawnr771]

@@morganfreeman-sheehy842 The long ramblings add additional context. Now I understand how Germany got around the treaty. Nice to know.

[@thespecialbru]

Only $6000! The most affordable interwar model

[@petesheppard1709]

Good ramble! The history is what gives these guns value.

[@twosheds7105]

The "rambling" part is what I enjoy the most. I'm sure I'm not the only one who is more of a history guy.

[@N0rthAI]

I do love it when you ramble a bit about the history. It's honestly a big part of why your videos are so good. Keep it up.

[@Vares65]

Your "very long rambling" is what I watch for! I love your history lessons, thanks.

[@worldtraveler930]

As postal employee I would Really love to have one of these postal K98k!!! 🤠👍

[@brittakriep2938]

Don' t forget the parade daggers some german postmen between 1933 and 1945 got.

[@RELOADEDEDER]

I found a Gew. 98 that was in a sporterized stock with the tangent rear sight on it. It's got the long ass barrel and isn't numbers matching but I think its cool.

[@brittakriep2938]

When you visit ,Waffenmuseum'/ weapons museum in Oberndorf am Neckar, you can see also civilian products of Mauser company, from interwar periode to may be 1970s. Cars, Bureau machines and measurement equipment.

[@joelnotsure2871]

German postal carriers in the interwar period lived harsh and violent lives.

[@bramster-b9v]

and later went directly from the post office to the Eastern Front.

[@JGCR59]

In wartime, the post office employees can have combattant status actually

[@mineown1861]

For the post office ! Going postal has a longer history than I thought.

[@dreadx1478]

I own a pre-World War vz24 sniper variant it's a fairly rare rifle and what's interesting about it is that they were only two production runs late in production for snipers the x-series and Z series all feature downturn bolts and mountings for scopes and feature that seemed 600 mm barrel length

[@dreadx1478]

I should note for clarification that I meant to put WWII

[@mattedward6155]

One of the most beautiful rifles I've ever seen by a long shot. The k98k is one of my favorite rifles of all time. So simple yet every detail has so much thought put into it that it's genius. As far as I know, there hasn't really been a modern bolt action that comes close to the simplicity or brilliance of the k98k's design.

[@Ensign_Cthulhu]

"How do we go from the Gewehr 98 to the K98K?" "It begins with a hacksaw." Making them for the post office... because evidently the postmen were having a LOT of problems with dogs suddenly.

[@Ensign_Cthulhu]

@@King.Leonidas Yeah, but it's not the job of the post office to fight crime.

[@joshuazoldschool4720]

Why is the idea of an Armed Mail Service sound so strange? You don't think every single Mail Carrier back in the Old West, especially those driving Stages full of not only mail, but often Payrolls and the like. Yes Sir, pretty sure that's where the term Riding Shotgun came about, when You wouldn't catch anyone transporting Mail or goods of any kind back in them days. Mail carriers and firearms have a long tradition of practicality together. 👍😉

[@visionist7]

Coach drivers in 18th century England often had a blunderbuss on the seat beside them for highwaymen.

[@hugebartlett1884]

Don't know about a five round rifle for estate deliveries,a friend of mine some years ago at the time a policeman reckoned a flame thrower would be practical.

[@Jay-mv7xv]

Excellent video! Your ramblings are always informative! Thanks!

[@Autoknacker233]

Thank you. It was realy interesting. I love the kar98k and other variants of the modell98

[@Jason-fm4my]

Great video. My expectations were exceeded. It was a beautiful gun, great camera work, audio, and fascinating detail and history.

[@PajamaPantsStudios]

He calls it rambling, but it’s a quick 12 minute video. I’d say it’s perfectly scaled.

[@robviousobviously5757]

I love my VZ24 8mm Mauser... smooth & accurate along with being the inspiration for the K98K...

[@keithplymale2374]

That looks a lot like my "bcd" 40/41 K98K I have. Except for the spring difference of course. Mine is supposedly a Eastern Front booty capture. Bought it in the mid 1990's for around #170 at a gun show.

[@Cohac]

I didnt find the history lesson rambling at all. In fact, context like that is among my favorite parts of your videos.

[@jamesdalton2014]

This rifle is in such good condition, with all matching parts, because the post office didn't see much combat in WW2. They got bombed a lot but, they didn't see nearly as much infantry action.

[@brittakriep2938]

I am german, Brittas boyfriend. The Postschutz ( postal protection) was intended to guard post buildings , post trains ( or single post wagons in an ordinary train) . Up to 1990s german post was a 100% gouvernement owned company, and not only letters and parcels had been post work, also telephone and postal bank had been formerly postal branches, also no more existing telegraph. So there had been a large number of buildings , vehicles, railway wagons, telephone and telegraph lines. And in wartime may be more things. Also up to 1990s german railway was mostly gouvernement owned , with a Bahnpolizei/ railway police. In wartime also the Bahnschutz existed, as a guard unit only ( but not well reputated). So sometimes the ,soldiers' defending german trains in wwll had been in reality members of railway police, railway protection and postal protection.

[@CtrlAltRetreat]

@@brittakriep2938 Having functioning postage was super important all the way up til 2000s so I get that, but how would you rate their service. In the late 19th, early 20th century, America had rampant problems with postal trains, carriages,and point express being robbed so we had to majorly arm our postal workers too, even using active army to defend them. Did Germany have the same problems?

[@mmouse1886]

@@CtrlAltRetreat in Europe "Highwaymen" was the most popular job for Brigands and outlaws, basically just robbing people solely in transit on cross-country roads. When railways became a thing a lot of the lines themselves where in these places, post trains being the highest priority, and especially trains carrying cargo between banks, which almost always meant large bags of money if not outright gold bars meant that the postmen had to be armed for the invariably armed highwaymen with illegally obtained or even stolen firearms.

[@demonprinces17]

The best looking German pistols came from the police and agencies like this

[@demonprinces17]

@@mmouse1886 just how often did German banks and trains get robbed?

[@shotforshot5983]

Love the machine work of the pre-war stuff.

[@andersjjensen]

The long rambling about the rearmament process is what makes the rifle interesting. A short "this is that, but with this barrel band feature changed" would have been boring as frig :P

[@vikingdad.3678]

I've been hunting with one of these since I was 12 and let me tell you what it sure is a beautiful rifle and I like it so much I might even get buried with it when I die or heirloom it to my son I haven't decided yet.

[@shawnr771]

Nice rifle. Thank you for the additional history.

[@Qloke]

the very long ramblings about history are the reason we're watching your videos.

[@GrayD1ce]

Germany decided to start the going postal q few decades early by actually supplying the guns

[@loupiscanis9449]

Thank you , Ian . 🐺

[@blitzkrieg9408]

I had an all matching hood quality one made in 1938 got it for $450, lost it in a house fire in 2019

[@James-j4l2y]

I had a Custom Rifle built using his action. (6.5 X .284) Has the Safety converted also. Tack driver.

[@j.r.6271]

The K98k is one of the guns that got me into guns. I used that bad boy to beat a whole lot of games like call of duty 3 back in the day, and it led me all the way to a degree in firearms technology.

[@earlyriser8998]

found the long rambling about rearmament interesting. I would love to see what this sells for in a future video.

[@grahammcrae6734]

When the treaty in 1919 restricted the German Army to 20 thousand men the army decided to issue these men with modernised rifles. So they took the G98 and fitted it with the later style stock as fitted to this one as this was better fo carying slung over the back, turned down the bolt handle and fitted the tangent sight and called it the Kar98B. The only reason they did not shorten the barrel is that the original cartridge produced too much muzzle flash which blinded the soldier so they developed a modification to the powder and they could then shorten the barrel and the rifle be accepted as the Kar98K but they still had problems with muzzle flash. Keep up with the history as it is a great resource.

[@GeFlixes]

tbh I enjoy this style of video, where you use a weapon to talk about history. It's very informative and could even be it's own format.

[@ChrisDanly]

There's an ostrich/smoothie meme here... Allies: "whatcha got there?" Germany, holding a K98k: "Postal supplies"

[@Damoinion]

To me, this is actually a very nice looking rifle. I am very unlikely to ever get access to one here in NZ so I really appreciate this review by someone who actually knows what they are talking about.

[@MyTv-]

How fitting, the rifle for the Post office went Postal!

[@Coltbreath]

Always appreciate the ramblings!👍

[@robertkerber831]

I love the early pre-acceptance Mauser Banner models and variations and the S/42 and S/147 K and G models of 1934 and 1935, and the all matching S/147 K model you featured is just a mind-blowing rarity, including in it's original condition. Now THAT'S a survivor any 98 lover/collector would die and go to Heaven to have!

[@davidwatson2399]

Im glad you pronounced Brno correctly. 👍

[@_ArsNova]

I’ve got one of these! I have an early J.P. Sauer rifle from 1935, factory code “S/147/G”, interesting to see the comparison. Mine has the factory code on top of the receiver for example.

[@rancidpitts8243]

I acquired a bare Mauser Standard Model action in a trade. It had a beautiful Blue and nothing else. I took it to a Gun Show to find parts for it, and ended up trading it to a collector for a complete Mexican Mauser barreled action in 7X57. The bore was decent, and the bolt bent. Later I began to think I got the poor end of the deal. I would have Bubbaed it anyway.

[@criggie]

Your "rambling" is what makes these interesting and not formula/cookie cutter videos.

[@TheHylianBatman]

Very interesting. Prototypes and development are the bread and butter of this channel, and I regularly enjoy it. How neat. Nothing like arming the party army and the civilian agencies. It's not the military!

[@nc_classics9767]

I have an FN model 24 in 7 mm Mauser with a very very short barrel. It is Marked with the Mexican crest, I have not been able to find another one like it, for some reason it also has a British coin inset into the stock. There is a barrel band right at the muzzle. The barrels right at 16 inches.

[@OTE_TheMissile]

By all means, ramble on sir. I mostly watch this channel for the mechanisms and engineering, but something with a good story behind it can be just as enjoyable

[@Youcannotfalter]

Beautiful rifle.

[@leticiabraun2909]

Such a classy channel .

[@PrebleStreetRecords]

Seeing this is so helpful- I have one example like this, that has sadly been sporterized- and there is very little information out there.

[@ericschulze5641]

Preble st. ? Preble N.Y. ?

[@PrebleStreetRecords]

@@ericschulze5641 Nope! Named after the road I ran a recording studio on many years ago in Maine.

[@comiketiger]

Great video! A lot of interesting information. Thanks much! God bless all here.

[@jordanwade517]

Fantastic video! Super informative

[@dallebull]

Quite optimistic to start the range at the Gewer 98 iron sights at 400m...

[@rictusmetallicus]

Why, everything closer is shot at from the hip

[@Aliyah_666]

It was how was worked back then funnily enough.

[@InfectiousFight]

Ian: something to take note of, the carbine-style sling mounting and the bent bolt handle were introduced to the Gewehr 98 much earlier, with the "bicycle-troops" version of it (Gewehr 98 für Radfahrer) which contains both of these elements, identical to how they would appear on the Kar98k (as far as I can tell), on blueprints that I have which are dated 1915. Presumably it was just a matter of applying that change to all the rifles for normal troops as well.

[@JGCR59]

Interestingly the Eagle proof marks still seem Weimar Republic design and are essentially the same style of eagle insigna today's Germany uses

[@Grasyl]

According to Luc Guillou in "Mauser Rifles Vol. 2 1918-1945" this weapon is called "Jagdkarabiner K18" (lit. Hunting Carbine K18).

[@nc_classics9767]

I have an FN model 24 in 7 mm Mauser with a very very short barrel. It is Mark with the Mexican crest, I have not been able to find another one like it, for some reason it also has a British coin inset into the stock. There is a barrel band right at the muzzle.

[@arneniederhut5326]

The RFV actualy had armed troops. The customs border guard service belonged to the RFV.

[@HD-J.R.]

The post office needed some long range arms to take out carrier pigeons the French were using.

[@alleningersoll7344]

I just got done sportrising a k98

[@alwaysmanandwoman]

Very interesting, thank you.

[@88manta88]

The Weimar time was special. There was also a "Big Tractor" which was the start for the tank development: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grosstraktor

[@halekang1805]

Loved the long rambling

[@gazzmell1155]

Very interesting! My interest was piqued when you mentioned the Reichsposte rifles. Do you have a video on those?

[@Engineer1897]

Whatever you want to call it, this rifle, or the K98k, maybe the best looking rifle ever made.

[@davidschaadt3460]

I saw one of those early guns at a gun shop years ago for $300. I only knew of the later letter codes at the time so I passed it up. Ooohh.

[@MsJoao101]

Nice bit of German shenanigans history!

[@rictusmetallicus]

Forgotten weapons for some, unknown weapons for others

[@nostro1940]

Sweeeet Lord jesus another k98 video!

[@davidschaadt3460]

Real nice program.

[@1888bry]

Thanks, this a good gun to have locked and cocked.

[@andrewgraham2546]

I never really looked at the numbers on the rear sight that closely on mine, I always just assumed maybe they were there for some kind of loose rifle grenade sighting but after closer inspection they are the same as on the top side just offset slightly

[@235ICBM]

RFV stands for "ReichsFinanzVerwaltung " btw

[@ChrisB.C.]

This *so* makes me want a Mauser marked, "Gewehre definitiv nicht für die Armee."

[@hotboyjones9551]

God gawd a top shelf pre war style sporter made out of (another one like) this would be awesome

[@ajsliter]

I just got an example of this dated 1937 and is a Russian Capture. The stock is shellac-ed and missing the two lock screws along with the cleaning rod. The Bolt, despite being mismatched (with the writing of the main serial on it instead of it being stamped) has been re-arsenaled and fitted fairly well to the point that the bolt runs very smoothly and the trigger breaks like glass. Going to get the parts I need to bring it back to parts complete condition (Definitely a shooter), but not going to refinish the stock, despite the shellac falling off.

[@cantsneedgaming4591]

I have nearly the same rifle russian capture shellacd stock but retains original finish

[@jamesmiddleton8128]

It's amazing how war can quicken technological advancement...

[@joeydussell9407]

It is, the idea you have to try and eb one step ahead of the people shooting back makes some crazy inventions

[@samoksner]

Amazing history lesson Ian, as always. Absolutely beautiful rifl that I only wish we could hear its stories as well!

[@ottovonbismarck2443]

"When the postman rings twice" gets another meaning.

[@jacobmcbride9426]

I enjoy history, but the books are not easy reading, would prefer to listen to someone pick out the best bits

[@M1GarandMan3005]

7:20 But Ian, I thought they already had those follower locks on the Gewehr 98, even the M1903 Springfield had a follower lock on it, just as well.

[@IM_THE_CHANGLLER]

Can't wait for you to do a video on the NSGW program

[@zacharybatten]

I would love a video on the Ch.d.A Mauser Banner rifles if you can ever get your hand on one for a video. I got one a long time ago and they still don't have a lot of good info on them out online

[@robertkerber831]

I agree, all of those similarly (association) marked 98 Mauser Banner models like the Ch.d.a., DRP, DR, and others there isn't a lot of legitimate documented information on, other than they were possibly either legitimately purchased by these organizations or just 'hokey explanations' to draw away suspicion of the Allies at the beginning of the post 1933 German military ramp-up. Maybe we will just never know if all documentation was lost during the war and no one that truly was there and knew is left to tell...

[@fhsreelfilms]

I indeed enjoyed this, Ian, but it was because of your rambling, not despite your rambling. Any time you want to ramble about historic weapons, just turn on the camera and we’lol eagerly await when the video drops.

[@KnowItAllNick]

ian we wanted LONGER ramblings on things like germanys re-armament process please.

[@NICOLAI_VET]

Sometimes we really need a view of the room when Ian is handling one of these moonrocks. I imagine 10 highly observant, very large men, dressed in black suits. 😎

[@Aliyah_666]

I doubt they worry much about Ian these days he's got a reputation for this now.

[@NICOLAI_VET]

@@Aliyah_666 Yeah. But still. That one could pay for my house several times over😂

[@wolfmann2023]

It probably belong to some high ranking officer that didn't really use it. Otherwise great video!

[@shawnr771]

Officers tended to carry pistols.

[@lamnaa]

It's only Mauser if it's from the Mauser factory, anything else is a sparkling Karabiner.