You know a war is going to shit when the primary logic for removing features on the guns is "the soldier isn't going to live long enought to need said feature"

Why do I get the feeling, if the war went on past 1945, the Germans would have figured out how to make stamped barrels

1939: milled everything 1946: stamped panther

It must felt really reassuring being issued a rifle without a cleaning rod.

9:46 "Hans the situation is very bad, you know we have to do it. - Oh no, remove the screw holding the screw ? - I told you, it's critical."

Imagine being a Wehrmacht soldier, sent out to die, and the gun they give you is giving you splinters in your fingers. That must be quite the feeling of defeat.

A visual illustration of the Germans reluctantly settling on function over form.

The Japanese disapprove the decision of removing the bayonet lug

Range is stamped on the backside of the sight so you can set the range while lying behind the rifle.

Germany in 1945 "Current objective *SURVIVE* "

My Grandfather was an American soldier in WWII, he has two guns from the war, one being a luger which he says he stole off a dead German's body, and the other being the Kar98k, which he got by trading his standard issue rifle to a friend who gave him this. They are absolutely beautiful weapons, I've only ever seen them once a few years ago, but they are absolute artworks.

"Let's see what happened to German production during the war!" Bombs. Bombs happened.

"Fritz! Der Shiße has hit the fan!" "Mein Gott Hans! Hand me that rifle." "But its not finished!" "Too late now... "

"And by 1945, dear lord the russians are coming!" best summery of 1945

Some poor kid being handed the 1945 rifle: so like how do I clean the barrel and the bolt? Guy giving out the rifles: nah Hans you won’t need to clean this cause...you know what don’t worry about it😂

Ian: "No nation is going to actually issue rifles that are legitimately unsafe to their soldiers." USA circa 1903: "Challenge accepted." Canada circa 1905: "Hold my beer."

What a perfectly satisfying format for this video: all three versions, in frame, having each component broken down for how it changed and why. Loved it thank you!

Take a shot every time Ian has to say stamped

"If you live long enough to need to disasemble your bolt" Classic savage Ian :D

Dude, where's my Kar?

EXCELLENT VIDEO! we've been doing a lot of research recently on exactly this topic: the transition to the semi kreigs and full kreigsmodell! RE: undermarkings on the sights... I learned that the sight leaf under-marked range graduations were a carry-over from the trench era, The idea was that the soldier could adjust the sights of the rifle by flipping it up, seeing the range markings without peeking over the rifle (staying low to cover) and adjusting the proper range by looking at the bottom of the leaf.

i imagine at some point some guy spent the whole war making Karabiner, then one day picked up a 35 model, and a 45 model and cried.

"No one will design a gun dangerous to their soldiers..." have you seen a late war type 94 nambu pistol? Those things are so dangerous they should be on the list of NFA destructive devices

The markings on the bottom of the sight have a use. They are still used in guns like the mg3. If youre prone and you want to adjust the sights you can do it as low as you can. Its probably pretty useless on a rifle tho

Ian:"no nation would issue weapons legitimately unsafe for their soldiers to use" Japan: "hold my sake" *Issues Type 94 Nambu Pistol*

the double faced sight marking was a serious deal so if a solider was in a trench or in a prone situation and had to adjust elevation he doesn't need to pull the gun back and look from above or ruin his positioning to adjust it he just flip the sight making it vertical and adjust using the markings on the back of the sight then close it again that was a really good feature

The lack of cleaning rods wasn't an issue since they had been using the RG-34 tobacco can style cleaning kit with the pull through chain. The cleaning rods were only half length anyway. Two had to be threaded together to reach down the bore. The US didn't issue cleaning rods with the M1903 or WWII era M1 Garands. They just used a pull through. The sectioned cleaning rod for the M1 came postwar.

Right when this Video was published I was in the process of assambling my own K98 (all inert parts, no fireing function and no real barrel) from original parts. I had trouble finding good reference material to decide which parts would fit and what to look for. Literally a day later this Video emerged and basically solved all my problems. Thanks, Ian. It was a real fun Project and you and your Videos are the main reason I could pull it off.

10:01 If you notice closely, something hit the bunker Gun Jesus was examining the rifles from. This proves that Gun Jesus actually time travels to provide us with more accurate information.

"Bayonet not practical for anything" 20xx: US troops use bayonets in Afghanistan

Is it just me or are crude last ditch weapons almost more interesting than their well made counterparts?

I love how he says "if you live long enough" when talking about the lack of features on the last ditch model. Real morale booster there gun jesus...

The Bolt changed! From oval to round pressure relieve holes and the extractor guide on the bolt was removed...

Just picked myself up a good condition k98 and it's hands down my absolute favorite rifle I've ever owned

Gun Jesus make another one miracle! I've just bought 98k and now he's sending me the Revelation! My rifle is 1936 and has laminate stock with flat butplate and milled disassembly disk.

The numbers below the sight are actually really useful. If you want to change the Range your sight is set to and you are laying down, it’s pretty hard to look at the markings from the Top, because you are behind the rifle and raising or moving around to get a better view on the numbers would not be an option. If you have the number also on the bottom , you can just flip it over an set the sight according to them without having to move 🤷‍♂️

I have interestingly acquired a CE-44 marked Mauser with an odd, suspected last-ditch stock. All the features of the BCD-4 shown in this video were present with the exception of the woodwork and front sight hood. The stock, not belonging to any of the typical patterns of K98k stocks, was a hideous thing of slimmer proportions than a standard one. It seemed to be modeled after the common types but notably different in dimensions, similar to a Khyber Pass kind of build. Wooden plugs were in place of the cross pin and bolt takedown, and the buttplate was a leather strip. The stock abruptly ended at the front sight and utilized a Kreigsmodell nose cap sawed in half, held in place by two different-sized wood screws. To top it off it was heavily lacquered in a finish that appeared to be applied by an 8-year-old. Sounds like some sort of postwar "modification", right? And this is the interesting part: the stock has a STAMPED serial number matching to the receiver and barrel (2680)! WTF! I would not doubt that someone has sporterized the gun considering the presence of some non matching parts, but who in the hell would go through the trouble to stamp a serial number in the damn stock, only to leave the other parts well alone? The guy that gave me the gun had no idea what it was; a "gunsmith" told him it was chambered in 7.65x53 Argentine, said it wouldn't chamber and extract a round. I was doubtful of both of these, all I did was clean the bolt and the thing cycled like a dream. I then went to the range with a box of Argentine, only to find that it couldn't hit a barn door at 50 feet (no exaggeration). Discouraged, I let the gun sit awhile. One night while watching a Forgotten Weapons video on a Chilean Mauser I conjured up some confidence to revisit the derelict. Under research of the markings I eventually came up with the idea that it might actually be a legit Nazi K98k (my all-time favorite bolt action rifle). This time I tested the gun out with 8mm Mauser, and what do you know? It shot amazing! Today the gun wears a beautiful Kreigsmodell stock and a front sight hood, seemingly because it might resemble it's original last ditch configuration. It is a great shooting - and great looking - piece of history. If anyone knows any more information about this kind of rifle I would love to hear it (Oh, and Ian. Thank you for inspiring me to revisit this great firearm).

I remember reading that the early front sights were numbered on the bottom as well so soldiers could adjust them from the prone position without lifting their heads or moving the rifle. I believe it was in Richard Laws’ “Backbone of the Wehrmacht”, another great video, keep em coming.

PLEASE JUST ONCE. Do a intro with "Hey welcome to forgotten weapons, my name is gun jesus and im at auction house X today"

I really need to get myself a 98k one of these days.

I can see the value in having the bottom of the sight graded. Imagine how annoying it would be if you are laying prone or even bench rested and wanted to adjust for range. You would have to bring your head up high (bad idea) or tip the rifle back towards you. Instead, you could just flip the sight up, and still looking down the barrel, adjust the sight range. Seems nice to me.

Great video as always, Ian. Recently, I purchased a 1941 Gustloff Werke K98k from a man who claimed his father brought it home from WWII as war booty. There are no import marks on it, so I tend to think that's true. It also came with a "butcher bayonet" that is marked "ALEX COPPEL SOLINGEN 1918." All of the serial numbers on the K98k match except for the bolt, which has a straight bolt handle, not a bent one.

I’ve got a sporterized k98k. We bought it in the early 90’s. Not sure the entire history, other than that we bought it from an old hermit gunsmith in central MN. He lived alone in a small 10x20 shack where he built guns. It’s got an eagle stamped and Belgique on it. Might be a Frankenstein built from various components. It’s a great gun. It was my brothers first deer rifle and I have hunted with it every year since he passed away in 2000. I love that rifle.

Dear Ian, 1. The development of the laminate stock was necessitated by Roosevelt's banning export of American Walnut to Germany. 2. The cupped butt plate was developed to prevent delamination that occurred with prolonged exposure to moisture, such as standing the rifle in melting snow. Thank you for another great presentation, Allan

No cleaning rod? Eh, they’ll probably freeze solid at Stalingrad anyway.

The quality of the "worker" declined as well, - from citizen to prisoner to slave

Thank you, Mr. McCollum! Your knowledgeably presented insights and hype-free style are a delightful excursion into the esoteric and useful, every time. The purpose of the sight being numbered on both bottom and top is so that it could be adjusted by a soldier laying prone, while also keeping his weapon prone: just flip up the sight, adjust, flip down, and you're ready again, without lifting your head.

"No nation, Germany, Japan or anybody else is going to actually issue rifles that are legitimaly unsafe" - well, I guess since Nambu are pistols you're technically right

Her brother Her ex You

My K98k is S/42G, no. 3303. They're sisters!

I had an experience that made me wonder what the logic was behind the 2K yards/meters sight setting for rifles with iron sights. A friend of mine took me to a shooting range out in the Nevada desert where a 55 gallon/200L sized drum was placed up on a hillside at 1,000 yards, with that white-painted drum being used as a rifle target, and it was barely visible. The girth of an average man would be considerable narrower than that of a drum that size. The only thing I could figure was if there was a crowd of soldiers grouped together, out in the open, then maybe a rifle shot could hit someone within that group when firing at such a distance.

I have a 42 BCD and I am glad they still made high quality rifles at that stage.

Ian, I think the range markings on the bottom of the sight are there for when you are lying prone, you dont have to move the rifle or lift your upper body to check the range, so you can change the setting with better cover and as little movement as possible in order not to give away your position and stay as close to the ground as possible.

Early model "en churmany vee must have ein screw to hold the screw" lol the late model could have been called the "zwei x vier"

The reason for the range settings on the bottom is that the soldiers are able to adjust the sight also when they were lying on the ground in shooting position. So if this was the case they were not able to look on top of the sight.

Thanks Ian, I now know more about my very interesting K98k rifle. Mine is a BYF 42 code rifle with a non laminated stock, but no cleaning rode or bayonet lug. I took this as a post war repair as the fit & finish of the wood was not as good as the rest of the stock & only a close match to the rest of the gun. The nose cap on mine matches the late war version, so very likely a war time repair.

Thanks Ian one of your best videos yet.

Just a guess, but I'd think the range markings on the bottom of the rear sight are for soldiers to be able to adjust the sights while prone. Lift the rear sight, move the slider, put it back down without substantially moving from your shooting position. Just a hunch, but it sorta kinda makes sense-ish.

Two issues with the video. The graduated site marks were on the underside of the sight leaf so the shooter could adjust the sites with minimal movement by not having to adjust his or the rifles position to look over top. Secondly the rifle had to be made with such high standards in the beginning because it was posing as a sporting rifle. Making a purely combat grade weapon would raise suspicion

Who the hell would dislike this video? Ian does such a great job in all his videos

The thing is, that the cleaning rod isn’t for cleaning, for that the soldier had a „cleaning device” wich was a metal bore snake. The rod was mostly for rifle pyramids.

One of the things you can do with the range on both sides of the sights is to see the numbers easily without taking the gun out of your shoulder, a very small thing but it's there intentional or not

Ian you are the Guru of guns. Anytime I need info I look to you. You also deliver it in a precise and easy to listen to manner....keep it up, thanks Blake

The reason the cleaning rod was deleted is because they had transitioned to using the cleaning chain included with the issued cleaning kit in a tin, the Reinigungsgerat 34.

The Kar98 was my first rifle.

A thought on the range markings on the bottom of the rear sight. It would be easier and safer when shooting prone to adjust your elevation by lifting the rear sight ramp and using the rear markings than by removing the rifle from the line and adjusting from the top.

I have got to say that even the Kriegsmodell does not look like a bad rifle, for a "last ditch" rifle it is still pretty damn well made

Note on the markings on the bottom of the visor: The markings on the underside ensure that you don't have to take your head out of cover to adjust the sight distance! You open the visor and set the desired distance without having to expose yourself. This is a lesson from the trench battles of the First World War and makes perfect military sense!

"mid war" 1944 model lulz

Just from a "what rifle would I like in my hands" point of view, I'd say that they should have had something between the second and third models. The stock should be finished and there should be a cleaning rod. But the various stamping simplifications make a lot of sense. There was also probably no reason for a bayonet mount, but that was something that almost nobody seemed to recognize until almost the end of the war.

There actually is a good reason the range markings are on the bottom of the rear sights. I learned this from a former combloc RPK gunner. The thing is, if you need to adjust your sights, you either have to raise your head up and look down on the rifle, or lift the muzzle up. I you are being shot at, or want to not be seen, neither of these things are a good idea. Hence, you lift the sight up and adjust it while your head is still low behind the rifle and safe. No need to even go off target.

In the market for a K98k and your video was very helpful. Thanks Ian.

Great video! Now I know more about the evolution of the Kar98k. I own one 1941 Kar98k built by Berlin-Lübecker Maschinenfabrik (duv) and one Vz. 24/33 (Czech Mauser) built by Zbrojovka Brno. This rifle is a totally mess 😳 with German parts from Mauser AG Oberndorf (byf) and Johannes Grossfuss, Metall- u. Locierwarenfabrik, Doebeln, Sachsen (bpr).

Uploading at 6am CST eh? My one chance to be this early to the party. I've never owned a firearm in my life, but Ian's love of history keeps me glued to the channel.

The gradation on the bottom is so that the soldier could adjust the sight prone, etc. Without really moving the gun or picking his head up

Excellent Video, top notch as usual! I just want to add two points i noticed: 1. The graduation on the back of the rear sight was not just a useless cosmetical addition, it was actually used to set the range while in the prone position. The same feature can be found on pre war export models (Portugal 1937 contract for example) and on mid war german rifles. 2. The ditiching of the cleaning rod has had nothing to do with the expected life span of a front line solider. It was ditched because it was rarely ever used to clean the rifle but as a stacking hook to make nice rifle pyramids. For cleaning, soldiers up to the end of the war were issued a rifle cleaning kit containing amongst other items a segmented pull through cain. This chain was used to clean the rifle barrel using cleaning cloth.

We have Wallnut trees in Germany. A whole lot.

Do an actual episode on the Kar98k please!

My 1941 m98k is a combination of the prewar and the 44. Having laminate stock, the flat buttplate and the fancy H barrelbands. Nice vid

I got a bnz 45 Kriegsmodell and a S/42G and they both shoot pretty excellent. I agree that you're really not getting any less of a rifle (from a practical standpoint) between the early war and "last ditch" K98k. Really just machining marks, fit and finish, and stamped versus milled as you point out, but accuracy-wise and general durability of the rifle, you got no real differences that change much of anything. Like you pointed out, I was most aware of the Type 99 "last ditch" rifles I've seen, which of course get pretty wild with the "oh shit" factor. When I encountered my bnz 45, I was like "the Germans call this a 'last ditch' effort? Still looks pretty awesome to me." The walk through you did on these three rifles was great, thanks for another quality FW video! -Mr. 2nd

I have a byf 42, that is a slight mix of the pre-war and mid-war variants. Features a laminate stock, with a cupped buttplate, and milled bolt disassembly ring. Has a fully milled trigger guard. The rear sight features the range markings on the bottom. The front bands are of mid-war production, with no "H" cutouts, and less refined machining on the sling mount. And lastly, the front sight has the cutouts for the sight hood. My byf 45 on the other hand, is slightly different from the one you had. For mine, the laminate stock has been finished. It retains the secondary locking screws on the stamped trigger guard, and has a hole drilled for a cleaning rod (which it had, but was sadly lost by someone who borrowed it). Otherwise, the changes are the same as the late 1945 production you showed us.

amazing video! gun jesus never disappoints.

If you're laying prone, it might be handy to flip up the sight to make adjustments before putting it back and still maintain a down range sight line. Just a thought.

Probably one of my favorite videos of yours, I know the K98k is not a forgotten weapon but the change over the war is to an extent. It also demonstrates the stresses of the war, not that the Kriegsmodel is a bad rifle by any means but the stress of the war changed the K98k. From nice uniforms, professionally trained troops, and a competent local workforce to a struggling industry, sub-standard troops, and a mostly force-labor work force the common infantry weapon shows what was going in the 3rd Reich during the war and how commodities and even the society had to change and compensate for the stresses of an un-winnable war. I also have a 1942 Steyer made K98k, it is like the 1944 K98k there. Great rifle, always works, east to maintain, and even though a war production still very aesthetically pleasing.

My favorite bolt action rifle of all time I want a 1943 production version of it because of the added improvements

I think i parked my Kar in the wrong place

I have a 1941 K98k and with it you can really see where they were starting to make the choices of changing certain parts of the gun in comparative with the pre and midwar rifles.

It is so lowkey funny how Ian keeps ranting about the decresing built-quality of these rifles. His voice is just so calm which makes it so hilarious

This is such a cool video. Please do this with the Mosin Nagant next!

Just woke up for this ur welcome love from Texas y’all

"You'll probably be killed before your rifle gets dirty enough to clean. Sorry about that." That must have done wonders for morale.

The idea of the markings on the back of the sight is if you are prone or in a firing position, you can flip the sight up and set the range and drop it back down without moving the rifle out of the firing position to look at the top. Range was called out by the squat leader or officer.

Slave laborers would urinate in the glue, causing structural failure in aircraft wing assemblies and rudder/stabilizer components. They also plugged oil passages in tank and aircraft engines and transmission/ reduction gear cases.

I would like to see if this happen also in ww1 on G98 and Kar98

FINALLY I HAVE BEEN WAITING YEARS FOR THIS VIDEO

I love this channel, I learn so much, I love military history. My dad always told me of the benefits of laminate stocks, their weight for recoil absorption, their strength of the alternating grains and plies, the weather resistance due to all the glue, and that it keeps your hands warm. It's very forward-thinking of a country to equip their infantry rifles like that. I also like the but cap, I agree with it's function. Dad also told me, back in the 1980's, guys would go to gun shows and buy old Mausers, and craft/commission a custom rifle around the action (Maybe the original barrel too, I'm not sure) Thanks for the history.

Germany made own "ersatz" bayonets during WWI 😇 They has many models and use experience of that in WWII 😁

god that s42G is just to damn pretty

About those underside markings on the sights: that is still present on the MG3 in German service right now. The racional behind that is to give the soldier the chance to adjust the sight accurately from a shooting position without having to pull in the rifle/ take the eyes away from the front. It's somewhat unnecessary, but there is a reason to do it. Thanks for the interesting stuff, keep up the good work Ian

11:04 There is one reason to put the range markings on the rear sight, easier manipulation in the prone position so you don't have to move the rifle to set your range.