I have also read that in Europe it was not uncommon to store rifles and bolts separately so that should the rifles fall into the hands of enemies foreign or domestic they were useless.
So I have to assume that sometime somewhere a bunch of rifles and their proper bent bolts were separated from each other, and then the rifles re-issued with available straight handled bolts, and the one I have may have been one of them. Then, years later, I was reading about WW II and how German support troops were often issued K98k rifles with straight bolt handles. He did a great job and it can't be distinguished from one that was originally made as a bent handle. He dug through his parts drawers and found one, but I had him bend the one that came in the rifle as I was worried about headspace-just something I had read but didn't know much about. There weren't that many gun books or gun magazines around in those days, so I consulted my local gunsmith and he confirmed that it should be bent. didn't match the receiver's number, but I didn't know much about them at the time, and it took about a year for me to realize that the dished out area in the stock below the bolt handle's knob was probably a relief for knuckles, in which case the bolt would have to be bent.
My first K98k came when I was about age 15, and it had a straight bolt. Now there's an interesting point for speculation, straight vs. Yours looks much like mine, except mine has a turned down bolt like Scharfs', back up in post #13. Verrry Interesting, as Artie Shaw used to say. But a double stamped K98k is a nice thing to have in one's collection because it indicates more-or-less continuous service from WW I through the Weimar Republic and into WW II, and that it probably started life as a Gew 98 with the roller coaster rear sight and was modified to K98k standards. So, just to be technically correct, there could be no K98k rifles left over from WW I as it was a postwar development. The same (double date stamps) can be found on some Luger pistols. The double date stamp can be an indicator of simple acceptance of the rifle into Weimar service unaltered, alteration to the flat sight, or modification to K98k standards. This is where you'll encounter the double stamps on the receivers, indicating that the rifle was manufactured during WW I but later modified for reissue under the new standard. 98 only in having a flat tangent leaf rear sight." When the German Army decided upon the rifle commonly encountered in WW II, the K98k, overall length 43.6", production was still limited by the Treaty of Versailles. 98 Modified was also issued, described with one sentence only in "The Book of Rifles" by W.H.B. 98 was the initial standard issue, but the Gew. During the Weimar Republic era the original Gew. It was unwieldy for trench raids and otherwise encumbered soldiers like artillerymen and machine gunners, so a shorter version was developed called the Kar.
The main battle rifle used by the Germans in WW I was Gew 98, 49.2" in overall length, the most distinctive feature being the "roller coaster" rear sight. Perfect to complete your WWI era Mauser Rifle.Didn't Germany keep a good number of K98a rifles after the war? I have one stamped 19 above it. Copied from an original in the IMA collection our, ours are correctly crosshatched, each sling comes complete with a steel detachable butt swivel, steel adjustment buckle, and steel stacking hook ring. wrapper.boxcontent,#nscopyright.topbar, #showcase,#tabs, #tab1,#tab2,#tab3,#tab4,#tab5, #descriptiontitle, #design, #seo Powered by FrooitionThe world leader in military collectibles, military antiques and the militaria industry All Items See our eBay store for more great items > Shop CategoriesMilitariaHeadgearHolstersField GearEverything ElseEdged WeaponsNon-Firing Display GunsVintage Wartime SignsNationBritishGermanU.S.Other NationsJapan German WWI 98 Mauser Leather Sling - Gewehr M98 Item Description New Made Item: High quality brown leather sling issued for the WWI Mauser Gew 98 Long Rifle. Item: 111820499843 German WWI 98 Mauser Leather Sling - Gewehr -wrapper.