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Hi All,
Can anyone offer any insight to the markings on the barrel pictured? I just removed it from my project MG08,I doubt its ever been out of the gun since being captured in WWI.Previous owners have tried to remove it with a pipe wrench and a big punch

Dear mg34nz

your Barel was used in

Prussian Füsilier-Rgt. General-Feldmarschall Graf Blumenthal (Magdeburgisches) Nr. 36,
Garrison was the Town of MERSEBURG .

more Infos find here http://www.militaerpass.net/8id.htm

Greetings from Bavaria
alpencorps

Thank you alpencorps! That is very interesting information.
Here are a couple of pics of the gun (1916 DWM) you can see the barrel is still in the gun in the pic and also the booster has been broken off.The water jacket has a big tear from shrapnel damage to the underside so I believe that the barrel has been with the gun since capture.When the broken booster was removed the original gland packing was still in place.I am working hard to find parts to complete this gun and also a 1915 dated gun.
Regards
MG34NZ

Also here is a pic of the brass plate soldered to the water jacket,
1st MG Company MG No 8 ??

Bottom No is the number of the gun (9695) other may be the mount it was mated to? the number looks to have been changed once since the plate was made.

Had this posted on gunboards a while ago but keen for more information if anyone has anything to share

Regards
MG34NZ

hello again,

the first Marking 1. M.G.K MG 8. = Gun Nr. 8 of the Companie
is German kind,

the other Markings are not German i think,
never seen this kind of writing on German Stuff.

May bee an Arsenal-Marking after capturing?

Regards
alpencorps

Hi Alpencorps,
Yes it is indeed a bit of a mystery.This gun is a NZ war trophy gun and I doubt its been altered since it was captured.A couple of items were posted in my gunboards posting that had brass ID plates on them also.
As I said the lower number is the gun serial number and maybe the top number is the sled number? It would be nice to know! Or even as you suggest maybe an arsenal marking??? The "F 30" stamping looks to be the same font as the "MGK" at the top of the plate?

Regards
MG34NZ

Hello

I think the brass plate was not soldered by Germans,
during the war non-ferrous metal was very expensive and scarce, so it is very likely that this was installed after the WW1.
The German troops are sometimes labeled the sled with the
Rifle number with white paint.

've never seen the rifle was marked with the slede number.

Attached an example how the MG-Companie marked the parts (here ZF12 early Modell)

Greetings
alpencorps

cool thread. Any insight to these markings?

Very interesting piece bbigbore! look forward to seeing what the markings relate to.Looks to be a very nice MG08 the plate resides on also.
MG34NZ

Here are a couple pics of the spring cover and topcover with unit markings of a very early MG08, DWM #39 for comparison purposes.

Bob Naess

In addition to the education on gun markings, could anyone identify the eagle stamp on the barrels. Is it a standard German production stamp or a later(perhaps Polish) acceptance stamp? Thanks for any input.

That's the prussian proof Mark for overload shoot. you will find it on all proofed prussian gun's in ww1 era.

Fritz huge thanks. Were locks ever stamped with this Prussian eagle?
Best regards
Mark

The eagle stamp can be a proof firing stamp as stated,most Imperial lugers will have this on the right side of the frame
in a series of markings
My MG08 lock also has the eagle stamp.
i have seen reference to these being taken as being ownership markings also.

Tis eagle is a proof Mark of the prussian arms,
You will find it on lugers, Gewehr 98, Kar.98 and so on... also on mg08 lock's...

really cool thread... nice Regimental Markings, and pictures, all