Never noticed German MG barrels are dated! Did you?

[IMBLITZVT]

I was looking over a new BSW made MG08 barrel I got in yesterday. I noticed that it had a 36 next to it. Looking over all my other barrels, I noticed that they were also stamped with the 19XX date on there. I have a lot of 17 and 18 marked barrels and one cut 14 marked barrel. I just never took note of this before! Was I just being slow? I am guessing so!

So that will help us date certain guns with matching barrels and not topcover/fusse cover depending on where the date is. The first comes to mind is that a member here, Alpencorps, as the earliest number 08/15 topcover gun #441 that we could not date since it had a missing fusee cover. It was likely a 1916 gun but could be a 1915! If that gun has a matching barrel, might this be enough to date the gun?

[www.Prussia.us]

Good call Matt, did the Turks manufacture barrels for the 08's, (like the over-priced ones IMA sales)? Or are those well used German barrels by the Turks.

[IMBLITZVT]

Good call Matt, did the Turks manufacture barrels for the 08's, (like the over-priced ones IMA sales)? Or are those well used German barrels by the Turks.

If its not imperial, reichswehr or nazi marked... I think I have a barrel that is not German. Maybe Czech or Turk... I have a good idea that some may be Turk from IMA...

[IMBLITZVT]

Here are a few of my barrels. Note the 14,17,18 and 36 standing for 1914, 1917, 1918 and 1936, the years the barrels were made. I did have a Turk made barrel. It has a crescent shape on it and no imperial markings.

[bmg17a1]

Turks made their own barrels and are so marked. Many came into the US with the Import of the Turk Mg08s and accessories by IMA. The Turk barrels are of fairly low quality steel but are serviceable for recreational shooting.

Bob Naess

[dwmmg08]

I've noticed that before, but I'll go check my barrels and see what dates Iv'e got! I think the Turk barrels are not made by the Turks, but by the Czech's, on that big contract they had to make Gew 88 parts, MG08 parts, etc in the 20's. I'm pretty sure all those barrels are going to be Czech made, they seem to have the same crescent moon stamped on them and similar markings to the Gew88 markings you see on Czech made stuff for the Turks. Most Turk made stuff seems even cruder than that, but I could be wrong, lol!

Now you've got me curious, I'll have to go see what I can find!