Polish Mauser Wz. 29 Short Rifle: Discussion of Historical Use and Collecting Tips
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- Опубликовано: 1 авг 2024
- I wanted to put together a video summarizing the years of researching and collecting I have done on Polish Mausers, with this one focusing on the desirable Wz. 29 short rifle.
This rifle saw plenty of service not only in Poland during the Nazi and Soviet invasions in 1939, but also during the Spanish Civil War as well as exports all over the world pre-WWII.
I noticed that there isn't much historical content on these rifles available in English on RUclips, so I tried to summarize and condense a lot of information that I have extracted from Polish language sources in a digestible video for future collectors who are interested in these historic rifles. As I mention in this video, unlike German firearms, which are extremely well documented, documentation of Polish pre-war firearms is extremely hard to come by since the country was ravaged by war both from the September 1939 invasions, as well as the "liberation" of the country by the Soviets in 1944, so there is some content in this video that may end up being proven incorrect in the future, but this video presents information known at the time of recording.
7/8/2024 UPDATE: Towards the end of the video, I talk about some of the characteristics of the “Polish Mauser sling”. It turns out that the one I have displayed is NOT an original Polish Mauser sling, sadly. Original Polish Mauser slings are of the same “buckle and stud” design, however the metal pieces are made of steel, the leather surface does not have any crosshatch texture (they are plain), and the “buckle” is more of a large flat rectangular shape with rounded edges. I apologize for any confusion.
9/27/2023 UPDATE: I do want to provide a "supplement/addendum" to the video based on some further research and comparison of examples throughout the years:
1. The riveted bolt stop design is NOT applicable to all models of the Wz.29/K29. It appears that from 1930-1931 K29's, they are similar to that of the K98 carbines, where there is a Polish acceptance proof on the flat spring of the bolt stop with no rivet. Starting in 1932 and onward, the rivet makes an appearance.
2. It appears that for early K29 marked receivers, they initially used German serial number conventions (1-10000) followed by a lowercase letter suffix (a, b, c, ....f, etc.). Starting in 1932, a new serial number convention is being used, with upper case suffixes primarily with 1-XXXXX M, P, and Z. If there are other letter suffixes you have seen, please let me know.
UPDATE 3/20/2023: At the 20:30 mark, I talk about a "D in a Hexagon" being a Nazi rework stamp. I no longer think that this is correct. It is my understanding from further research that this is an inspection acceptance stamp of Major Tadeusz Dzierzynski (Ref. Bayonets of the Polish Army 1918-1939 by Janusz Jaroslawski).
Please bear in mind that I am not a "RUclipsr" and I am doing this video as a side-hobby passion project, so please forgive any technical errors or inconsistencies.
I do want to acknowledge several sources of content in the making of this video, in no particular order:
- The fine folks at the K98k Forum for providing me with some good period photos to use in this video.
- Discussions with other like-minded folks on GunBoards, including the Military Mauser subforum
- Tomek of T.J. Guns, who has an excellent video on the Wz. 29 (in Polish): • KARABINEK MAUSER wz. 1...
- The War Relics Forum page on the Polish 2nd Republic: www.warrelics.eu/forum/polish...
- The History Collectors Forum RUclips Channel, which has an excellent video of Stan presenting his extensive collection of Polish Mausers: • Polish Small Arms, 191...
- The Milsurp World RUclips Channel, which has an excellent video on the G29/40: • German/Polish G29/40 -...
- Robert Ball's Mauser Military Rifles of the World
- Karabiny i Karabinki Mauser 98 w Wojsku Polskim w latach 1918-1939 by Krzysztof Haladaj and Pawel Rozdzestwienski
- Bayonets of the Polish Army 1918-1939 by Janusz Jaroslawski
Background Music:
"Szara piechota" (English: Gray infantry) is a Polish military song, written in the Polish Legions during the World War I. Performed by Chór Polskiego Radia, Orkiestra Polskiego Radia
0:00 - Introduction
3:19 - Polish Military Production
4:22 - Export Production
6:06 - Service History
7:38 - Key Features
10:48 - Comparison with Czech Vz. 24
12:12 - Variants
12:50 - Spanish Civil War Scrubbed Receiver
15:59 - Spanish & German Reworks
22:05 - Original Polish Configuration
25:16 - K98-29 Conversion
27:01 - G29/40
28:23 - Straight Bolts & Bent Bolts Discussion
32:05 - 1931 Receiver Stamp Discussion
34:01 - Wz. 29 Accessories
39:49 - Closing Thoughts
42:26 - Blooper Reel
you can tell the people at FB Radom really took pride in making the Wz 29 with how well made it is. Thanks for enlightening us on a very underrated interwar Mauser rifle that sadly doesn’t get much attention
Poland made 🇵🇱 Mausers are Awesome ,beautiful looking rifles.
I would have to agree! I know most collectors love German WWII K98k rifles, but I would take a Kbk Wz. 1898 or a Wz.29 over a K98k any day. They feel much better and are fun to shoot.
THANK You very much for all those informations shared with elegance and passion.
And congrats for Your collection!
Being from a family linked to the city of Radom (and a little bit to FB) for generations, it is highly pleasant to see young historians and amateurs taking interest in Polish heritage, in a world where History is often twisted, despised, put aside, when not erased.
Thank you for the kind words. Yes, Polish 2nd Republic firearms are my main collecting focus, so I am quite passionate about them. Growing up, there was a lot of stereotypes about the Polish forces in 1939 being stupid and weak (air force destroyed on the ground, cavalry charging tanks, etc), however when I got older and started to collect firearms I noted that the milsurp firearm community highly regarded the Polish forces and treasured their firearms. It was nice to see that there is greater respect given.
@@kurtrolson8094 I think we did not so bad, being just reborn as a country after more than a century of inexistence, torn apart between three neighbors.
Could it be better? Probably yes, but what the 2nd Republic did in just two decades, is objectively impressing.
You are free to think otherwise.
And about ‘ripped off’ designs: a lot of designs are ripped off from a lot of things. This is how it goes all over the world, there are many exemples. And the ViS was not JUST a "ripped off" 1911, it is BETTER. Borrowed from the 1911 (and from the Browning GP), YES, very likely, but not totally, and still it was a QUICKLY designed, and WELL MADE sidearm.
Model 35 Ur was an excellent anti-tank gun, Maroszek’s Kbsp 1938M was a very nice semi-auto prototype too, Poland just run out of time here.
I am also very proud of 2nd Polish Republic achievements in aviation.
@@kurtrolson8094 I know, there was a LOT of problems, but still: ONLY 2 decades, how short is this?! This is like NOTHING, in very very tensed times, quickly evolving.
I agree about "Mors" SMG, it was a still-born mistake, especially that they KNEW the Suomis (bought some for Polish Police), and the license was achievable, inter-war Poles were fine craftsmen (Polish BARs were of fantastic quality, maybe the wz. 28 is the finest version of them ALL; Polish Bofors 40 mm were incredibly well made too, and cleverly modified). Polish Nagant revolvers were better made than Russians, Polish helmets were ahead of their time etc.
As about the standardisation on Mauser: this was a matter of rationality, we got the machines from Germany, it was pure LOGIC to use them, and go on with Mauser, the weapon itself was good.
But I do not think that without the machines, the Poles would "fight with broom sticks" (even if Poles with broomstick could be dangerous too, as soldiers we proved enough through history), we would improvise something else (improvising being one of our national qualities: While Germany is a machine, Poland is a plant, someone said).
Many countries used Mauser system.
My guess is here: without Mauser machines, maybe a French licence of something?…
I have quite a LOT to blame about 1818-39 Poland, but again, I am genuinely PROUD of a LOT too (being able in those short 2 DECADES to build from scratch the most modern port of Baltic Sea, transatlantic ship, fighters as PZL P.11 and P.24, bombers as the 37B, and many other things).
I am also proud of the Polish army who stood ALONE to 2 great military powers just as long as France + British Expeditionary Corps stood to Germany alone (even if the Polish commandment was a disaster, as the government who FLED, but Polish soldiers earned respect).
@@kurtrolson8094 Thanks for being my #1 fan! 🎉🎉🎉
It clears up lots of questions i always had about the rifle i own. Bought it from Montgomery Wards in the mid 70's for $35 as a Polish Radom. Used it for deer hunting in northern Minnesota. Mine was an export model, so Spain probably had this at one time. Thank you for the info.
A lot of great information here, thanks for also going over the Vz. 24 and the differences
Thanks! Part of the reason for the inclusion of that segment in my video was because I have seen some auction listings and forum/social media posts where the owner deduces that it is a Czech Vz.24 because they see a Z in a circle stamped on the receiver, and they conclude it is Czech.
Amazing content, learned so much about these historic rifles! Appreciate the research and all the work.
9/27/2023 UPDATE: I do want to provide a "supplement/addendum" to the video based on some further research and comparison of examples throughout the years:
1. The riveted bolt stop design is NOT applicable to all models of the Wz.29/K29. It appears that from 1930-1931 K29's, they are similar to that of the K98 carbines, where there is a Polish acceptance proof on the flat spring of the bolt stop with no rivet. Starting in 1932 and onward, the rivet makes an appearance.
2. It appears that for early K29 marked receivers, they initially used German serial number conventions (1-10000) followed by a lowercase letter suffix (a, b, c, ....f, etc.). Starting in 1932, a new serial number convention is being used, with upper case suffixes primarily with 1-XXXXX M, P, and Z. If there are other letter suffixes you have seen, please let me know.
7/8/2024 UPDATE: Towards the end of the video, I talk about some of the characteristics of the “Polish Mauser sling”. It turns out that the one I have displayed is NOT an original Polish Mauser sling, sadly. Original Polish Mauser slings are of the same “buckle and stud” design, however the metal pieces are made of steel, the leather surface does not have any crosshatch texture (they are plain), and the “buckle” is more of a large flat rectangular shape with rounded edges. I apologize for any confusion.
Wow great collection and info
Wow, beautiful collection!
Thank you, it took a couple of years to build up to this. Unfortunately these rifles tend to be desirable and expensive. I got lucky with acquiring some of them. They aren't "museum pieces" but they are precious to me.
@@mkruk2 It's looking, they are in good hands ;)
Thank you for putting this video together. I have owned a WZ29 for the last 35 years or so. It is an all-matching Polish 1934 rifle. No German or Spanish marks on it. There is very little info on these rifles available, and I have seen a huge variance in prices for online examples. More info in your video than I have ever seen before. Thanks again.
Thank you, it was a “labor of love” project. I agree that very little information is out there, and a lot of misunderstanding or bad info to make things complicated! I am glad that you are the caretaker of such a rare and desirable rifle. The prices for these rifles have gone up very high. I regularly see them sell at common auction places for at least $3k or more. Anytime I hear about someone getting one for less than $1k, it is usually found at a small LGS or pawn shop where the owner was “living under a rock” and didn’t know what he had. I wish there was more “hard reference” material (especially in English) to read, as there are still more questions than answers!
@@mkruk2 Thank you very much. I believe I bought the above mentioned rifle in 1988 or so. It has a sling on it very similar to yours, but the little piece that holds the two pieces of leather together is aluminum instead of brass. The aluminum has remnants of green paint on it. I also have several boxes of Polish ammo for it that IIRC are dated 1936. They were in a huge crate of 1000 rounds or so, and I wish I had bought the entire crate! I found the rifle and the ammo at the same store, but I doubt they came in togther. It is by far my favorite Mil-Surp rifle.
Most excellent material. Thank you for your effort and clear examples/explanations.
I do have a question: what are your sources for finding such surplus items other than the gun joker?
Thank you very much! It took a lot of years of slow research and collecting!
@@adlep I used to get a lot of my stuff from GunBroker, but lately the taxes/fees and super high bidding has been turning me off. I have been buying a lot from online forum Trader pages like K98k Forums and GunBoards. Additionally, I keep an eye out at Simpsons Ltd, Empire Arms, Axis Arms, and Legacy Collectables. Other than that, I try to stop by 2 somewhat close by LGS to see what milsurp rifles they have, however since the birth of our son recently, I haven’t had time to drive around and browse.
@@mkruk2 Excellent suggestions. Thank you. I am a Polish American. Getting a good example of WZ 29 is important for me and I will follow your leads to keep my eye for a good specimen
@@adlep Good luck on the hunt! I live in the Chicagoland area with a lot of Polish Americans and likely a large amount of collectors. I have never seen any for sale by me. I am always jealous of people not looking for one and finding them in “the middle of nowhere” pawnshops for $400-600!
Excellent video! In the factory it would be an extremely easy and cheap modification to delete the relief in the stock intended obviously for the bent bolt handle, so if the poles left it there it was for some reason... perhaps a bent bolt handle version was in the works and they wanted a "standard" stock for all?
The specs of the Wz 29 are impressive, down to the reinforcing dowels in the (normally weak) top handguard, they really took their time.
Polish WZs are my absolute favorite mauser.
It has eluded me as not many are in my country.
A friend got one but nothing I tried made him sell.
And it was original pre war manufacture in original condition.
As my grandfather was Polish military I have always wanted one.
He survived.
With German rework please don't quote me but I believe the workers at Radom destroyed the tooling before it's capture.
Now there were massive amounts of parts in storage bins, so many of these German WZs were mixtures of German and Radom parts until until Radom parts were all used.
Tooling was reestablished and a more homogeneous rifle was produced.
Your bolt knob will require heating to straighten so please take it to a good gunsmith as it may need heat treatment?
Though it's the shroud so may not matter.
thanks for the video man! i bought a WZ-29 the other day and thanks to your video i figured out mine is a Spanish civil war used rifle.
Thank you! Glad I could help. I can't tell you the number of times that I have seen posts from people along the lines of "Hey I found this Mauser at my local gun store with no markings, is it a K98k like the shop owner says?" Most of the time, it is a Spanish Civil War Wz.29.
@@mkruk2 yeah, I thought it was some wired VZ just to realize there much more uncommon
ciao io ne ho uno quanto puo valere?
@@ilariozonca8821 ho comprato il mio per 600 USD. Se ha un segno sul ricevitore, varrà molto di più.
@@ilariozonca8821 Sto usando google translate, quindi mi scuso per gli errori grammaticali. Un fucile della guerra civile spagnola senza segni vale circa 700 dollari americani. Tuttavia, tieni presente che questo valore è nel mercato americano e può essere diverso all'estero.
Beautiful collection 😍 Very educational video, Polish weaponry and campaign of 1939 it's my favorite passion and subject. Make more videos, please.💪👍👍👍👍👍first to fight 🇵🇱
Dariusz, thank you for the kind words. This video took me several years of research and collecting to make, so it has a pretty high “production value”. I have other videos on my channel on other Polish firearms, like the VIS 35 pistol, the Karabinek Wz. 1898, a Polish rework of a Gewehr 98, and Polish Bayonets.
@@mkruk2 I will definitely watch it, I'm subscriber to Your channel, I'm from Philadelphia, how about You?
@@dariuszskurski9627 Chicago area, so yeah a pretty sizable Polish population in my area.
@@mkruk2 Really? LOL
My brother lives in Streamwood and probably 100 other people I know in surrounding area 🤣🤣🤣
@@mkruk2 such coincidence...I'm from Algonquin 🤣
Great video by the way. Suuuuper informative 👌
3/20/2023 UPDATE: At the 20:30 mark, I talk about a "D in a Hexagon" being an example of a Nazi rework stamp. I no longer think that this is correct. It is my understanding from further research that this is an inspection acceptance stamp of Major Tadeusz Dzierzynski (Ref. Bayonets of the Polish Army 1918-1939 by Janusz Jaroslawski). German depot rework stamps are only on the underside of the buttstock and consist of a Nazi eagle with a depot code below it.
Thanks for the shout out
Gotta give credit where it is due. Your video on the G29/40 is most excellent and provides more detail than I would ever be able to.
Thanks. I've heard there's only a handful of matching G29/40s in the United States. I got super lucky with the one I have. I found this video looking up Wz29s because I just bought one yesterday.
@@MilsurpWorld I can believe that. I saw that RTI has an extremely rough looking and total mismatched one for $2.5k, sheesh! Congrats on the Wz.29 pickup! I can't wait to see more details about it on your IG, Reddit, or eventual RUclips video :D
🇵🇱 Great channel
Thank you very much for the compliment. This video was a labor of love. I am sorry to say that I probably won’t have any new content for a while. My infant son is keeping me very busy and I don’t have any other milsurps that I want to make a video about. I prefer to make content on esoteric firearms that aren’t covered elsewhere on RUclips.
Great video and thanks for putting forth the time and effort. I have a question regarding my WZE 29. It has the typical export Z stamp on the right of the action but it has no serial number on the barrel or rifle. The stock has a serial number on it and appears to be polish. (Has dowels and an inspection stamp). The bolt is polish made with serial number and eagle with no export Z. So it’s obviously a piece together but why no serial on the barrel or action? Thanks
Thanks for watching and asking a good question. It is strange that yours does not have a serial number on the receiver or the barrel. Have you tried removing the barreled action from the stock? Typically the “export” serial number is stamped on the underside. I wonder how your rifle was processed/registered when it was imported/purchased without a serial number.
Witch version of grey infantry did you use? I could not find any like the one in video.
ruclips.net/video/ynnO3_HkK6E/видео.html
I managed to snag an example from the original trials batch. It's my most prized mauser rifle.
That is amazing! Congratulations on owning a rare jewel. Do you have photos of it posted anywhere on a forum?
@@mkruk2 no, but I ought to
I need a bayonet and a cleaning rod.. any ideas where to look best places to find $$$
Cleaning rod: Nestof.pl has reproductions.
Bayonet: eBay. Be prepared to spend $350 minimum.
Gentlemens, I am looking for a place in USA which have Polish WWII era weapons for sale. Any Suggestions?
From my experience, there really isn't a place or website that regularly has them for sale. I have seen the occasional Polish crested Mauser on places like Empire Arms, Legacy Collectables, and Pre98 very very rarely, and when they are listed, they are being sold for a LOT of money, way more than I am willing to pay. Your best option is to join Milsurp oriented forums such as GunBoards or the K98k Forum and be patient and ask others if they have one they are willing to sell. I recently saw one being listed for sale for $350, and it was sold in less than 1 minute of being posted! I have never seen one for sale locally at a gun shop near my house.
Additionally, you can try your luck at auctions such as Proxibid or Gunbroker, but most of the time, Polish crested Mausers end up closing at an extremely high price.
I believe that sling shown is Czech. The Poles used smooth leather and only steel retaining buttons. Excellent Video...... Bardzo Dziekuje
Paul, thank you for the comment. I am not 100% sure either way to be honest. From the reference books I have in my collection, one doesn't focus on the Polish sling design/characteristics and the other only has black and white period photos or color illustrations, which show brass retaining buttons, but aren't detailed enough to show the sling texture pattern. I did a couple of searches online for more information, but the results were inconclusive. When I look at pristine examples of these rifles, almost always the slings are not present, probably because they were lost or degraded over time. Do you have a good reference for the sling design being Czech? If it is in the Polish language, I can read it, although very slowly haha!
anyone know where to find parts? Numrich, ebay has almostnothing in stock. thanks
eBay, milsurp forums, GunBroker, ApexGunParts, SARCO, Century Arms Surplus Corner, Liberty Tree Collectors…
@@mkruk2 Thanks for suggestion but, eBay, GunBroker, ApexGunParts, SARCO, Century Arms Surplus Corner, Liberty Tree Collectors dont seem to have band rentions screws, actions screws or lock screws in stock. Would you happen to know if action screws for a wz 29 are interchangeble with action screws from other mausers such as 98 mauser or vz24.
@@inspectorkemp7439 yes they are interchangeable.
Apparently they exported about 4,000 of these to the republic of China which is interesting because they are very similar pattern wise to the type 24 chiang kai shek rifle. That would be my dream rifle to have but I doubt many still exist today considering the use and abuse most republic of China era rifles show today
History Collectors Forum has a number of videos on Polish Second Republic weapons.
Stan, I watched the videos on the HCF channel that you presented on. Good stuff, and you have a marvelous collection that I could only dream of obtaining. That video inspired me to make this one, focusing solely on the Wz.29. I did provide a link to the HCF video in the description, gotta give credit where it is due!
@@mkruk2 My videographer at hcf has been overloaded with work and family responsibilities for the past 7 months . I planned to do a video on Radom rifles, another on the 91/98/25 and possibly one on the WZ98, 98a, and Polish reworks of Gew 98. Love your collection and hopefully you will find the financial resources to add more items.
@@stang3787 Thanks for the compliments Stan! I am not sure if you saw my other videos, but I have one on the Kbk Wz. 1898, a FB Radom rework of Gew.98 (and re-captured by the Nazis), some German occupation VIS 35 pistols, and Polish bayonets.
Unfortunately, I have put my collecting hobby on hold for a while, as taking care of our infant son has been taking up all my free time (and my milsurp spending money!).
I do look forward to your eventual in depth videos (through the HCF channel) on your collection. There aren't too many people on youtube as passionate about these Polish rifles, so the enthusiasm and information sharing you bring in these HCF videos are very welcome additions.
The way these wz29 bolt handles are shaped is it possible they are taken from different Polish mauser variants? They have a very unique bent that is not as angular as the k98 rifle. Likewise, a straight bolt from a vz24 or gew 98 should fit these no problem? Thank you.
Yes any straight bolt from a Mauser 98 pattern rifle will work, such as a Vz.24 bolt or a Gew.98 bolt.
I hope some day some body will watch all the RUclips videos and read all the books in Polish and English and make a true collectors guide to the guns of the Second Polish Republic.
I was really excited to pick up the book “Karabiny i karabinki Mauser 98 w Wojsku Polskim w latach 1918-1939” and slowly translate it with help from my dad. I was disappointed that most of the technical/historical write up in the book dealt with the evolution of the Mauser 98 rifle system, and the Polish section was just a measly 1/4 of the book, with very little in depth information. I’m sure most of the hard references were lost during WWII, but I was expecting more. Also, it did not cover stuff like the meaning of all the proofmarks and stamps, which is super important for collectors! I’d love to have someone take the time to make a true collectors guide as well.
How much k98 29 go for these days? Thanks
I wish I knew. I’ve never seen one come up for sale…
@mkruk2 Thank you for reply. I have an opportunity to buy one, it's probably Spanish export
(scrubbed receiver) marked K98 with white bolt. Rough estimate?
@@draconovic6952 Assuming it is just a scrubbed K98 carbine (and not a K98-29 conversion), about 650-700 on the high end.
@@mkruk2 Thank you
Hi!
Vz 24 its better wz 29
Thank you
They're all very well built, I wouldn't really say one is better than the other tbh