This is just a fabulous example of an exceptional late WWII 98K commercial sales rifle in the military configuration, as manufactured with a Gustloff-Werkes (bcd) code receiver. This is not to be confused with the Mauser commercial sales or reworked rifle and is probably one of the rarest Gustloff-Werkes wartime K98 rifles. These were only a handful of these actually manufactured throughout WWII as they were intended to help support the war effort by issuing them to the Volkssturm and by generating money for the Nazi/SS Party, since they controlled the Gustloff-Werkes factory. The serial number of this rifle is just below the noted serial number range of the military contract "bcd" coded rifles manufactured in 1944/45. This rifle is that same configuration as K98 Military rifles with a better commercial grade blue finish, only commercial proofs with no military proofs. The top of the receiver is marked "bcd/4" the wartime code for Gustloff-Werke and the year of manufacture with serial number "3439" on the left side. The side wall is stamped "Mod.98". The right side of the receiver is stamped with the "Eagle/N" Commercial proofmark next to the "diamond/U" proofmark indicating it was intended as a commercial sales rifles. The underside of the barrel is stamped "3439/F.R. LANGEHAN/ZELLA-MEHLIS/CAL. 8X57 JS" and the underside of the chamber area is stamped with a Double "Eagle/J" firing proof (in accordance with the 1940 Nazi proof laws) over 345 (indicating assembly in March 1945) over a single upside down "Heart with an Arrow Inside" which is the retail seller or assemblers proofmark. Fritz and Ernst Langenhan operated the Gewehr-Und Fahrradfabrik company, which produced military rifle and machine gun parts until the end of WWII. The right rear side of the breech end of the barrel is roll marked "817.44.bcd" next to the small "bcd/shield" barrel steel code. The rifle has the correct unnumbered late war Commercial bolt with the large gas hole, that has a very faint proofmark on top of the bolt handle. It is fitted with the correct all milled and all unmarked or proofed commercial components, barrel bands, trigger guard, floor plate, complete cocking piece and firing pin assembly. The follower is a all blue late war stamped version marked "lxr" which is a late war subcontractor code, that may have been for the Langehan Company. The stock is also a subcontract part that is only marked with a small "phh" subcontractor code inside the barrel channel. The sling slot on the right side has a very small/partial Eagle proof. It has the standard military style tangent rear sight and inverted 'v' front sight with the original front sight cover. The rear sight is a Mauser "Eagle/359" contract part.

Excellent with 99% of the original late war all blue finish with only minor handing marks overall. The stock and handguard are also both excellent with only very minor handling marks. As noted this is probably one of the rarest of any of the WWII Nazi K98 rifles to include the various sniper rifles as so few were actually manufactured with all being used or sporterized after the war. In 35 years of collecting military rifles this describer has only seen 4 of these commercial rifles and even the bible on K98 rifles, "The Backbone of the Wehrmacht" doesn't list or show this variation. Certainly this rifle would be the center piece of any advanced K98 rifle collection, impossible to upgrade or improve upon.