Who sold surplus Mauser rifles to Iraq

[Bob in WA]

I have what started life as a Steyr 1938 660 coded G29o rifle. Now in a laminated stock with K98 s hand guard. All stock hardware, trigger guard and floor plate renumbered to match receiver. Bolt is a mismatch with only the bolt root s/n . Iraq property marked on receiver and barrel. There is a small import under the bottom front of the barrel,Fed Ord Inc. SEM CA.

No Russian X capture mark, All stamps pinged.

Any ideas how it ended up in Iraq.

[dave]

East European Communist countries sold guns to middle east countries (with Russia's approval I'm sure) Yugo 48's going to Eygpt (sp?) being the most well known. Irag, Iran and even Israel ended up with many WW11 rifles. Many of these guns may have come from Russia, as they had many German arms left after the war.

[cplnorton]

I at one time had had an Iraqi stamped Russian SKS. I would also suspect it came from the Russians.

[Tuna]

In the late 1930's, Germany gave a lot of rifles to different tribes in places like Iraq to help stir them up against the British. Later after the war many 98K's were sold to these countries at cheap prices and not by the Russians but by eastern block countries that were awash in firearms and needed hard cash to try and rebuild.

[dave]

I have a Brit rifle, 1939 SMLE, which was sold to Irag, had two at one time. These are fairly commen according to J. Sukey.

[Bob in WA]

Thanks every one for the information.

[trex45]

After running across this thread i had to join so i could comment...

I have a VZ imported by this same outfit, stamped "Fed. Ord. S.E.M. CA"...beautiful example of the vz24 and it's got an Iraqi 'jeem' stamp of property under the BRNO on top of the receiver...other
mods that point at something like an Iraqi Guard gun, plush stock, shiny bolt metal, etc; it's a great shooter so i have no complaints
...anyway...lots of Mausers, of every description and just about any other military arm you can think of, ended up in any of (throw a dart)
'those' places...lucky for us they had to sell them in order to upgrade to the next level of mayhem...imo

[Shooter5]

Saw lots of Warsaw Pact weapons in Mess-O-potamia. Various 1930s Czech MGs. Many 98k and to a lesser extent the Czech "Lion" crested rifles as well as the "Persian Mauser" 98/29.
Recently checked out a BNZ 42 at a unit's trophy wall (it's been demilled). Also, many types of Enfields including the SHTLE - recall that the UK began their meddling in Mid-east in the post WW1 era once oil was discovered (collapse of the Ottoman empire, Sykes-Picot, etc)

[Tuna]

Britain was meddling during WW1 with the Ottoman Turks as they had sided with Germany. Lawrence Of Arabia was one of the main thrusts by the British and they were all armed with the Enfield's or with what ever rifles the tribes had at the time and many of those were Mauser's.

[mike webb]

Britain was meddling during WW1 with the Ottoman Turks as they had sided with Germany. Lawrence Of Arabia was one of the main thrusts by the British and they were all armed with the Enfield's or with what ever rifles the tribes had at the time and many of those were Mauser's.

One of the best war movies ever made was, Lawrence of Arabia, Peter O'Toole even looked like Lawrence. Lawrence got the Arabs onside by promising plunder plus the fact that the Arabs hated the Turks anyway.