Summary:
In total, the Luftwaffe purchased around 2,500 Sauer M30 rifles and shotguns.
In 1941, right at the start of its military operations in North Africa, the Luftwaffe adopted Sauer M30 Drilling Rifles as a survival weapon primarily for its Stuka bomber and Bf109 fighter crews, operating over the vast deserts of North Africa and in the Mediterranean theater from 1941 to 1943.
It's worth noting that the Luftwaffe purchased these Sauer M30s outside standard military procurement procedures, and that all Luftwaffe M30s were manufactured to pre-war commercial standards of fit and finish, and were therefore rather exaggerated and expensive for a military survival weapon.
Such an exaggerated and expensive military weapon could only have seen the light of day after being championed by the tortured mind of Hermann Göring.
Description:
This is a very good example of the J. P. Sauer and Sohns M30 survival rifle from the German Luftwaffe, dating from the Second World War.
These weapons were delivered in series to Luftwaffe bomber crews in North Africa and the Mediterranean theater from 1941 to 1943.
They feature a Greener-type breech, a sliding safety on the left side of the frame and a barrel selector on top of the tang. They feature fine pre-war J. P. Sauer and Sohns craftsmanship, with a highly polished blue barrel and beautiful jaspering (colored case hardening) of the frame, trigger guard, grip end cap and forearm mounting metal. The stock and fore-end are in oiled walnut.
Bore quality rivals that of any top-quality shotgun. The rear barrel lug bears a single Luftwaffe "Eagle/2" acceptance mark, and the underside of each barrel bears the "Eagle/N" commercial proof marks, as well as the bore and caliber marks, "12/65". Both shotgun barrels and the rifle barrel are marked "KRUPP-LAUFSTAHL".
The serial number "337582" is stamped on the underside of the rifle barrel, on the left-hand rail of the frame and on the rear tang of the frame, all numbers on the weapon are identical. The right rear area of the rifle barrel breech is correctly engraved with the large "Luftwaffe Eagle" mark bearing the Nazi swastika. The upper right-hand edge of the receiver rail is also marked with the interlaced "SS" proof for the Sauer & Sohns factory, as well as the Commercial Eagle "N" firing proof. Both sides of the receiver are marked "J.P. SAUER & SOHN, SUHL" with a larger interlaced "SS" logo on the underside of the receiver. The left side of the stock features a small oval cheekpiece with a large "Luftwaffe & Swastika Eagle" insignia stamped on the right side of the stock with a black plastic serrated buttplate marked in the center with the interlaced "SS" logo of the Sauer & Sohns factory.
The upper part of the frame tang is fitted with a detent. When the sliding barrel selector is engaged for the rifle, it raises a 100-meter folding sight on the barrel rib and engages the front trigger to fire the rifle barrel. The front trigger can be pushed forward to activate a "Stecher" trigger. This rifle features high-quality engraving on the frame, trigger guard and engraved screw heads, with the front sight and grip finely checkered. This example includes the aluminum carrying case in which it was delivered, the exterior of which is painted gray. The interior is divided into several compartments containing the dismantled barrel, ammunition, cleaning equipment, etc. The inside of the lid is stencilled with a list of the original contents. The set includes a three-section wooden cleaning rod, a shotgun brush, three shotgun brushes and an M30 user's manual. Pulling length is 14 inches.
