The rifles were provided by the GI having the work done. The rifle may very well have started out as a 1903-A4. An old German gunsmith friend of mine built a lot of these "cigarette" rifles after the war, when times were very hard for Germans. Most of them were built on Mauser 98s, using turned down 1919-A4/A6 MG barrels. He lived close to the border and also built rifles for Russian officers , some on Mosen(?) Nagants . The main point is they used what they could find, to live until they got their country back.
Mike
Last edited by Der Ami; 12/20/21 11:02 AM.