Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Kurt Jaeger compared to Paul Jaeger's workmanship

Was looking over a Kurt Jaeger Mauser in 30 06 tonight. Commercial 98 no thumb cut receiver wall. Iron sights but the stock was a Monte Carlo with a thumb cut. Tending to think it may not be original to the rifle although advertised as such. Has been in this shop for over 5 years at 999. Now cut to 699. Nice trim little thing. Can anyone comment from experience on the workmanship of the two via comparison? My working presumption, which may be wrong, is the two were Uncle and nephew. No?

Thanks a bunch.

Paul owned a shop in Jenkintown, PA. I never heard of Kurt.

Paul had a nephew name Dieter. After Paul passed Dieter moved the business down south. I think he became associated with Dunn's.

Paul's work was some of the finest out there and I'd suspect Dieter's work would have been right up there with Paul's.

There was a Kurt Jaeger in West Germany who was associated with the American gun clubs around Wiesbaden and Mainz after WW2.

Paul's nephew was named Dietrich Apel. When I met him he was running NECG in southern New Hampshire. He retired from there about
25 years ago. Never heard of Kurt.

I had a Kurt Jaeger Mauser in the classifieds a while back. If you google him you will find some information about him and the Wiesbaden gun club. My rifle is marked Mainz though. I believe Kurt and Paul are related. Cousins or perhaps brothers. Kurt Jaeger was a master engraver and most of his work is highly embellished. Usually wood that is carved, ivory diamond inlays and heavily engraved metal work. The rifle I have is very plain, or normal rifle like with a nice trim stock and nice bluing.

Yes! That was him. I forgot Dietrich's last name. It was a long time ago.

This is all the same family. Dietrich came to the US and went to work for Ruger, later to start NECG. He worked for Kurt in Germany before coming to the US. So my earlier hunch would be correct that Paul and Kurt are brothers.

He did work for Paul in Jenkintown. I met him there a few times.

I’m sure he did. Would have been neat to see the shop back in the day. I’m just reading from a website called German hunting guns the site includes Apels obituary and infomation about Paul, Kurt and their father. Paul was born in New York but their father moved the family back to Germany, but Paul came back to the states in the twenties. He was a citizen after all. There are some pictures too

Check out the rifle I had posted on the classified. It would at least provide some reference for their work. I think being near the air base and seeing different levels of engraving in everything imaginable I suspect the Kurt Jaeger crew worked on whatever the service member could dream up.

When my Father worked for the USAF from 1947 thru 1967, he regularly took American made rifles to Germany and Austria to be engraved and restocked because Europe are still rising from the ashes of WW2 and fine craftsmanship could be purchased for a small fraction of what comparable work done in the U.S. would have cost.

If he did drillings then I believe I previously owned one of his pieces.