Thought I show off a few of my cigarette rifles . They’re all 98’s and chambered 8x57 JS.
Like to see others posted here.

Nice. rifles

Never heard the term cigarette rifle. Care to educate the learning disabled?

Ditto...

My understanding is that post War cigarettes were the legal tender in a war destroyed Germany. So many gunmakers allegedly built rifles for smokes. GI’s had the smokes to trade. Smokes went straight to the black market.

My last one. 30/06, clawmounts and Nikel 4x



PS. They tried to scrub the receiver but left a little of a waffenamt on it.

Kill them damn pigs

Hanco, shot that one off front porch of the old house about 12 years ago! 🤣

What's a cigarette rifle?

Yar! Meant to say, nice rifles!!!!!

Isn't the story after the war, Germans were trading rifles to GIs for a pack of cigarettes?

Hence, '98 Mausers became known, for a while anyways, as "cigarette rifles"?

My grandfather helped remove the body and bury his dead boss for some cigarettes from the US soldiers that shot his boss around that time.

Some of you folks exhibiting here, had a "Lucky Strike", no butts about it! Sorry, I couldn't resist, though admittedly some of the less than "senior citizen crowd" probably wouldn't get the inference.

I don't have any such specimens that I could necessarily conclude were in the "cigarette rifle" category. I do believe that a more typical characteristic was in "omission". That no maker ID was usually evident. They were typically so-characterized by inference of bare bones minimalist conversions. Many even retaining military cut down & recontoured stocks. Moreover, such products predominantly reflecting European characteristics in iron sights and stock refurbs or sporter substitutions. I do also believe that most of these have subsequently 'morphed' in such as Americanization "Bubba" as well as pro custom gunmaker 'stuff of some nice sporters'. Just how many true to be characterized "cigarette rifles" ever existed and the fact that many worthy ones were further modified; these rifles as something of era 'art forms', are largely disappeared.

I'm including one rifle, which I do believe reflected such typical rifle though "making do, more with less" as the interwar "cottage industry" milsurps were perhaps a bit more attention to detail. Indeed, this specimen I present has been quite professionally scrubbed. The military stock is yet evident though even it is certainly a reflection of superior 'make do' skills. A Mauser small ring Model AZ specimen yet in 8x57S chambering. Factually a wonderfully light, natural pointing utility rifle! I picked it up decades ago, then 'for a song'! Now one of my more cherished rifles... Just for what it is!

Thanks for the interesting Thread!
Best!
John

Thank you.

Kingston? You have me on ignore? Did you see my first post in this thread? Fifth post from top

I found one at a gun gun show a while back. No idea what the original chambering was as someone had sent it to P.O. Ackley for a rebarrel. It's a .270 now. I sure would like to find the proper scope mounts for that rifle. Closing up all the holes, one quite large will cost more that I paid for that rifle. Might be cheaper to put a receiver sight on it. No markings on the action except for the word Danzig in very tiny print. Barrel has Ackley's name on it and seems authentic.
Paul B.

My bad Kaywoodie. I some how read right over it.

I suppose this means the honeymoon is over! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

No prob dude! Take care! 😁

Mr. P, if I were you... and several other "ifs". "If" you really like the rifle. "If", the components beyond the action are yet particularly valuable and/or desirable. You might well find a substantially complete donor M98 decent action available for transplant! That as cheaper/more practical than many hours of welding expertise and finishing work; The reblue would be a similar cost in any respect. The extra benefit also not such heavily restored specimen with inferences of heat treatment and residual strength concerns.

The main qualifier to be sure you have a standard length replacement. Such as any modified magazine adding length as now existing might need to be retained if practicable or the replacement with any mods yet required.

Someone out there has a nice "shooter" with costs nowadays not worthy of total sporter conversion. Find one and do a "transplant"! You might even seek one with some bonuses such as receiver sight, tapped for scope, etc. All the things which nowadays precluding the trend of reverse conversions of 'qualifying' sporters returned to their military model origins.

The happy hazard of finding an entire package - complete rifle - as substitute within reasonable cost range as its cost, less the sale value of yours now!

With skilled labor costs, time/materials to net value, nowadays even with gun prices up, the sheer volume of milsurp sporter conversions 'out there' with diligence, you can find either my category C - acquire as transplant action or D - replace & sell off your existing gun of reference.

The generalization if subject to notable exceptions, "The availability of 'Options' is always good!"

Photos always makes for better suggetions! HINT!
Best!
John

I use the term cigarette rifle loosely. I’ve seen them as crude to elaborate but most of them if not all will have no makers name. They’re almost always done by skilled craftsmen. I have generally made it a point and only collecting the nicer ones over the years. They are easily recognizable to me when I see them. Most we’re done in the Post World War I and through the Second World War. If set up for optics they will almost always have claw mounts. The stocks are built for use with iron sights and have too much drop for optics. This can be corrected however with a laced on cheek pad. Most I encounter are chambered in 8x57 j or 8x57 JS. I find it to be a neat little nitch in collecting . The 3 I have pictured are just an example of many I have . ( sorry for the bad pictures)

the one i have someone put used barrel on it in 257 Roberts ,but some day i wanna get a 8x57 nice cigarette rifle too !

Both of these have been mucked with

9x57 (not 9.3)



7x64

I believe Simpsonltd has had a few cigarette rifles for sale in the past

So my pre-war JP Sauer is a cigarette rifle?

One of my 'cigarette' rifles, although I'm not sure if it actually meets the definition, no maker markings on it at all. Definite Bavarian flavor to it. I've managed to lose the pics if the other two.

Well, I did find one poor pic of the "Kohle" rifle. Anton Kohle on the barrel. Looks to be a copy of a Type 'S' commercial Mauser with a shortened stock, probably due to damage to the front end at some point.

Adding THE NOTATION THAT THERE ARE NOW VERY MANY HANDSOME, REALLY HANDSOME RIFLES. NO ATTEMPT TO ADDRESS EACH POST, JUST AN 'INCLUSIVE' WOW!
Returning to "Cigarette rifles..."
1. The very term "cigarette rifle", a largely 'dead term'. As aptly noted by now those who even recognize the term itself, many evolved definitions.
2. My own prior comment, most further morphed and 'if ever' such category, no longer or good residual indications.
3. Bubbas, predominant thought not exclusive to N America, easily to be confused with the small home cellar industry as no exclusively distinguishable 'net', only predominant characteristics.
4. Referrals to pro quality such specimens, likely some few factually 'butts' in trade, but exception and perhaps such definition moved too far.
5. I don't know whether/to what extent the "Interwar" cottage industry rifles involving such commodity barter. I conjure small skilled workers 'making the most' out of the available. Such very much my above depicted AZ small ring mauser. I have 'some perhaps half dozen American bubba product assessed mausers an equal amount of pretty decent.

The fifties era as I was a teen, interesting. 'Opportunity' not, for me as seldom with more than the two nickels not making fire rubbing together! The latter seventies and eighties as shaking loose a lot of decent milsurps as the damn bursting with new & varied model multi factory guns, US & beyond shores, pushing prices down as creating markets for abandoning both milsurps and 'uncool' more staid rifles particularly including yet 'affordable pre 64 as well as interesting 'post' editions such as Model 88 Win. Good times, good prices and by then collecting without concerned reference to wallet!

Those were 'my days' my friends!!!
Best
John

In my opinion no. If the rifle is marked by a maker such as JP Sauer it would not qualify as a cigarette rifle. My thought is that these rifles were turned out by skilled craftsmen outside of or representing any establishment. The fact that they have no makers mark ( all of mine are scrubbed of most markings other than caliber) . It’s safe to assume by styling of the rifles they are not state side “bubba rifles”. Post war state side rifles generally have a different styling.

This is my take:

Mauser based sporting rifles have several different categories:

First, there are Mauser Oberndorf Originals.

Second, various "commercial" Mausers built by a variety of firms that sourced commercial actions from Mauser. These were often examples that rivaled or indirectly competed with Mauser.

Next there were "Guild Guns" that used milsurp actions during the interwar period. The quality varied considerably with many being near the category 2 rifles and others being closer to "cigarette" rifles in workmanship, appearance.

Lastly, Cigarette rifles refer to those inexpensive post WWII builds wherein work was done in trade for Cigarettes and/or currency. These tend to be very pedestrian rifles, essentially sporterized milsurps in plainish stocks, most often using the original barrels with sporting sights added. An octagon or integral rib barrel would not qualify as a "cigarette" rifle.

There were post-war (WWII) builds that were essentially guild rifles but these tended to have replacement barrels, more refinement, and higher degrees of embellishment.

I have two 8mm rifles with swastikas. They both have good quality sanding and hot blue. They both have the same model stock.

The top gun is a 1940 JP Sauer that I paid $165 at a pawn shop in 11/5/2004

The bottom gun I have no records and no memory. As early as 2013 I was complaining I did not remember buying it.
I most likely got it off a gun show table for ~~$100 about 20 years ago.
But it is possible I traded cigarettes for it.

Well that's some new and interesting knowledge for my old feeble mind to soak in. Never too old ta learn, if ya listen.

I think z1r covered this subject pretty well. The first rifle I put up here, I think, is a very nice version of a guild rifle. It is very nicely made complete with a manual pop-up diopter sight on the tang.

The second rifle is likely an example of the commercial mauser. It appears to be a Type S copy with the end of the stock removed a few inches. The barrel is roll marked 'Anton Kohle, Epfendorf Germany (about 4 miles from Oberndorf) buchsenmacherei ( gunsmith) . I believe this may be a Mauser employee building rifles during his off time, or maybe after retiring.

Just got some pics of what I am sure is a real cigarette rifle. It is scrubbed of all markings except a few stampings around the recoil lug of the action's bottom. I owned it for 8-10 years, but it now lives in a good friend's safe. It is a beautifully done rifle, long and slender and very light for what it is. According to a German poster on the German Rifle Collector's Forum was quite likely has surplus machine gun bbl. Seems the Germans made Ks of them for fighter planes early on, but quickly switched to cannon so the 8mms were stockpiled. They were a favorite bbl used by the cigarette rifle makers. I AM SURE the white diamond was a 'bubba' addition after it came to the states. It is cheesy as hell, but it kinda grew on me and I decided not to remove it. Honestly, I should have stripped and refinished the stock. I would have looked much better.

I have none of these particular type rifles but am quite enjoying this thread. Good to see you here Hook. Be well, RZ.

You too, Doug!

I like the pictures also!

This is a most educational and entertaining thread . Now I know what a cigarette rifle is and some of the history of them. Years ago I recall hearing tales of the barter system in post WW2 Germany and how cigarettes and other stuff became a form of currency. I should have made the connection.

yar, who makes a good leather cheek pad that actually laces on?

Here’s my guild/cigarette rifle, just brought it home today. Checkering is a bit amateur hour, but the butterknife bolt is nicely done and the double set triggers have me thinking it’s an interwar piece. Definitely cool regardless