The following is a bit of information for those that do not know about Sauer manufacturing process in regards to their Mauser 98 rifles. Sauer & Sohn purchased serial numbered actions and/or barreled actions from Mauser, complete with Mauser serial number stamped therein. During Sauer's finishing process or whenever the action had been received from Mauser, Sauers sequential serial number would be stamped on the receiver ring. Bolt root would always receive the last four digits of Sauer s/n stamped there, in this case "9057". Small parts would generally be stamped with last three digits of the Sauer s/n---as space allowed. Last two digits of the Mauser s/n was generally left on the smaller parts as can be seen in accompaning photos, "25" in this case.

In most but not all cases the Mauser s/n and date on the receiver ring was filed off during Sauers finishing process. The above is true for many dozens of Sauer Mausers that I have examined except for a few where the Mauser s/n and the Sauer s/n co-exist on the receiver ring.

The pictured action in this thread is not cobbled together from various bolt guns but is a barreled action that was finished by Sauer & Sohn. Many folks think that becuase the number on the bolt handle does not match the Mauser s/n that the bolt has been replaced. In regards to Sauer finished 98 rifles this is not the case. The key here is that the Sauer s/n and the bolt s/n need to match. As an aside and to address a portion of an earlier reply, the box and trigger guard are intergral and machined from a single piece of steel. Anyway a few more photos with advance apologies for their quality. Jeff