SAR 18#6

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1 3 4 5 2 7 6 Top: The wz.38M SLR field-stripped into main groups. Note the clean lines and seemingly few parts of the rifle Bottom: The fire control group of the wz.38M SLR: 1. hammer spring; 2. hammer; 3. FCG flat spring – with branches powering safety retainer, trigger and sear; 4. trigger bar; 5. safety; 6. disconnector; 7. trigger. <strong>SAR</strong> Vol. 18, No. 6 80 Nov., Dec. 2014
The final wz.38M SLR is a semiautomatic, gas-operated weapon with a tilt-locked bolt, fed from a 10-round fixed internal magazine. The rifle had 68 parts, which was quite reasonable against the background of the contemporary designs: the SVT-38 numbered 63, the G41(W) 66, but the M1 Garand only 55. For cleaning it can be broken down into just four components: barreled action with buttstock, gas cylinder, bolt carrier with return spring and bolt. This was not the end of the road neither for the Maroszek rifle, nor for the SLR for the Polish Army. The contest was still hot, the Szteke’s kb.sp. wz.37S (former ES) was also still under development and tested in November 1938, where during the durability testing it still did not reached the goal of 10,000 shots, having failed (receiver hairline crack discovered) after 8,000. This was the final failure, but earlier on the 37S chewed through three firing pins (after 300, 550 and 1,800 shots), extractor (859 shots), and bolt bumper (4,923 shots). Despite all that the project continued with new, improved 3rd Gen prototypes ordered for further testing in 1939. On 26 February 1939 one each ‘enhanced accuracy’ wz.37S and wz.38M rifles were ordered for a shoot-off to determine which rifle would serve as a basis for a sniping rifle. This is unfortunately the last paper trace left by either of the rifles. As the delivery deadline for the 55 rifles was 1 January, 1939, and no trace of any further barrel orders was found so far, it is safe to assume that not more than that number of the wz.38M rifles were ever manufactured. All serial numbers known so far are contained within the 1001 – 1055 range, corroborating the quantity. Maroszek Redux This author had the opportunity to handle, strip and examine in detail the Maroszek rifle, s/n 1048 that was owned by Bob Farris in the U.S. but unfortunately firing it was not possible as it had a familiar Maroszek ailment: the firing pin point was broke off. Regardless, it was different from the one we had in Poland – with just one cross-bolt, instead of two. Later on, two other Maroszeks were found in America, both of a single cross-bolt variety, while another twobolt rifle was found in Germany. With no hard documents to prove it, one can only assume that this might have been a last-minute addition, perhaps a result of the spring of ‘39 troop-testing, perhaps to reduce the lower receiver wobble. So, perhaps the 1014 and 1027 were prototypes for the new series-production model? How significant, that one ended up in Germany, and the other in Russia – two hoodlums conspiring against Poland in 1939... We’ll never know. Or do we? Once at the Museum, I met a gunsmith from Piotrowo near Poznan, Mr. Ryszard Tobys, whom I knew as the Guinness’ Book of Records world’s largest cap-and-ball revolver manufacturer. He was planning to build a shooting replica of the Maroszek rifle. Technical Data Caliber: 8mm x 57 JS Length: 1,134 mm Barrel length: 625 mm Weight: Magazine capacity: Method of operation: Locking method: 4.45 kg 10 rounds wz.38M He was taking some measurements to reverse engineer some small bits, which in reality looked quite different from the blueprint. It transpired that Mr. Maroszek’s nephew in Białystok inherited a set of production blueprints for the wz. M rifle. This was the penultimate version of it – those five prototypes of 1937, so several changes were introduced later, which he was then analyzing comparing blueprints with the real thing. In November 2013 rifle s/n RT001 was ready, and I’ve been the first journalist to see it, handle it, and shoot it. The first rifle was more of a test-bed than show-piece, but I’ve seen three barreled actions in various stages of manufacture, so there would be better and prettier ones once all the bugs are ironed out of the first. The price tag would be enormous as the project already cost thousands upon thousands of hours of hard work, but fortunately Ryszard’s two sons, Błażej and Remigiusz can program his CNC machines for free, so he can avoid the most costly part. At first, the components were machined in aluminum and brass to check if they fit together, then real parts were made and fitted. This seems to be a really nice, well balanced, and smooth to shoot rifle – given it’s chambered in 8mm x 57JS Mauser. Gas-operated with piston Bolt tilting into ejection opening (Browning-Petter) www.gunmountain.com www.smallarmsreview.com 81 <strong>SAR</strong> Vol. 18, No. 6
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SAR 18#6

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