SAR 18#6

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 SAR Vol. 18, No. 6