Herr Rabbit:
So if it doesn't have the "Weichlot" stamp are we to assume it was assembled by a "non-traditional" process? True it is/would be a rumor on the forend lug, but the story of the epoxy on/around the scope mounts is credible. Post WWII, almost all of the Suhl makers fell under the nationalized conglomerate BUHAG(Buchsenmacher Handels Gesellschaft) which was like a sales rep. due to the fact that direct sales to individual makers was not permitted. For some time many were shipped to Russia was a war reparation and that might account for the "Made in GDR". The DDR(Deutsche Demokratishce Republik"/GDR(German Democratic Republic)" wouldn't ship direct to the U.S. of A. due to a tariff of something on the order of 50% or more. So either a dealer in France(just a wild guess) or I think it to be a contact or firearms merchant in Switzerland was the handler for DDR items indirectly shipped to the U.S. of A. as an attempt to circumvent the heavy tarrif.
As far as pre-1945 components, I can't say but after WWII, the makers in Suhl were back to square one and made everything by hand or with antiquated machinery. The post WWII pieces are truly made by a craftsmen because there just wasn't any sourcing. If there wasn't a component laying around, then it had to be made inhouse. They were getting back to basics. I'll have a look, but I'd guess by the mid to late 1960s most or all of the stock had been utilized.
Kind Regards,
Raimey
rse
