bnz and swj fakes

With a total production of less than 36,000 rifles in 1945, bnz rifles should be rare, as they were the least produced. Hoever, the opposite is true and these seem to turn up a lot. We are lucky-- bnz used a very odd font on bolts and serials that is difficult to duplicate. The letter suffix on the S and T block guns is easy because it is a capital (most hardware store stamp sets have capital letters, not lower case). However, I have yet to see a good fake bnz bolt. Here is a good graphic indicating the bnz fonts, plus a good one showing a fake stamped bolt:

All bnz45 bolts are Wa623 proofed at the base of the root, on the bottom. I have not seen any E77 proofed bolts this late in production. One key to bnz bolts is the font- below is an array of original bolts showing the proper fonts, finish, and suffix (missing q block and missing a 3):

Next is configuration- bnz45 rifles were all full Kriegsmodells. The bnz stocks are very unique to the maker, and are easy to spot in a photo. The bolt cutout on bnz stocks is very low cut. Also, all bnz45 rifles (including late bnz4's) are marked with a large Eagle H on the stock. The only other marking on bnz stocks is a small Eagle 623 in the channel of the stock, most noticable on solid stocks. Stocks came in 3 types of wood- solid walnut, laminated beech, and odd size laminate beech. Even though there are different wood types, they all have the same charachteristics (low bolt cutout and full Kriegsmodell configuration).

Last item- bnz rifles were all equipped with byf or svw marked phosphate triggerguards with a single 135 proof mark. The later the gun, the more possiblility of having an svw marked part. I would doubt anything earlier than S block having such a guard, most likely these would have byf marked parts. All will lack the provision for the small locking screws. . The floorplates were all byf marked phoshpate. Bands were blue or phosphate, and will have an extra hole for the band spring, even though they were not issued with one.