mawkie
C&R Whisperer
-Ah yes, even as I'm downsizing I cannot say no to something that had eluded me for many years. The Simpson/BSW 625 series (625, A, B and C versions) seemed to be unobtanium for me. Then two of them pop up on GB recently but I was not a fan of the asking prices, a bit rich IMHO. So then what do I find in the last Redding general firearm auction from last Sunday? Yup, a late 625b showing features of both the B and C versions. I was fortunate in that the bulk of the auction catalogue was sporting and modern arms, not much to entice military arms competitors to attend. And so I put in a firm bid and was pleasantly surprised to get it for $100 under my max bid and $2-300 under the GB listed examples (which weren't as nice as this one anyway).
-There were about 14,000 of the 625b built, the most numerous of the 625 series. The design work was started in the late 20's with production starting in the early 30's. The B version came about as a result of the SA actively looking for a training rifle that matched the new K98k in handling. The DSM was on the drawing boards but wouldn't start production for another year so the 625b got a bit of a head start. Esp. when Walther withdrew the Sportmodell from competition for the SA as it was too expensive. The 625B was much simpler to produce compared to the both the DSM34 and the Sportmodell, much to the liking of the SA. Plus it proved to be a very accurate rifle.
-But the DSM was the chosen rifle and while Simpson begrudgingly built it along with the 625b, they never stopped trying to carve out a place in the SA for it. What's ironic is that the DSM34 was a bit of a failure in that after it was adopted the SA publicly made it known that they weren't that happy with it. Thus the foundation for the ultimate German .22 trainer, the KKW, was laid.
-While reading up on 625b in Bob Simpson's reference book I saw a reference to weights being added to the buttstocks of some 625s and I decided to take a gander under the buttplate after hefting the rifle and feeling it was a bit butt heavy. Sure enough, found the stock had been drilled and a ferrous rod added. With the Simpson reputation for quality and the 625's reported accuracy I'm looking forward to shooting this one!
-There were about 14,000 of the 625b built, the most numerous of the 625 series. The design work was started in the late 20's with production starting in the early 30's. The B version came about as a result of the SA actively looking for a training rifle that matched the new K98k in handling. The DSM was on the drawing boards but wouldn't start production for another year so the 625b got a bit of a head start. Esp. when Walther withdrew the Sportmodell from competition for the SA as it was too expensive. The 625B was much simpler to produce compared to the both the DSM34 and the Sportmodell, much to the liking of the SA. Plus it proved to be a very accurate rifle.
-But the DSM was the chosen rifle and while Simpson begrudgingly built it along with the 625b, they never stopped trying to carve out a place in the SA for it. What's ironic is that the DSM34 was a bit of a failure in that after it was adopted the SA publicly made it known that they weren't that happy with it. Thus the foundation for the ultimate German .22 trainer, the KKW, was laid.
-While reading up on 625b in Bob Simpson's reference book I saw a reference to weights being added to the buttstocks of some 625s and I decided to take a gander under the buttplate after hefting the rifle and feeling it was a bit butt heavy. Sure enough, found the stock had been drilled and a ferrous rod added. With the Simpson reputation for quality and the 625's reported accuracy I'm looking forward to shooting this one!
