Rifle I want to get next - Mauser K-98

[Mity2]

So now that I gotten bit by a collecting WWII bolt rifle bug, I'm thinking German Mouser. So that I have Arisaka 38, 99, M44, and K98(and hopefully M1903, and Lee enfield in future)

But I guess there are so many different one.
What I want is like one in this picture below


I like the laminated stock. But I want one with Nazi marking on it(Because of authenticity. Just like I want Japanese rifle with MUM intact. I'm not Nazi sympathiser in ANY way)

So what should I look for?? I know that marking "byf" means its made by Mouser. other then that, I really donno much

[knight0334]

Even though I'm not really a fan of boltguns - a original Mauser is a "cant go wrong" gun. It too is on my list of collector pieces(going for Mosin first)..

The Mauser is a true piece of art, nearly all bolt rifles today are based on the Mauser's action. Strong and reliable.

From my searches, the German made Mauser's are going for a premium over the Turk, Yugo, Czech, and Brazilian made versions.

[jsb889]

Good choice. They're supposedly one of the best actions out there, still in use today. I can only imagine the price tag of one with a Nazi marking on it!

I was thinking of buying one of those all beat up just for the action, build a nice little rifle from it. But I highly doubt I'd be capable of pulling that off

[Mity2]

Yeah I figure Made in Germany, specially Mouser made one with ironeagle is gonna be pretty penny. But For collecting purpose, I think thats the only way to go.

Just like I paid pretty panny on 50% Type 99, because of intact MUM

[jsb889]

I was searching and found this-

http://64.82.96.51/Nazi-98k.htm

Intact Nazi markings but mixed parts. Figured you might want a looksie

You got me thinking about my first new firearm in years, you devil

[PA Rifleman]

A[n] original Mauser is ... on my list of collector pieces (going for Mosin first)..

From my searches, the German made Mauser's are going for a premium over the Turk, Yugo, Czech, and Brazilian made versions.

The German-made 98s are valued the most, even though many of the non-German 98s are very good shooters as well. The 98s that seem to have the greatest collector interest is the K98k, in the World War II context. First, study the major variants. Some collectors are picky beyond belief, looking for obscure and extremely rare variants. These will be very expensive rifles and probably well beyond what you're looking for. Try not to get lost in the byzantine and dizzying array of variations. The simpler you keep your requirements, the greater your chances of finding the rifle you want and at an acceptable price.

Most of the 98ks on the surplus market are recent imports from Russia, and are all reworked. They will all be refinished, mismatched and missing the cleaning rod plus the lock screws. None of this affects functionality, and these rifles seem to be decent quality. Because they're mismatched and non-original to their wartime condition, they sell for a lot less compared to an all-original GI wartime bring-back. The Russian rework specimen I have appears to be in excellent condition, possibly unfired.

GI bring-backs are either all original or heavily modified, if the latter they're worth little more than their value as a functioning rifle. If original, they can easily command prices well into the hundreds, rarer or pristine examples exceeding a thousand dollars. Snipers almost always go into the thousands, and are frequently forged. Ditto with ultra-rare variants and markings.

One aspect you should notice is the quality difference between the Mosin and the Mauser 98...they're a world apart. The 98 Mauser is very finely machined and extremely precise. Even beater 98ks often shoot well, exceeding many other bolt guns accuracy-wise. The best ones for aesthetically clean machining are the pre-war and very early wartime manufacture. Late war guns had rougher machining but still perform well. It's been my observation that this line seems to fall somewhere around 1942 for German guns...1942 dated is often a smooth, clean gun while 1943 guns tend to have the final machining and polishing omitted. For this reason I prefer 98s dated no later than 1941.

Also avoid aftermarket or reproduction parts. While they may have been made with good intent, they are not the same as the originals. Years ago I had a 1943 BNZ with an original sight hood. The hood was thick spring steel and it was quite a task to remove and reinstall without leaving marks. The current batch of sight hoods are thinner, weaker and fall off easier.

A few relevant web links:
Manufacturer code markings & meanings: http://www.bordingl.com/zcodici98.htm
http://www.mausershooters.org/k98k/K98_waffen.html
http://users.swing.be/sw017995/k98kmarkings.htm

Ammo search:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...=Google+Search

Parts:
http://armscorpusa.com/Products/k98_mauser_parts.htm
http://tinyurl.com/26vacc

Similar posts:
http://tinyurl.com/37yatn

If you decide to shoot it, I wouldn't wait a lot longer for ammo, as all ammo is drying up.

Also be forewarned that while many Mosins are under $100-$150, most K98s now start at $250 and go up from there.

And not trying to sound pedantic when I bring up this next point, but the correct spelling is "Mauser" with an a, -not- "Mouser". This will affect your google search results.

Start with this, get back to us with questions.

[Seneca Arms Co. Inc.]

Do not overlook the late war K98s for collecting purposes. The early production guns did have better fit, finish, and tolerance, but the late war rifles showed desperation and to me that adds to the interest. I like the real late war rifles, often referred to as Kriegs models. These rifles had most of the bells and whistles omitted and they are, well...crude. I like the late 44 to end of production 45 rifles and I would LOVE to have a correct Volksgewehr (VG1 or VG2 would be nice I am not picky

[Lambo]

My Russian Capture



After removing the Cosmoline & Red Shellac, and believe me it was loaded with both, I refinished the Furniture using a Formby's Kit (Tung Oil).
Note: All original mixed Parts, Barrel & Receiver have matching numbers. Unfortunely the commies peened off the swasticas
Paid $219.00 for it about 2 years ago.

[neinLG]

Do not overlook the late war K98s for collecting purposes. The early production guns did have better fit, finish, and tolerance, but the late war rifles showed desperation and to me that adds to the interest. I like the real late war rifles, often referred to as Kriegs models. These rifles had most of the bells and whistles omitted and they are, well...crude. I like the late 44 to end of production 45 rifles and I would LOVE to have a correct Volksgewehr (VG1 or VG2 would be nice I am not picky

Yup. I bought a 1943 BYF k98. Everything matches the stamps are all there. Bought it off of a veteran who said he took it off of a hitler youth just after they crossed over the rhine into germany. The rifle is crude and looks like it was just thrown together. Especially when I saw one of the 1938 mausers. But your right, it definately adds interest to the piece.

[Garpman]

One more thing, and PA Rifleman seems very knowledgable, so he may chime in with a correction if I'm wrong.

Don't expect to see swastikas plastered all over your K98k, the waffenampts are discreet, "Nazi" markings usually consist of war birds holding a tiny one and that's it. My only 98k is from 1935 so I can't look at one to make sure.

I've seen on another forum where a member criticized the service of one online vendor because they listed a rifle as having Nazi markings and the poster/buyer was disappointed and was furious with retailer because it wasn't plastered with swastikas everywhere. Don't know how that one turned out, but that's a little tidbit so you won't be mistakenly disappointed (unless I am being helpfully mistaken).

Classic Arms describes all of their products well, and has decent prices.

Surplusrifle.com is dedicated, well, to surplus rifles and has its own section for German military rifles. Read through those pages and I'm sure you'll find a lot of answers. I think there are "sticky" threads of all the arsenal codes.