I my have screwed up!

**namvet1** · December 21st, 2010, 09:25 PM

I just bought a Mitchell's Mauser. I had read some info about them before I bought. I called and talked with them about the select grade of mauser, which meant all stampings were to be correct and at least ten matching serial numbers and must be made in Germany. I saw the ad for this mauser in the December issue of American Legion magazine. I also got three hundred worth of accessories. I paid nine hundred dollars for the gun. When the gun arrived, the first thing I did was check the markings and the swastikas . The swastikas were removed from under the eagle under the barrel and I could not find the serial numbers listed on any website so far.
There is a BYF listed on top of the barrel with a number forty two underneath it.

I called the company and spoke to the lady I bought it from and she said it was an honest mistake. She told me to keep all of the free accessories and the extra ammo that I bought and just send back the rifle and the bolt only.

All I want out of this is an authentic German Mauser. I told her this from the start. Is there anything else I should do? Do I need to send everything back and start over? Or do I give her one more chance to get it right?

**Noah_Zark** · December 21st, 2010, 09:45 PM

The byf 42 that Mitchells sent you is an authentic German Mauser if defined as having been made for the Wehrmacht during WWII.

That said, Don Mitchell has made a fortune buying up Czech, Yugo capture, and Russian capture ex-Wehrmacht Kar98ks and Yugo M48s and representing them as "German Mausers" and charging exhorbitant prices for a rebuilt, restamped, and reblued "pretty" example of a Mauser-type military boltgun with absolutely NO intrinsic collector value whatsoever.

If you were to go to the next medium or large show in your neck of the woods and bought a Russian Capture Kar98k for $350 to $400 or so, with the best rifling and muzzle crown in the show hall, you would have a more authentic German Mauser than anything Don Mitchell would ship you. And IIWM, that's what I would do, right after I shipped ALL of the Mitchell junk back and got a full refund.

Friends don't let friends buy Mitchell's Mausers.

Noah

**thebearpack** · December 21st, 2010, 09:52 PM

If you do an internet search on Mitchell's Mausers you'll see mostly negative reviews. The problem is that their advertising is suspect at best and it used to be a lot worse. They sand the stocks, polish the metal, restamp numbers to match, etc. Basically they make the guns look pretty and destroy any collector value they may have had, all while charging you 3 times what they're worth.

They're not bad guns, they look nice, and they probably shoot pretty well. But you can get a true German K98 that was captured by the Russians and reworked (with all the Nazi markings still intact) for $300 or less. They're very common and haven't been all polished up and sold for a premium just for the story.

A true matching German K98 will cost $1,000-1,500... Mitchell's does NOT sell true matching K98s. If you can send it back for a refund, do so. I'd be happy to help you find a good 98 by PM if you'd like.

Edit: Bah... Noah beat me to it!

**ScotsGuards** · December 21st, 2010, 10:20 PM

Originally Posted by Noah_Zark

The byf 42 that Mitchells sent you is an authentic German Mauser if defined as having been made for the Wehrmacht during WWII.

That said, Don Mitchell has made a fortune buying up Czech, Yugo capture, and Russian capture ex-Wehrmacht Kar98ks and Yugo M48s and representing them as "German Mausers" and charging exhorbitant prices for a rebuilt, restamped, and reblued "pretty" example of a Mauser-type military boltgun with absolutely NO intrinsic collector value whatsoever.

If you were to go to the next medium or large show in your neck of the woods and bought a Russian Capture Kar98k for $350 to $400 or so, with the best rifling and muzzle crown in the show hall, you would have a more authentic German Mauser than anything Don Mitchell would ship you. And IIWM, that's what I would do, right after I shipped ALL of the Mitchell junk back and got a full refund.

Friends don't let friends buy Mitchell's Mausers.

Noah

What Noah said! As an honest arms dealer I have to say it's places like Mitchells that give gun dealers a bad name. My friend Val Forgett from Navy arms said it best. "They are a class action fraud law suit waiting to happen."

I just had a nice selection of Russian capture Mausers at the Valley Forge show last weekend. They all sold for $299.00-$399.00. If you want one I can probably get some more. PM me.

**39flathead** · December 21st, 2010, 11:07 PM

Anything that needed to be said about those things Mitchells sells has already been said above.

Send that reworked, mismatched and mis-represented crap back.

**hooknladder** · December 22nd, 2010, 01:20 AM

Russian captures are a great piece of history. I paid $300 for mine and don't regret it. Milled trigger guard, walnut stock. cartouches in the stock, a little black paint on the metal here and there. Not very pretty, but it's a decent shooter and I'm leaving it as is. I also picked up a Russian Capture P38 from Southern Ohio Guns. It is absolutely beautiful.