Karabiner 98k

[sheepdog]

My good buddy Blicero has showed everyone some of the variants of the 98 Mauser, here's the one everyone is familiar with. The main battle rifle of the Germans in WWII, the K98k.

This one is a pre war, made in 1937 by J.P. Sauer & Sohn. It exibits all of the pre war craftsmanship and none of the corner cutting of the late war models. The stock was duffle cut, under the rear band. It seems to have been repaired pretty darn well. Being duffle cut is strong proof this one was smuggled back by a G.I.



The front band doesn't match, number wise but it's patina does. I have to believe it was on this rifle when the vet brought it back. Everything else, every screw, firing pin, etc. is numbered and matching. As you may know the Germans loved to number just about everything.











Finding a pre war K98k with a matching bolt is pretty hard.

















WWII sling.


Unfortunately the stock which is numbered to the receiver was lightly sanded and re oiled many years ago. Perhaps it was done to show of this magnificent tiger striped piece of walnut.




It takes a ton of knowledge to collect German Mausers, fakes are everywhere, you can buy fake stamps on ebay. Michael Steves the co author of Karabiner 98k and Kriegsmodell gave this one the thumbs up. The wrong stamp in the wrong place can make a $1000 plus purchase worth about $400. Swedish Mausers are far easier. Thanks for looking

[Adam7]

Love that wood!  You guys keep this up and you'll have me buying one!

[running-man]

I'm with Adam, that's a beaut there sheep!

I've always been scared away from the K98 market exactly because of what you said: I simply don't know enough to avoid making a stupid purchase.  What would you consider an entry level K98 these days?  A $400-$500 RC?  Blicero had a nifty one from GB he posted in the auctions thread that he obsessed over so much that he finally broke down and bought for 8 bills.   For that kind of money, I'd have to know a heck of a lot more about them than I do now...

[Blicero]

It's probably already obvious how I feel about this one. They're the finest bolt actions ever made in my opinion, especially the prewar guns. I'm still yearning for a prewar gun in hardwood...from BSW if I'm lucky. Was Sauer using the gothic letters yet on the receiver rail in '37? I don't know why but I go bananas over the gothic.

Sheep is right about k98 minutia but don't let it scare you. As long as you're not splurging on an all matching gun, you don't need to be a professor to find a decent k98. RCs are obviously a good place to start but if I had to start over, I'd just find a non-captured mismatching gun. They can be had in the $550-900 range. Just watch the auctions, look at as many guns as you can, and you'll get the feel for it. Never hurts to spend a few dollars on Backbone or Kar98k either.

[sheepdog]

I believe the Gothic script Mod. 98 were on Erma subcontracted receivers. Many later Sauer K98ks were made with Erma receivers.

My entry into K98ks was an RC. It is also a 1937 Sauer with a serial number about 9500 older than the bringback. Pretty close seeing that Sauer made over 180,000 of these in 1937. $400 will get a decent one. All the RCs I've ever seen had at least a decent bore. I lucked out on this one, it's mirrorlike.

My RC sitting in an early Sauer stock I lucked out on. It has a small repair the German armorers expertly spliced just behind the rear band. The sling hides it almost cpmpletely. Turned around and sold the late Sauer laminate stock it was sitting in for more than the walnut one cost me. No X anywhere on it just that abnoxious inport billboard but it's a fine shooter so I'll live with that.

[Phosphorus32]

That's a beautiful Sauer und Sohn K98k Sheep! 

RM, I started with the re-arsenaled K98s and I haven't been disappointed.  They're fun shooters for $300-$400 that are total mismatches and just a bit rough around the edges.  I haven't ventured into the collectors-grade K98 arena but it'll happen someday.

[Dannyboy53]

Beautiful specimen...love that wood! I've seen/held a few of these old war horses over the years but never one with the striped stock.

[jd?]

Do I need to remind you Mauser nuts that you would be doing the Lords work if you could find me the forend portion of a red glue laminate stock so that I could preform a similar repair on my poor amputated K-98. 

I've been having a hard time justifying the cost of a complete stock for this gun, and don't really want to replace this one which is numbered to the gun.

[Blicero]

Do I need to remind you Mauser nuts that you would be doing the Lords work if you could find me the forend portion of a red glue laminate stock so that I could preform a similar repair on my poor amputated K-98. 

I've been having a hard time justifying the cost of a complete stock for this gun, and don't really want to replace this one which is numbered to the gun.

It was you who was looking for that fore end. I remember posting up a k98 a long time ago and you mentioned needing that part. I have still never seen one.

But that poor k98 
I don't blame you for not buying a stock. I know what they cost. I'd rather just buy another rifle.

Yours looks like a post '43, BYF BNZ or DOT Mauser. Am I good?

[jd?]

Yours looks like a post '43, BYF BNZ or DOT Mauser. Am I good?

Well, I don't know if you're good or not, but you're pretty much correct on this one.  It's a 43 BYF, #7918.  I got it for 200 bucks from a guy who wanted a couple of C notes more than he wanted his grandpa's bring back Mauser.

It was a grubby, rusty mess, the bore was pretty ugly, and I'll admit that I started out pretty "ho-hum" about the whole thing.  But then -- I'll bet you know exactly what happened.  I scrubbed, fondled, disassembled, -- started to really appreciate the beauty of design, and got possessed by the Nazi ju-ju that oozes out of these rifles. 

The finish on the metal, and the condition of the stock turned out to be pretty freakin good after I carefully de-crapified it.   

I could go on, but I'm starting to feel dirty, like a thread jacker must feel when he puts his filthy hands on another mans thread.   

I think maybe I'll post up my own thread for this, even though I've done it somewhere else before I think.  Hell who'd wanna grow old if ya couldn't bore everyone with the same old stories over and over again.  jd

[edritchey]

I had one years ago and sold it man I wish I still had it the prices on nice all matching vet bring back rifles are through the roof.  That is a real nice looking rifle. 

[Lmbass14]

Sheep, I'm like RM about the K98's.  Hell, I can't even spell K98.  Always wanted a good K98, but like RM and you said there are so many fakes out there I don't know where to start.

Is it for sale or trade?  I have some really nice trade fodder that you would like.

[sheepdog]

Everything has a price but I'm afraid it would be a lot for that one. I own the two most current bibles for the K98 collector. You can still find a decent bolt mismatch on GB for $800-1000, just give me a holler and show me some pics if you see one that interests you.

Always willing to help though I'm still in K98 elementary school.