New to community and K98 - Need HELP with lead on BYF 43 Russian Capture

[13 + 1]

Hello All:

I am new member but have been hanging out for a while to learn. I hope you all can help me. I am on the hunt for nice RC shooter - made in Germany. My son is love with the RCs and their history and I would like to purchase one for his birthday. I am attaching here photographs of an "opportunity" of what I believe to be an RC but I am not sure if it is an original "matching" RC because the number on the stock does not match the barrel, receiver and bolt, or anything else, doesn't seem to be electro-penciled. The price is $775 - seller claims that it has a nice bore and that he obtained it from a friend's estate. What do you guys think? What should I look out for? I will appreciate any information you all can provide.

Information

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[Aragorn243]

It does appear to be a Russian capture. Has an X stamped on the top of the receiver, the stock serial number and the purplish colored stock. Not sure why the stock number doesn't match but common sense says someone switched them for one reason or another.

Personally I think $775.00 is pretty high, especially with the "staining" of the finish on the receiver. $600 for a nicer example is still doable.

[Singer B]

In California, that is a $800-$1000 rifle at the southern California gun shows. The metal looks pretty good and the laminate stock hasn't been covered in that ugly red varnish. It even has the nicer milled front barrel band. Way nicer than the RCs I've been seeing here lately. Aragorn is right though, if you keep looking you could probably find one for $600 but that may take awhile depending on where you live.

[13 + 1]

It does appear to be a Russian capture. Has an X stamped on the top of the receiver, the stock serial number and the purplish colored stock. Not sure why the stock number doesn't match but common sense says someone switched them for one reason or another.

Personally I think $775.00 is pretty high, especially with the "staining" of the finish on the receiver. $600 for a nicer example is still doable.

In California, that is a $800-$1000 rifle at the southern California gun shows. The metal looks pretty good and the laminate stock hasn't been covered in that ugly red varnish. It even has the nicer milled front barrel band. Way nicer than the RCs I've been seeing here lately. Aragorn is right though, if you keep looking you could probably find one for $600 but that may take awhile depending on where you live.

Thank you both very much. Turns out that after some reading I've learned that stock is a Yugo Capture stock (vertical numbering on the stock vs horizontal). Its a bummer on one hand because my son wants an RC but as Singer B said the stock is a lot nicer than RCs i've seen as well. But now I am wondering if the bolt came off a Yugo refurb too since the bolt on this one has no electro-penciling. I know you both have your reservations on the price already, but being that it is a Yugo/RC m/m how should it affect the price, even if it is cleaner?

Thanks again!

[Aragorn243]

That's a fair question and I'm not sure I can answer it. My opinion is it has little to do with the price. I know of no specific collectability of Russian Captures. People tend to classify these in three categories. All matching original which is the cream of the crop with even shot out bores bringing high dollars. Next is the non-matching bring back, usually most parts except the bolt match. Then there are the mismatched put together's which include rebuilt sporters, Russian Captures and Yugo and other captures. Prices on all these vary on the individual, what they want and what they are willing to pay. This last group generally is the lowest priced although prices for this group have gotten a bit ridiculous also. My personal preference for myself would go down the list from top to bottom. the reality is I have a Russian capture that I removed the purple shellac from and restored the front sight guard and locking screws because that's what I could afford at the time and I'm not planning to upgrade in the near future. I want my rifles to have the appearance they would have had during WWII. Some will say I did harm in removing the shellac but that's their opinion and I'm not planning to sell it so it is what it is.

If your son wants an RC, I'd pass on this one even it if was priced lower. If he just wants a K98, I wouldn't have a problem buying it if it were priced lower. I'm just thankful that I started collecting when I did because I would have trouble justifying the prices on a lot of these now. I have mine on here, it was 10 years ago I bought it and I paid $200.00 for it. Photos of it when it was partially finished are here: https://www.milsurps.com/showthread.php?t=20953&page=2 I guess I never posted the finished product with the sight hood and sling. Never took any either. May have to fix that since I'm not supposed to leave the house.

[Singer B]

I only have one Kar98k. I had started looking in June of 2019 for one and figured I couldn't afford a nice one since they were running $1,200 and up for non-matching rifles. I found a vendor at a local gun show who had 8 RC's and they were pretty rough but he was only asking $600 each. I decided to do some more research so I could pick out the best of the litter when I went back to the same show a couple of months later. After doing my research, I went back to the show with a couple of friends and went searching for that vendor with cash in hand. Guess what? Yep, he wasn't there. I was pretty bummed but it is a large show so we looked around. We found another vendor who had 8 Kar98k's with several having matching numbers. They were listed at $700 each. Some were really nice and some were "aged." I was worried that maybe it was a rip-off ($700 for all-matching Kar98ks??). I asked my friend for his thoughts and he said "If the gun isn't all matching, is it still worth $700?" Based upon the condition, I told him it was. He replied "Then don't worry about it. If you like it, buy it. If its matching, you scored a winner. If it isn't, you still end up with a cool Mauser." He was right. I purchased one of the "aged" rifles and ended up with a 1941 AR made at Borgiswald in Berlin. When I got it home, I spent a day dismantling it and to my great delight, it was all matching. The moral of this story? Yes, there are Holy Grails out there if you look. A lot depends on luck. But don't forget your main goal. For $775, will it make your son happy and create new memories for you and your family? I think the price is okay based upon the condition and the current market (I wish I had started buying when Aargorn did!). Good luck and have fun with the search.

[13 + 1]

That's a fair question and I'm not sure I can answer it. My opinion is it has little to do with the price. I know of no specific collectability of Russian Captures. People tend to classify these in three categories. All matching original which is the cream of the crop with even shot out bores bringing high dollars. Next is the non-matching bring back, usually most parts except the bolt match. Then there are the mismatched put together's which include rebuilt sporters, Russian Captures and Yugo and other captures. Prices on all these vary on the individual, what they want and what they are willing to pay. This last group generally is the lowest priced although prices for this group have gotten a bit ridiculous also. My personal preference for myself would go down the list from top to bottom. the reality is I have a Russian capture that I removed the purple shellac from and restored the front sight guard and locking screws because that's what I could afford at the time and I'm not planning to upgrade in the near future. I want my rifles to have the appearance they would have had during WWII. Some will say I did harm in removing the shellac but that's their opinion and I'm not planning to sell it so it is what it is.

If your son wants an RC, I'd pass on this one even it if was priced lower. If he just wants a K98, I wouldn't have a problem buying it if it were priced lower. I'm just thankful that I started collecting when I did because I would have trouble justifying the prices on a lot of these now. I have mine on here, it was 10 years ago I bought it and I paid $200.00 for it. Photos of it when it was partially finished are here: https://www.milsurps.com/showthread.php?t=20953&page=2 I guess I never posted the finished product with the sight hood and sling. Never took any either. May have to fix that since I'm not supposed to leave the house.

I only have one Kar98k. I had started looking in June of 2019 for one and figured I couldn't afford a nice one since they were running $1,200 and up for non-matching rifles. I found a vendor at a local gun show who had 8 RC's and they were pretty rough but he was only asking $600 each. I decided to do some more research so I could pick out the best of the litter when I went back to the same show a couple of months later. After doing my research, I went back to the show with a couple of friends and went searching for that vendor with cash in hand. Guess what? Yep, he wasn't there. I was pretty bummed but it is a large show so we looked around. We found another vendor who had 8 Kar98k's with several having matching numbers. They were listed at $700 each. Some were really nice and some were "aged." I was worried that maybe it was a rip-off ($700 for all-matching Kar98ks??). I asked my friend for his thoughts and he said "If the gun isn't all matching, is it still worth $700?" Based upon the condition, I told him it was. He replied "Then don't worry about it. If you like it, buy it. If its matching, you scored a winner. If it isn't, you still end up with a cool Mauser." He was right. I purchased one of the "aged" rifles and ended up with a 1941 AR made at Borgiswald in Berlin. When I got it home, I spent a day dismantling it and to my great delight, it was all matching. The moral of this story? Yes, there are Holy Grails out there if you look. A lot depends on luck. But don't forget your main goal. For $775, will it make your son happy and create new memories for you and your family? I think the price is okay based upon the condition and the current market (I wish I had started buying when Aargorn did!). Good luck and have fun with the search.

Wow. Thank you both for taking so much time to share on your wisdom and experiences. You've given me a lot to think about. Much obliged.

[GeeRam]

Wise to pass on that one....lots of oddities, even for a RC.

Keep looking.

[bcsatch]

Tough atmosphere you are entering this late in the game. Any and all K98k's are priced through the ceiling. I own 1 and sold another years ago, shouldnt have, but since I have stopped trying to locate another due to the ridiculous prices and flat out fraud. Please take your time and go into every potential purchase ready to pass, as most you will come across are a disaster at this point.

[13 + 1]

Wise to pass on that one....lots of oddities, even for a RC.

Keep looking.

Thanks GreeRam with everyone's help here I decided to pass.

---------- Post added at 02:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:05 PM ----------

Tough atmosphere you are entering this late in the game. Any and all K98k's are priced through the ceiling. I own 1 and sold another years ago, shouldnt have, but since I have stopped trying to locate another due to the ridiculous prices and flat out fraud. Please take your time and go into every potential purchase ready to pass, as most you will come across are a disaster at this point.

Tell me about it bcsathch. I kick myself in the but for being all about ARs for the last 8 years or so. I find them boring now LOL. I will certainly take my time and see what makes itself available. Thanks for the advice!