mauser vs. lee enfield?

[Peter Laidler]

For Villiers......... Patrick, I am sure that I have asked this before or have been meaning to ask, but do unlicenced ww2 weapons still come to light in Berlin/the big cities/Germany in general? I know that in Dusseldorf the new underground workings are breaking into old collapsed cellars etc etc that were never excavated but just built up over. What about those being found in old houses where old people have died or where weapons just '....appear as if by magic.....'

What happens if you suddenly find yourself the 'owner' of such a weapon? Are there methods whereby you can hand it in or to someone who cal own it? Or do people just stay shtumm and say nothing - like I suspect that do in England, the rascals!

[villiers]

For Villiers......... Patrick, I am sure that I have asked this before or have been meaning to ask, but do unlicenced ww2 weapons still come to light in Berlin/the big cities/Germany in general? I know that in Dusseldorf the new underground workings are breaking into old collapsed cellars etc etc that were never excavated but just built up over. What about those being found in old houses where old people have died or where weapons just '....appear as if by magic.....'

What happens if you suddenly find yourself the 'owner' of such a weapon? Are there methods whereby you can hand it in or to someone who cal own it? Or do people just stay shtumm and say nothing - like I suspect that do in England, the rascals!

There have been several "amnesties" over the years. The last one backfired when those who handed weapons in were prosecuted. Not for owning them (covered by the amnesty) but for taking the weapons on a public highway to the police station! Many knowledgeable people here assume that illegal weapons are more common than those legally owned. It´s sometimes amusing to sift through e-Gun and see bits and pieces of the same weapon sold piecemeal over a period of time. As a member of several clubs, I get to hear of quite a bit of wheeling and dealing. And then of course, there´s the open Polish border just 50 kms down the Autobahn (and then a free run down to Kosovo).

[Homer]

I agree with you and my post was an ill-advised reaction.

However I disagree about the Kar98k. (I own one of them, as well as my Lee-Enfields.) It's heavy, slow and has too small capacity. The Germans had an opportunity to produce something better in 1935 and, for what ever reasons, decided not to.

What was that?

[NRA]

What was that?

Sturmgewehr 44?

[Patrick Chadwick]

Originally Posted by Beerhunter I agree with you and my post was an ill-advised reaction. However I disagree about the Kar98k. (I own one of them, as well as my Lee-Enfields.) It's heavy, slow and has too small capacity. The Germans had an opportunity to produce something better in 1935 and, for what ever reasons, decided not to. What was that?

A Garand?

But seriously: Mag Fed made an excellent point - you tend to place a higher value on things you understand - whether it is a painting, a piece of music - or an old gun. And there is, of course, the effect that sellers will tend to set a higher value on something that they possess themselves than on an identical object possessed by someone else.

When my Mauser 1871 needed a higher foresight blade, to hit the black at 100 yards rather than 300, I simply fitted a K98k tall blade. No problems. The Mauser V-backsight plus "roof" foresight did not change from beginning to end. So what was OK in 1871 was seriously out of date when the K98k was introduced. The regular Enfield/Swedish Mauser/other Mauser match organized by the BDMP has produced clear statistics that the order of shooting accuracy is precisely that: Enfield/Swede/Mauser.

But serious Mauser fans can get very enthusiastic about things like rare date codes, and for obvious historical reasons, a Wehrmacht K98k with a pristine barrel is very much rarer than an Enfield in such a good condition, which in its turn is rarer than a Swede - they are almost always in good condition, and a lot in what most of us could describe as an excellent state.

[browningautorifle]

But serious Mauser fans can get very enthusiastic about things like rare date codes, and for obvious historical reasons, a Wehrmacht K98k with a pristine barrel is very much rarer than an Enfield in such a good condition, which in its turn is rarer than a Swede - they are almost always in good condition, and a lot in what most of us could describe as an excellent state.

Yes, but time and space...here in Canada, it's hard to get the kind of cash the same rifle may get elsewhere in the world. We don't seem to have the cash backed collectors that you see elsewhere. Maybe it's our laws...

[enfieldman]

That`s true Jim, but here in Canada the damned long gun registry did serious damage to the
collecting of these relics. What`s being sold through retail outlets here is priced too high for
what you`re getting. People gave them away for fear of going to jail or hid them in their closets, then rich collectors gobbled them up for next to nothing.
In the U.S. you can get anything you want at a reasonable price. No cross border shopping
though!!!

[browningautorifle]

Agreed.

[boltaction]

By the sounds of it, the K98 described by the thread starter may be a correct VBB, as it doesn't sound like a typical forcematched electro-pencilled "Russian capture" jobbie. Plus, it is a pre-war or early war variant, so will be higher quality machining, etc. I am no fan of the NSDAP either, but consider what action this Mauser would have seen...... Canadian values do vary from US ones, and I prefer the LE myself, but reality is reality. An original non-messed with WWII Mauser is still worth 2x plus what a good LB LE is, . There are (for now) truckloads of nice LB LE's kicking around; you can buy one a day on CGN EE and still not get them all. Pre-war or early war Mausers that haven't been belt sanded, shellacked and restamped by the Eastern block? Whole different story. For that matter, believe it or not, even the forcematched so called Russian Capture stuff is going for stupid prices these days. Assuming your description of the Mauser is accurate, I don't think it is and even trade, speaking as a LE and Mauser collector, but ultimately, I agree with browningautorifle in that if you feel it is an even trade, go for it.

Ed

[enfield303t]

Being a Lee Enfield enthusiast I will say the gun being offered would be tempting, HOWEVER it appears he possibly wants the Mauser more than yoiu want to get rid of it.

I wouldn't do the deal for what he is offering no matter how much I love Lee Enfields. The Mauser as described will be much harder to replace IMO than a LB seeing as this is Canada.

If you want a LB put it up on WTB and I bet you will get one at a price that will be reasonable compared to the value of the Mauser.

The main thing is will you have "traders regrets" ten minutes after the deal is done? If you think you might walk away.