Mitchell's Mauser for $200 - Good Deal?

[mattra]

Part of me thought about taking the bolt somewhere and having it blued - at least I could look at it and not feel dirty

[m4a3sherman]

I agree with you there! That is probably the worst part of the mitchells 'pimping' since the bolts were never left in the white... so strange. Hell, for $200, you could probably part it out and make money on it. Unfortunately, you can probably sell it for more than $200 now just by listing it as a Mitchells Mauser on gunbroker or something. I also have to disagree with the earlier assessment that it will someday have collector's value. While the Russian captures are a legitimate part of the Kar98k story, these Mitchells are not. They are the result of an importer trying to make a few extra bucks with, as aptly noted before, semi-fraudulent advertising. I will say before I actually saw one in the flesh, I was thrilled at the idea of one of these "unissued rifles found in a European warehouse; the last ones ever found!" yadda yadda yadda... When you see one come out of that box you are taken back, if like me you notice how much wood is missing! and the not least the polished bolt! To say that these might have a real collector value is a little bit like saying those shorter rifles we see floating around are going to be worth something. And there will likely be people who try to collect these (Hell, there are people who collect ketchup packets) but in terms of most serious collectors, there just won't be much demand. Certainly if you sat on it for a while, you'll reap a little money, but no where near the same as if you had a Russian capture, which can already go for almost as much as the cheap mitchell's or even if you had an original. And trust me, there are deals all around you- My first bringback 98k with matching numbers, great shape, etc, was $350 from the vet's son who cared nothing for guns. And you find deals like this throughout! Again, for $200, you should take it, I know I would, and either resell it, or do something fun with it (SNIPER! cough cough). If you get it and decide to go with a sniper project, be sure to post on here so we can watch!

[Aragorn243]

The going price for a Mitchell's Mauser right now is $400 for what it's worth. While you may not consider them to have collector value, a value has been established and by and large it is higher than an RC. Whether it be name brand or simple ignorance of what they do to these rifles, there are plenty of suckers out there willing to shell out the cash for these. $200 is a decent price for any K98, even a Mitchell's.

[CapnJohn]

http://www.sarcoinc.com/11-10-11%207-12.pdf

Go to the above link for ZF-39 scope, high and low turret mounts and side rail mounts. You also need the proper screws and taps.

accumounts.com

and check out this site for mounts and taps/screws

[Harlan (Deceased)]

I was just as you were, m4a3sherman, when I first saw the ads for Mitchell Mausers and the ad said they were "Just Found in Unused Condition" or something like that, and for low prices. To make it worse, the ads were in American Rifleman. I was kind of excited at first to think they actually found new mausers, but then I began to doubt the ad. It reminded me of those ads we used to see on the back cover of Sgt Rock comic books for a "6 Foot Submarine" for $5.99.
(Did anyone here ever order one of those to see what it was?)

I think Mitchel's has changed their ads since back then, but they're still misleading - They say "Matching serial numbers" but don't say they're force matched by them.

Regardless how we feel about them, I think $200 is a good price and I'd pick it right up and decide what to do with it later. Lots of options for sure. I like the idea of bluing the hideous bolt and making a shooter out of it with or without scope. At least if you D&T it for a scope it'll look the part and in my opinion hurt the history less than doing so to any other mauser.

[Mossy]

I agree with Harlan on this one. They're typically a good shooter and you can't hurt them if you D&T, paint them with stove black or whatever. Mitchell already ruined the history so use them for what they are.