FIRST K98. what are your thoughts?

[Don1990]

Hi, finally found an uncaptured K98 and im very pleased with it. they are becoming more and more difficult to find here in AUS as all seem to sell within a few hours of being put on the market so im glad to finally have one. It seems really nice and shoots incredibly well, (consistantly hits 300mm steel at 400m). I was hoping some of you experts would be able to tell me a little about it. Wood looks aged and almost shiny with black discolouration around the grip. Blueing is really nice, no rust or pitting. Bore is great. Reciever/barrell s/n match the stock but all other parts are completely mis matched. Its stamped 42 1938. from my research that means it was made in Oberndorf in 1938. Waffenamts on the stock are quite difficult to read, is this normal? there is a large "H" stamped on the stock which im led to believe means it was "HEER" which means army. There are the numbers "311" painted in white paint on the stock also (matches receiver serial? 6311?). is this original? serial number on reciever is 6311 with a cursive "m" underneath. Also on my safety tab, one side has been painted red. was this original? if so why have they done this? On the underside of the rifle forward of the floor plate the letters "GG" stamped into the stock. What does this mean?
I was sold this rifle under the pretense it was "uncaptured" would you guys agree?

would love to get some feedback and hear any of your thoughts on my new favourite rifle

Here are some pics

Information

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[UNPROFOR1994]

Hello Don1990,

it looks like a shooter to me. The rifle is assembled out of mismatched parts. You have atleast 3 different serial numbers, probably 4, 5 or 6. Or even more if you check the inside of the stock, the barrel bands ... etc.

The sling swivels aren't correct for a K98k, they look like the ones on a Standard Modell. The H does mean Heer, the painted serial number and safety aren't original. I have no odea what the GG means, maybe initials of one of the previous owners?

Is it uncaptured? If you mean is it a Russian Capture? No it doesn't look like one.

[Don1990]

Thanks for the prompt reply once again unprofor! Yeah it deff is a shooter and boy does she shoot well. Nazi marked k98s are fairly scarce here in aus so even as a mismatched mongrel of a rifle im chuffed with it. Good to know about the paint, any ideas on best way to remove it without marking the stock? I did notice the forward sling attachment was incorrect. Il get another one, already ordered sight hood sling and cleaning rod for it.

[WarPig1976]

one side has been painted red.

Red means "Fire". Must've been done by one of the previous owners as a reminder.

[tahoe2]

Great rifle ! you did good ! You do realize a range report is required ? Get out there and shoot it !!

[browningautorifle]

I'd have it too. Nothing wrong with a shooter in the rack.

[Don1990]

Tahoe2- range report. She shoots EXCEPTIONALLY well! Well within 1MOA, roughly 250mm groups at 350m. That's about 10" groups at 350yards in your imperial units? She loads and cycles like glass wrapped in silk and is a pleasure to shoot!

---------- Post added at 12:20 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:17 PM ----------

I did notice however, with federal factory ammo she shot LOW I had to compensate alot, the rear sight had to be adjusted to 850m to hit targets at 350m!! Thankfully when I switched to my hand loads the elevations went back to normal. Federal must load their 8mms pretty lightly I guess

[Don1990]

Hey guys, the stock seems to be coated with some sort if laquer. BLO/tru oil/ poly? It really bugs me and I wanted to strip the laquer and treat the stock to some Howard's feed n wax. Return it to former glory. I know in a more collectible rifle it would sacrilidge but seeing as this is just a shooter would it really be that bad? What's the best way to strip the laquer so that the stocks integrity isn't jespordised?

[Calif-Steve]

The sling set-up looks like a Border Patrol gun to me. The various police/Border Patrol agencies used K98's for years after WWII.

[Patrick Chadwick]

Hey guys, the stock seems to be coated with some sort if laquer. BLO/tru oil/ poly? It really bugs me and I wanted to strip the laquer and treat the stock to some Howard's feed n wax. Return it to former glory. I know in a more collectible rifle it would sacrilidge but seeing as this is just a shooter would it really be that bad?

You have shown us a K98k that shoots very well. Excellent - and lucky. And now you want to strip off the stock.
My advice: DON'T unless you really have to.

You appear to have a barrelled system that is perfectly matched to the stock it is sitting in, regardless of whether that was the original stock or not. Now you would like to disturb this setup. Why? It will not make it shoot better, but may very well make it shoot worse. This would be a case of pulling up the plant to see how the roots are growing.

... What's the best way to strip the laquer so that the stocks integrity isn't jeopardized?

OK, you have realized that the rifle might be negatively affected by stripping. So, if you feel you really must, let's think of how to clean it up without risking its performance.

The essence is not to alter the internal shape of the wood - i.e. the fit of the barrel channel and receiver cutout. This means 1) NO high temperatures that cause shrinkage. 2) NO fast temperature or moisture changes that cause both shrinkage and warping 3) NO swelling of the wood by adding excessive moisture and really soaking it – which will also endanger the markings.
All of the above means that you must NOT soak the wood right through, NOT attack it with chemicals that affect the wood structure and NOT then try to rapidly dry it out again. The cutout in the stock is a bit of precision engineering, so treating it as if it was an bit of cheap furniture that was picked up at a yard sale is not the right attitude.

Tabu No. 1 is : Never use oven cleaner or a similar caustic agent, which will actually break up the lignin of the wood. It’s how wood pulp is made. Is that what you want the surface of your stock to turn into?

Tabu No. 2 is: Never soak the wood right through and dry it fast at a high temperature. That’s how bentwood chairs are made. Is that how you want your stock to look?

After all, it is only the surface that you want to clean up. So I suggest that you first of all try rubbing it down with a linen rag well moistened with natural turpentine, which will remove oily components in a stock-friendly manner. A rag moistened with vinegar will help to remove crud from decades of sweaty hands. After that, if the stock really has been lacquered (and, of course, if you wish to remove any paint or the stencilled numbers) then I recommend using the kind of paint stripper that has a jelly-like consistency. This can be applied with a natural-hair brush (the stripper will dissolve plastic bristles!) to a trial patch, left for a time, then wiped off with moistened paper towelling. Do not get it on your skin! - If you do, if feels cool for a couple of seconds, then burns like hell, and has to be flushed off with lots of water.

The great advantage of the jelly paint-stripper is that you can proceed patch by patch and, with a bit of practice, treat an entire stock without using “total immersion” techniques, stopping any time you want – as long as you clean off the stripper first!

After using the “jelly stripper” - if necessary and where necessary – rub down the entire stock with a linen rag well moistened in natural turpentine, allow to dry, and then proceed to “feed” the wood by applying linseed oil to ALL surfaces – i.e. also in the barrel channel and the receiver cutout – to preserve the inside/outside balance of the wood. The first coat on the inside can be fairly liberal, as the barrel channel is often seriously dried out. Subsequent coats should have more and more elbow grease and less and less actual oil. Allow a week or so between treaments, otherwise the semi-dry oil will build up into a sticky layer again!

… Return it to former glory…

Take time, plenty of time, and you will have a proper military stock again – which had an oil finish. If you use a modern “Instant Magic High-Gloss Snake Oil”, the result will often look far too shiny, and thus a bit fake for a real service rifle.