I'm in the deep end now... Mauser 98 w/PICS!

[SamNavy]

A buddy recently in inherited this. I'm into guns and he isn't, so I'm helping him with this one and a few others. This one I haven't touched other than to wipe it down with a microfiber cloth until I find out what it is. I did some basic homework and hopefully got all the pics of the important stuff you'll need. Help a guy help a guy. What do we have here? Thanks, SAM!

[Singer B]

Nice Kar98k.Has some really good potential as all of the parts, including the capture screws, have the correct matching numbers. Hopefully the bolt and all of its parts have the same matching numbers. The only thing that looks a little off is the late 1941 stock and cupped butt plate on a 1939 rifle. Definitely has a great potential to be restored but it will take a lot of work and some expertise. Whatever you do, don't sand anything or reblue the metal, just clean her up as best you can while leaving the original finish. There are lots of people here who can and will help you bring it back to its correct condition.

[GeeRam]

Echo what has been said above - looks to be a potential matching un-messed with rifle - photos of the bolt would be nice to see if all matching though.

If you are really lucky, it maybe the stock might be the original, that was field modded with the later cupped buttplate. Only removable of the stock to look for the serial number stamped in the barrel channel would confirm that possibility.


Need more photos

[SamNavy]

Thanks for the help!

Looks like the bolt matches but the stock does not. Also pics of a few other marks I found when I pulled the stock off.

So... now what? I'm not certain what the owner is going to want to do with this gun. It may be something his father brought back from WWII or chanced at a flea market, I don't think the owner knows other than "When I was a kid, it was the loudest gun we had." For personal reasons, I believe he'll want to sell it. As a friend to him and a guy who likes guns, it'd be good karma to make sure we do the right thing by this sweet piece of history even if the owner has no interest in keeping it. I'd like to present him with some options... time is no factor.

[Singer B]

Despite the stock not matching, your friend still has a great gun since the bolt and receiver match. Here in California, you would easily get $1k for it as is (if the bolt functions and the bore is clear). It has lots of potential, just need to find someone capable of returning it to operational status.

[GeeRam]

As its matching except the stock, my guess it might have been a duffel cut bring-back, and at some point once back in USA, instead of repairing the original stock they have replaced it with an uncut one from another source.

As said above, depending on internal condition it could easily sell for $1k or more. Given current prices and what people are paying for junk K98k's, you could see close to $1.5k.

[Surpmil]

Unless it's been stored in an outbuilding or under a house somewhere in the American southwest, ie: in a desert, I'd say it hasn't been messed with in a VERY long time.

If it hasn't been stored in that manner, then the amount of dust and crud between the stock and the metalwork will tell pretty reliably when the stock was changed.

[Simon P]

The stock may of just been changed in service, and is correct as it was in Military Service. The danger of changing the stock, the last part of its history will be lost.

[SamNavy]

This gun likely had not seen the sun since the mid-1970's or maybe earlier. It was stored in the closet of a mobile home parked about 150yds from the Chesapeake Bay on a small family farm. As far as I know, it was simply leaning against the closet wall along with a half-dozen other long-guns... for 50 years.