I am new to this code...

Greetings,
I have read some of these threads and I have come to realize I have a bunch to learn.... A friend of mine is sending me a 8MM Mauser that his father in law willed to him. My friend sent me the following email;

"On the breach is 794' Danzic 1917. On the bolt and a$$. 57, 98, 46 and 2266. On the barell either 127 or I27 hard to read, 6186 wich shows up all over the rifle, GEW.98. s42k? partly coverd by stock and 2388."

I will have this shipped to me soon and in WA state all weapons are charged a "use" tax unless you have a receipt paying sales tax. I would like to know an approximate value so I can have a rough idea of how much tax I have to pay. I have not seen the rifle so I can not tell how much of the original finish there is. Not very much I am sure.

I do not know if WA exempts antique or historical weapons from this use tax. If anyone can help me out or point me in the right direction to research this rifle I would appreciate it greatly.

BOG

PS. The BOG stands for "Boots On Ground". A statement on my last set of orders to Iraq. Great way to finish off a 30 year career as a Sailor...LOL

I assume he means it is a 1917 Danzig, serial number 794 (probably a suffix left off), sounds like it might be a total mismatch? Even the barrel? All parts should match the receiver serial- full serial on barrel, and bolt, full serial minus suffix on stock, and last two (or all digits if interwar, which as it has an upgraded rearsight it might be) on the rest of the parts.

Hard to say as to value, but his description isn't too tempting. I am not so sure it would be worth the box and postage? Not to be rude, but I would see if you can get some pictures before you and he goes through all the hassle of mailing it, paying extra fees, and the gas to pick it up, as it sure doesn't sound like it is worth much.

Of course the description is pretty vague in areas.

BOGSailor said:

Greetings,
I have read some of these threads and I have come to realize I have a bunch to learn.... A friend of mine is sending me a 8MM Mauser that his father in law willed to him. My friend sent me the following email;

"On the breach is 794' Danzic 1917. On the bolt and a$$. 57, 98, 46 and 2266. On the barell either 127 or I27 hard to read, 6186 wich shows up all over the rifle, GEW.98. s42k? partly coverd by stock and 2388."

I will have this shipped to me soon and in WA state all weapons are charged a "use" tax unless you have a receipt paying sales tax. I would like to know an approximate value so I can have a rough idea of how much tax I have to pay. I have not seen the rifle so I can not tell how much of the original finish there is. Not very much I am sure.

I do not know if WA exempts antique or historical weapons from this use tax. If anyone can help me out or point me in the right direction to research this rifle I would appreciate it greatly.

BOG

PS. The BOG stands for "Boots On Ground". A statement on my last set of orders to Iraq. Great way to finish off a 30 year career as a Sailor...LOL

Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice. It sounds like you are saying this rifle has been pieced together from spare parts? I assumed that when my friend mentioned all the different numbers in various places. I will ask him for pictures. I am not concerned if the rifle is not worth a great deal. If it is in a safe condition and shoots I will be happy. I may ask my friend to have the headspace checked. I need a value assessment because of the "use" tax here in WA. If it is worth very little than I don't have to pay a great deal. I don't know if the state will accept a value of "not as much as the box"..LOL Shipping and the transfer fee wouldn't be too terrible for a rifle that is fun to shoot.

SimsonSuhl said:

I assume he means it is a 1917 Danzig, serial number 794 (probably a suffix left off), sounds like it might be a total mismatch? Even the barrel? All parts should match the receiver serial- full serial on barrel, and bolt, full serial minus suffix on stock, and last two (or all digits if interwar, which as it has an upgraded rearsight it might be) on the rest of the parts.

Hard to say as to value, but his description isn't too tempting. I am not so sure it would be worth the box and postage? Not to be rude, but I would see if you can get some pictures before you and he goes through all the hassle of mailing it, paying extra fees, and the gas to pick it up, as it sure doesn't sound like it is worth much.

Of course the description is pretty vague in areas.

Click to expand...

Well I’m glad you took the advice the way it was intended, it wasn't personal and I figured you wanted honest advice, - many seem to resent honest advice and when their answers are not regurgitated in the manner they expect they get rather perturbed.

Anyway, what is important is what is original to the rifle (matching, - rework or manufacturer original), which is key to value, but if the rifle is a hodgepodge of parts its value is the sum of the parts. If they are good parts it could be worth good money, but if the parts are well worn or poorly marked, then they are next to worthless.

I would say worse case, if it has any potential for shooting; it is worth $200, as that is the base line for a shooting action with some parts. A good receiver is $100, a good barrel and useable parts another $100 or so usually, the bolts value can swing wide, some over $200 and some $50 or less.

If the rifle is refinished it has no collector value, at least to me, not even for parts. But there are those that love refinished rifles, - actually there is a forum dedicated to the study of the rc and Mitchell Mauser, today it's called Gunboards 98k.

Hopefully your rifle is not as bad as it sounds from the description, when your friend details it better we might know more, but if not, I would value it, as it is currently described, at the baseline rc rate, which to me is about $200 for a shooter.

Thanks that helps me a bunch. I hope that this is a shooter. My friend assures me that his FIL shot it often and it is safe to fire. I asked him to have the headspace checked just to be sure. He says the metal and wood "look real good" so I think it has been re-blued and refinished. I am anxious to shoot this thing. When the metal plate on the butt bites into your shoulder you have a new appreciation for anyone that used a rifle like that in battles for hours at a time, day after day. It might be fun to try and research where all the parts came from too.
Again "Thanks" for your time.