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Estimated Value of Exc. 98k byf 41 or 42?

RichUrich

Senior Member
I have first call on a VG to EXCELLENT condition matching byf 41 or 42, BUT...

1. Bubba put a day scope on the receiver so I don't know if it is a 41 or 42 and,

2. The receiver has 4 holes drilled/tapped in it for the scope.

3. The current owner (pawnshop) has just removed the scope and I need to go back there and give him my verdict.

4. Neither the pawnshop nor I know what it should be valued at (considering the holes in the reciever).

So I am asking the experts here... what do they think?

(In any event, I will take photos this week and post them here... it is an all correct excellent condition K98k.)
 
Without photos I am willing to bet that you will not get very concrete value assesed. Only educated guesses. If it is indeed all matching but has been drilled and tapped I would say the value is cut in half at very least. And also how ugly or the placement of the drilled holes on the receiver. Some are fixable with very little evidence of the holes being there but this all depends on where the holes are. My best guess would be $500 or so if its not fixable ?? Byf 42 is a harder find but I don't think it would increase the value one way or the other once drilled and tapped.

mow.
 
I have first call on a VG to EXCELLENT condition matching byf 41 or 42, BUT...


2. The receiver has 4 holes drilled/tapped in it for the scope.


98k.)

Hmmm........Since the damage is already done it sounds like an excellent candidate for a LT sniper...

Set of mounts and period correct scope from Spielauer, and a little machine work from V99 and you are ready to go...

Might not be your cup of tea, but I,m just saying you wont be doing any more damage than is already done.

If you chose not to ,Vaughn 99 can fill the holes for you also. I have a dou 42 that some one had put on a rear peep and he did an excellent repair..

Just a thought...
 
Without photos I am willing to bet that you will not get very concrete value assesed. Only educated guesses. If it is indeed all matching but has been drilled and tapped I would say the value is cut in half at very least. And also how ugly or the placement of the drilled holes on the receiver. Some are fixable with very little evidence of the holes being there but this all depends on where the holes are. My best guess would be $500 or so if its not fixable ?? Byf 42 is a harder find but I don't think it would increase the value one way or the other once drilled and tapped.

mow.
Mowz, you are the third person to tell me that byf 42 is a hard to find code. Could you tell me why?
 
How long is a piece of string? Without showing us, we have no idea!

Is the stock sabded, steel wooled, pimp shined, linseed oiled? Is the stock duffle cut? Are the stamps in the wood visible? has the metal been reblued? Has any alterations been made besides the D&T holes (which kill value a LOT). Do all numbers match? Walnut or laminate? etc etc etc....

byf 42 is a tricky year, yes, but not THAT difficult. byf 43 is common as dirt.

I had a lovely byf 42 once, RC, no X etc. Russkies counter bored it. Could not live with that, so sold it. Even had a walnut e/135 stock on it.
 
Mauser202,

Just to clarify not just byf but other 1942 codes as well. It is thought that many of the 42' dated rifles went into Russia as there was a bitter fight going on and by Feb. 1943 the German 6th Army surrendered at Stalingrad. Most collectors and historians just use logic to deduce that many of the 42 dated rifles went into Russia never to return. Sure some were issued elsewhere but probably not anywhere near the numbers that were issued to front line troops and the lines were in Russia primarily. Many byf and other makers of K98's have shown up in RC trim so it only bolsters the idea that the majority of them ended up in Russia and were captured or destroyed.

mow.
 
Is the stock sabded, steel wooled, pimp shined, linseed oiled?

Stock is not touched!

Is the stock duffle cut?

No!

Are the stamps in the wood visible?
Yes!

has the metal been reblued?
No!

Has any alterations been made besides the D&T holes (which kill value a LOT).
None!


Do all numbers match?
Yes!

Walnut or laminate? etc etc etc....
?? Have to check but I think it was Walnut...
 
mauserlovr, your byf 42 scarcity makes sense, but shouldn't there be even less byf 41 rifles? there were less made and they were in russia a year earlier.
 
Thats what the whole mystery of the 42's is about though. So many made yet so few original examples show up. In 41 arms were flowing to places like France and Africa and as they were defeated they retreated back toward Germany taking their rifles with them as opposed to the whole Army surrendering and ALL of its weapons captured. Plus arms captured by American and other allied forces in any of those campaigns have long since showed up as bring backs or sold after the war. I have heard tell of tons of K98s being available after the war for very little money here in the states. Were as Russia and other communist block countries (aside from a small portion used in vietnam and other areas) had them in storage not to see light of day for a very long time. But quite simply the 42' dates are rarely seen and one can only assume what was going on at that time to be a good reason for it. The Russian campaign.

mow.
 
i forgot about africa and norway and greece and yugoslavia etc. your analysis makes sense.
 
I don't think so ac. My feeling on this is that most '42 production went East to be worn out, captured, destroyed, and reworked. Some codes/dates have much lower production than others, but much higher "survival" rates. I think many '42 date weapons fall into the higher production, lower survival catagory.

From observations over the last 25 years, I can't think of a single '41 date maker that I would choose over the same in '42 flavor, except for perhaps ax/ar 41 and their is no comparable '42 date
 
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i am agreeing with you ham, probably all 42 production went to ussr where most of it was captured (RC) or destroyed while many 41 rifles were brought back from north africa. probably most 41 rifles were lost in russia as well. didn't most 43 production go to russia and italy? probably a lot of 1943 bringbacks came from italy. most 1944 production probably went everywhere. just my best guess.
 
Historically, the lines start to get further back to supply points and units and conscripts were raised/equipped by 1943 and after to face the new allied threats in Italy and France. Before the allied invasions of Italy and France in 1943 and 1944, there really was no western threat. It all makes historical sense as does the locations of the factories, whether captured by Western allies or Soviets, as to survival rates of particular later codes and dates.
 

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