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Kar98a Resurrection..

Came into a barreled 1918 Erfurt action right. Drilled and tapped, so I wouldn't think restoration would be cost effective. I just want it to look plausibly military. Have seen posts about Kar98s in K98k furniture. How difficult is this?

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It isn't practical, the Kar.98a is a small ring action and will not fit in a normal Kar.98k stock, though the SS ordnance depots did re-stock some 98a to 98k, it is not a simple operation or swap.

Any common maker-date drilled receiver is best left as is and used for commercial pursuits; even 98a with cutdown original stocks are probably best left as they are, used for the handy sporters they make, because the 98a is notorious for its fit issues. While a G98 can be a rather simple stock swap, the 98a is rarely such. It is beyond rare to just swap stocks on a 98a without fitting. The nature of the stocks wraparound configuration adds to Erfurt's low level of interchangeability (Erfurt's extremely high production came at a cost, a slight crudeness and irregularity compared to more "proud" craftsmanship oriented firms like Mauser, DWM or Amberg). Even pre-war 98a will not normally just drop into a replacement stock, they need fitting and its a unwelcome task most of the time, not worth it for a plain jane 98a like yours.

Have seen posts about Kar98s in K98k furniture. How difficult is this?

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A 98k style small ring stock, next to impossible for a German stock. Maybe some Eastern European army might have used something compatible, but i do not know personally.

A 98a stock isn't especially difficult to find, but a nice one can be expensive, especially with handguard. Reproductions are to be had though, but they are hardly cheap, to do so would exceed the barreled receivers value.

Best bet is to buy a nice bolt mismatch or a matcher, they can be snuck up on sometimes. You really can't fix what you have imo, and its a certain fact that you can't fix it economically, unless you already have the parts or can get them next to free, or are some woodworking genius...

How hard are small ring 98 stocks to find?

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A 98k style small ring stock, next to impossible for a German stock. Maybe some Eastern European army might have used something compatible, but i do not know personally.

A 98a stock isn't especially difficult to find, but a nice one can be expensive, especially with handguard. Reproductions are to be had though, but they are hardly cheap, to do so would exceed the barreled receivers value.

Best bet is to buy a nice bolt mismatch or a matcher, they can be snuck up on sometimes. You really can't fix what you have imo, and its a certain fact that you can't fix it economically, unless you already have the parts or can get them next to free, or are some woodworking genius...
Pictures always help. The bore is pretty decent.
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Decent condition and affordable German or Polish Kar 98a stocks or stocks sets do show up for sale once in a while, but are far from common and as mentioned above the handguard is the hardest part to find.

There is a Polish Mauser - the WZ29 or something like that - that is basically a Kar 98a with a large ring action. The stock and handguard are totally different than a 98a stock and handguard but they do work because the barrel on this rifle is identical to the 98a barrel as far as length, sight placement, and the barrel steps. When the Germans and/or Poles used one of these stocks with a 98a action, they sometimes patched the inletting for the large ring receiver so there was not a little gap between the 98a receiver ring and the stock. These Polish stock sets are not real common either any more, but are more commonly seen and cost less than 98a stock sets.

I also once had a German 98a in my collection that had replacement stock made out of a WW1 Gew 98 stock. I don't know exactly where or when this modification to the Gew 98 stock was done, but it was a very old military conversion that was very skillfully done and involved some good woodworking skills, not Gew stock to ae 98a stock.


Kar 98a stocks that were "sporterized" by cutting down the forend are also sometimes encountered and aren't worth a lot. If you found one of these that was cut in front of the rear band, a replacement forend could be made from a Gew 98 or other long M98 style stock...again, you would need an original 98a stock to compare it to, and it would involve a lot of work. And there is always the problem of finding a handguard.

I used to collect 98a's and restored a lot of them, but unless you really love a project it might just be better to find a sporterized 98a stock to stick this action in and just leave it at that.

Actually, since you wouldn't be worried about the bands and handguard, any sporterized 98 Mauser
 
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Once the gun has been drilled and tapped, I wouldn't waste an original stock on it. Some other gun could use it more and end up looking better. I'd find a spotter stock and a scope with mount that fits onto the action.
 
Yeah, honestly at this stage I'd just enjoy it for what it is. Find a decent sporter stock, perhaps scope it again and enjoy it!
 
That might be the plan after all. My hunting buddies have been after me to get a scoped bolt action rifle for years. Hoping this is D&T for a reasonably common mount....

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Old thread, but this project is back on the front burner. Sources for an affordable bolt? I would like a Kar98a bolt, but am not picky.

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With the bolt...
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I have a penchant for taking on challenging restorations.. be patient and the parts will show up. You may have to pay eBay prices, but keep checking forums and you'll more often than not find what you need.... eventually. Good luck!

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Good; I understand the Kar98s to have interchangeability issues , more than usual. Hopefully it will solve the headspace problem.

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Rarely do M98 rifles have problems with interchangeability in regards to complete bolts. The problems arise with small components within the bolt, but complete original bolts are rarely a problem. Headspace is rarely a problem either, I have encountered a few problems with bolts not passing headspace but never one that failed a field gauge.

Most interchangeability with Imperial rifles arise with stocks and small parts where tolerances are a factor. This problem is also more common with the arsenals too, Erfurt's productivity came at a cost, they tend to be cruder and less interchangeable, the fact the 98a is more compact and complex also complicates restoring them.
 
. Headspace is rarely a problem either, I have encountered a few problems with bolts not passing headspace but never one that failed a field gauge.

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Both my old Gew 98 and this one have backed out primers. Never checked the other one, but this is common in bringbacks. In WW2, you had a pile of rifles, and a pile of bolts. One rifle, one bolt, then off to fill out the paperwork to bring it home.

As to the other issue, I had always assumed 100% parts interchangability was standard for all military rifles. Disassemble 10 1903s, mix the parts, reassemble them and all 10 would work. Ordinance sent word back from France in 1918 to quit sending Winchester 1917s because they only had 95% parts interchangability .



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Everyone's experience will vary, most of my headspace failures were 98k (none ever failed the field gauge), the only 98a issues I have experienced were with stuck bolts after firing, one rifle would lock up like a vise, but after some firing and cleanings it lessened in severity.

It is always best to be sure when dealing in headspace, so do not take the chance, but typically these service rifles one encounter, that weren't abused by subsequent service (Albania, Turkey etc..), rarely have serious issues in my limited experience, but I never bought junk rifle either, except Turked G98's I bought to part out.

Interchangeability was certainly possible in Germany at the time, especially at the Loewe group owned factories (DWM, Mauser) and quality of production was superior at both firms compared to the arsenals (especially the Prussian), but old traditions die hard, guilds and skilled craftsmanship were strong traditions in Germany and while the US embraced the newer methods faster (the pressures of mass production, in the US labor was more a problem, Germany never had the labor unrest or wage pressures the US had... firms like Loewe were models of the future in regards to dealing with labor, safety, compensation, worker facilities etc.. the US trade journals often used Loewe as a European model for such advances... then there was the differences in doctrine between the US/England/Germany in manufacturing, - the US focused on simplicity, durability, mass production capable of operated by less skilled men; England on extreme quality and multipurpose machine tools run by high skilled/cost labor; Germany a middle approach taking from both for their own markets, domestic and eastern European focused, - Russia a major customer throughout the late 19th century through 1933) Germany was conflicted in its approach, especially at the sluggish and unimaginative arsenals where the stolid and dull workers found employment (Loewe had a reputation for luring all the best workers away from the arsenals, the best pay, facilities, benefits, but demand the best performance)

In general interchangeability is not a big issue with G98's, more a problem with 98a, especially stocks, - almost no issue at all on the 98k, but not quite to the level of US WWII production which was next to 100% interchangeability. Ernie Pyle wrote a lengthy article about an mobile Army Ordnance shop working behind the lines on Garands, naturally he spends a great deal of time on the men's personality, but he delves into the simplicity and durability of the designed that allowed such simple work based upon interchangeability.

Both my old Gew 98 and this one have backed out primers. Never checked the other one, but this is common in bringbacks. In WW2, you had a pile of rifles, and a pile of bolts. One rifle, one bolt, then off to fill out the paperwork to bring it home.

As to the other issue, I had always assumed 100% parts interchangability was standard for all military rifles. Disassemble 10 1903s, mix the parts, reassemble them and all 10 would work. Ordinance sent word back from France in 1918 to quit sending Winchester 1917s because they only had 95% parts interchangability .



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