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Newbie with K98 AR 41

Pozrip

Member
Hi everyone .


So i just got my first rifle and it is Mauser K98!! I wasn't sure what am I getting until recently when gun case showed up in my kitchen. I have asked old friend of mine (older gentleman) who use to hunt if he will sell me one of his rifles because i wanted to start hunting. He called me that he has something for me and it will be waiting me at home . All he said is tat is an old .303 he thinks. That's all information I got. Well immediately after opening the gun case i have discovered that it isn't an old .303 but K98.
more I learn about the rifle more i like it but i got into a point that all i know is that was made in 1941 in Germany. Would any of you fine people be able to tell me something more about it?
The rifle looks in pretty good shape (some minor surface rust and crack in stock). I would like to use it as my primary hunting rifle and there fore i would like to "restore it" . I Know the general opinion is to leave it alone but! This is what I'm planning on doing with the rifle.
I have found someone to redo the metal parts with hot bluing and i will take care of the stock as i have plentiful experience with woodworking (glue the crack and strip the old finish and apply several coats of boiled linseed oil. no heavy sanding or anything.
Would anyone have some advice how to remove the old finish the least destructive way ? it is a laminate stock and I'm not sure what they have used to put it together so would acetone or thinner harm the stock integrity ? I would like to bring it to like new original condition so it will serve me for years to come.
The rifle is most likely vet brought back since all numbers all matching except the bolt.
Any information about the rifle and restoring process would be much appreciated.
Here is link for pictures.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ty2Lg5IkxXtfGjs4Q_jiuHfk9nI_T_HU

Cheers
 
Looks like a nice, old survivor! Many came home with mismatched bolts. Honestly, I would find something else to use as a deer slayer.

Less is more when it comes to taking care of this rifle. I would oil up the metal parts and leave it be. No refinishing of the stock and certainly NO rebluing of the metal parts.

Edit: Just realized this rifle is Navy marked too! Nordsee, specifically! Very cool and not easy to find!
 
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This is a collector's forum so I doubt you'll get much help, we don't like destroying history. I suggest you sell your K98k and take the money and buy a traditional deer rifle. If it is indeed a vet bring back you shouldn't have any trouble finding a buyer and come up with enough money to be able to buy a pretty decent rig much more suited to your needs.
 
You could easily sell it and buy a quality hunting rifle set up with the money. Any "restoring" will destroy the value and history.
 
Concur, you have a good original rifle, albeit a bolt mismatch, that has a fair amount of value as it....

Proceed with your plan and it will be virtually valueless...

Either keep it for what it is, sell it to someone who will love it the way it is and get yourself a better hunting rig, or substantially devalue a collectors rifle....Its up to you.
 
Well said!:thumbsup:


This is a collector's forum so I doubt you'll get much help, we don't like destroying history. I suggest you sell your K98k and take the money and buy a traditional deer rifle. If it is indeed a vet bring back you shouldn't have any trouble finding a buyer and come up with enough money to be able to buy a pretty decent rig much more suited to your needs.
 
I can only echo what has been said. Here, the words refinish/re blue, hurt our ears. It is OK as is. K98s made in 1941 are harder to find, as so many were lost in Russia. There are many better deer rifles out there.
 
Fully agree with above comments. If it were mine I would keep it and clean the barrel and protect the metal with some CLP. Pick up another rifle for deer hunting. Plenty of new and used models out there for cheap money. 98ks are treasures!
 
Fully agree with above comments. If it were mine I would keep it and clean the barrel and protect the metal with some CLP. Pick up another rifle for deer hunting. Plenty of new and used models out there for cheap money. 98ks are treasures!

Perhaps if you really wanted to deer hunt with a K98 (I do) you could trade down for an RC and pocket some cash? I use an RC for hunting and don't have any concerns of damaging a more historic piece. Just a thought.
 
As deer season is slowly approaching I will most likely use it for hunting this year( sitting in blind all day should not do any harm to the rifle ) . I'm going to shooting range next week to test the rifle and see how does perform. Only thing I did so far is run it down with 0000steel wool n gun oil and cleaned tho bore a bit .
After the deer season is over I will reconsider what to do next. If I could get 1000$ + for it I would consider selling it because I could get descent rifle and scope for the money. Otherwise K98 will be my deer rifle . I'm not Weekly shooter so putting maximum of 10-20 rounds a year through it can't harm it to much and rest of the year it will be oiled n stored in gun Case. How does that sound?
 
What did you use steel wool on?!? Terrible idea. Bronze wool only. Can you show post cleaning photos?
 
If you look close at the take down there is an N, indicating navy use, but bolt mm and in Canada it doesn’t really change its value. Fickle market here. It’s either matching and $$$ or has one thing wrong and is 1/3 the value. But as I said, email me when you’re done hunting.
 
What did you use steel wool on?!? Terrible idea. Bronze wool only. Can you show post cleaning photos?

Instead of "terrible idea" it would be more helpful to enlighten the newcomer about the difference between steel wool and brass wool in regards to cleaning blued steel. I'm sure he joined this forum in order to learn and not to get scolded.
Microphone back to you.
 
Instead of "terrible idea" it would be more helpful to enlighten the newcomer about the difference between steel wool and brass wool in regards to cleaning blued steel. I'm sure he joined this forum in order to learn and not to get scolded.
Microphone back to you.

Thank you ! I'm here to learn!
I have only used steel wool because that was what guy in gun store gave me after I asked him what should I use to clean the rifle with. I did not use much pressure just gentle rubbing with oil. It was good enough to get the grime , dust n dirt off. The rifle haven't been shot in many years n was just given to my buddy years ago . All he did was just stored it until I got it.
Would anyone explain me why in Canada Russian captured rifles goes as high as 1200$ CAD?
 
Instead of "terrible idea" it would be more helpful to enlighten the newcomer about the difference between steel wool and brass wool in regards to cleaning blued steel. I'm sure he joined this forum in order to learn and not to get scolded.
Microphone back to you.

A statement isn’t a scolding. It’s a statement. I didn’t talk down to him.

And I mentioned it’s a navy gun. That’s education. Lol.
 
Thank you ! I'm here to learn!
I have only used steel wool because that was what guy in gun store gave me after I asked him what should I use to clean the rifle with. I did not use much pressure just gentle rubbing with oil. It was good enough to get the grime , dust n dirt off. The rifle haven't been shot in many years n was just given to my buddy years ago . All he did was just stored it until I got it.
Would anyone explain me why in Canada Russian captured rifles goes as high as 1200$ CAD?

If you go to a dealer it will be $850+tax.

But many guys buy Russian captures and tire of them quickly. You can find them easily for $7-800.
 

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