Third Party Press

Yugo K98K Sniper

T

Timshatz

Member
Guys,

New to forum but have been lurking for a while.

Collect sniper rifles and picked up an interesting one. Would appreciate your opinion on it.

Rifle is a K98K prewar that was scrubbed (pre 1950) and possibly rebuilt. Not all parts match (not a big deal and not a factor in the purchase). Rifle has old style sights (graduated numbers on top and bottom) front band does not have cutouts of earliest K98K. Scope is a Wetzlar 5 x36, not one I am familiar with.

Different serial numbers on bolt, receiver, iron sights and front band.

Mag floor plate is old style with “Tellez” engraved on it.

There is a lot going on with this rifle and I would appreciate your opinions. My personal guess is

1. Yugo capture from Wehrmacht that was rebuilt for Yugo army in same way Gwer98s were in WW1 to produce sniper rifles, by individual gunsmiths.
2. Same as above but for an individual to use for hunting/personal protection after war.

Any opinions on manufacture, history, scope and rings, would be appreciated.

Pictures to follow

Tim
 
I'm not expert, but the mounts look like modern commercial parts, not at all like the ones I have seen on Yugo snipers that were converted post-war using the ZRAK scopes.
 
A sportered post war Yugoslav rework brought 1380?
Please tell me there's more to it than that.
Btw those are leupold mounts.
 
Thanks guys, appreciate the replies.

Am familiar with the postwar Yugo K98K so am not surprised it is the second of the two options. Quick question about the scope, if anyone knows.

When were the Wetzlar 5x36 made? I am not familiar with the scope. My understanding is the 4x were WW2 and the 6x started around 1960. Site picture is definitely not modern. German reticle with post.

Also the mounts, anybody know when Leupold started making the mounts?

Not particularly worried about it being a mishmash, figured as much. But trying to pin down the details of its rebuild from standard service rifle to current condition. My gut says immediate postwar but the mounts may push that date back a decade or two.

Tim
 
Maker?

Lastly, anyway to figure out which armory made it in the 1930s? It’s been scrubbed but are there other references on the rifle that might tell me where it was made?

Again, trying to build a history of the gun.
 
Have part of it figured

Guys,

Checked up further and found this is a Yugo war reparations K98K.

Evidently, as part of their war reservations, the Germans gave the Yugoslav a bunch of K98Ks and parts. This is one of the batches that came from there. Rebuild and original.

That leaves the scope as the question. It is definitely an older one. And the Tellez?
Tim
 
The preduzece44 shop rearsenaled and rebarreled 98k rifles after the war. Estimate 1948 on.
As far as year of base rifle, without further inspection, somewhere 1933-1945.
Leupold mounts that are on the rifle don't appear 'vintage', if that's what you're seeking. The exact same are currently available.
Scope build date definitely postwar. Can't date a sportered rifle by parts used, necessarily. A vast array of parts available from numerous sources.
As to the engraved floorplate, I'd say someone practicing their skill at that type of work, or a spare out of a parts box.
No offense intended if you are indeed the buyer of this rifle, but it is a good example of why you should research first, buy second.
 
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It's a $400 rifle with $30 scope mounts on it, which makes it worth $250. I don't know much about the scope. I doubt it's worth $900 but I could be wrong there. But it certainly looks recently done. If you do search for genuine Yugo-built post-war snipers you will see they look nothing like this rifle.
 
K98K yugo sniper

Agreed, it does not look at all like a postwar m48 sniper. Scope is wrong, rifle is wrong, across the board, it is wrong as a standard unit. Did not believe it was one from the start.

Believe, at best, it is knocked together after the war by a country that was broke and did whatever they could to get some kind of shooter. That is best case. Worst case, it is what you guys noted and just knocked together.

Really think the question comes down to the scope. If it is an early postwar ro late war, then maybe. If it was built in 1960s, forget it. It’s a knocked together.

Points supporting your pov (point of view):

1. Front band is late war, but with pin, not screw
2. Iron sights are prewar
3. Trigger guard and magazine plate are prewar
4. Hole for removing firing pin is midwar
5. Stock is midwar
6. Front sight has a shroud, midwar
7. Butt plate is midwar.
8. Imported by PW in Richland (I think, rifle is put away) wa.

Does anybody know where I can find info on the Hetzlar scope?

Tim
 
Timshatz said:
My understanding is the 4x were WW2 and the 6x started around 1960. Site picture is definitely not modern. German reticle with post.
Click to expand...

No idea who told you this, but this is fully wrong. Pre WWII you could find scopes with up to 8x magnification, some 7 1/2x scopes were even made pre WWI.
 
Absolut said:
No idea who told you this, but this is fully wrong. Pre WWII you could find scopes with up to 8x magnification, some 7 1/2x scopes were even made pre WWI.
Click to expand...

Absolut.

Sorry, that was a mistyping by me. The 4-5-6 on the Wetzlar scopes of the time line, not the magnification per se (although the magnification does follows the nomenclature). Was trying to find out the dates the 4 series, 5 series and 6 series were made. Seems they may be associated with decades but nothing certain at this point.

Even that association may be nothing more than happenstance or a mistake in my reading the details.

Also, I re-read my post above and made a mistake with the serial numbers. The Wehrmacht numbers are not matching, the Yugo rebuild are matching. Minor point but definitely dates the re-build to the late 1940s.

And the import date to the US looks like 2010-2013 range as the importer took a bunch of them in around that time frame.

Tim
 
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