Third Party Press

AC45 Stock Replacement - Does This One Look Good?

WreckTangle

Mad Dog 20/20 Connoisseur (RIP Brother 06-05-203)
A few years ago, I got super lucky and snatched up a AC45 Dual Lug that is in excellent condition, seperate the stock, at an auction in the middle of no where... No one knew what it was. Looked in a trashcan and there were 3 more mags, which I got for free! Problem is that it was duffle cut at a 45 degree angle and bubba did a crappy job attaching back the two cut stock sections--typical. After bubba heavily sanded the entire stock he then sprayed several coats of lacquer.

Ever since I've been looking for an unmolested k43 stock with the forward recoil lug--an impossible task.

So I've found another mismatch AC45 and figured I could just switch out the stocks, and then use the mismatch k43 ac45 with the duffle cut stock as a shooter....

You never see these in VA, so I've never seen another AC45 example. How does the stock look? Correct? Sanded? See Pics below.
 

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Here is the Second Batch of Images.
 

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C’mon. There are a bunch of us watching that gbroker auction. It looks terrific to me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
On this particular stock, I believe there is no final side e/359. So, the gun will not show to have been final proof’ed with that stock. It’s going to be a stock that is not “normal”. Correct, but not normal.
 
One other observation. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say, I think this is a “correct mismatch”. I think it was originally missing the matching numbered bolt components. I’m thinking the bolt components were added at capture. Why not? There are P.38 ac45 c blocks that are “correct mismatches”. There are late ac PP blank slide pistols that are “correct mismatches”, why could this have not happened to the K.43’s? This one is a late c block, not final proofed, the bolt carrier is a correct late ac45 type without the bolt hold open lever. I don’t think it ever had a front sight hood due to the hood grooves showing to be unmolested.

Just my own theory and I could be wrong as there’s no known paperwork or anything that could show this. We do know a lot of mismatches came out of Walther at the end. Whoever gets it, I hope they preserve this one as it is.

C0D2B36C-6051-444C-AE4B-8797B90C586C.jpg
 
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One other observation. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say, I think this is a “correct mismatch”. I think it was originally missing the matching numbered bolt components. I’m thinking the bolt components were added at capture. Why not? There are P.38 ac45 c blocks that are “correct mismatches”. There are late ac PP blank slide pistols that are “correct mismatches”, why could this have not happened to the K.43’s? This one is a late c block, not final proofed, the bolt carrier is a correct late ac45 type without the bolt hold open lever. I don’t think it ever had a front sight hood due to the hood grooves showing to be unmolested.

Just my own theory and I could be wrong as there’s no known paperwork or anything that could show this. We do know a lot of mismatches came out of Walther at the end. Whoever gets it, I hope they preserve this one as it is.

View attachment 245836

Very interesting.

It's only about 1000 serials below what the one I have. Unfortunetly, mine is duffle cut heavily sanded and lacquered. I got it at an auction and got a really good deal on it. No one new what it was! Then later in the auction I found 3 more G43 AYE mags in a trashcan with newspaper over them and got them for free. One G43 AYE mag went on ebay for $460.... a little high IMHO... But if thats their true value, I basically got the gun for free.

I won the auction. Really excited to get it. Will take more pics when it arrives.
 
Very interesting.

It's only about 1000 serials below what the one I have. Unfortunetly, mine is duffle cut heavily sanded and lacquered. I got it at an auction and got a really good deal on it. No one new what it was! Then later in the auction I found 3 more G43 AYE mags in a trashcan with newspaper over them and got them for free. One G43 AYE mag went on ebay for $460.... a little high IMHO... But if thats their true value, I basically got the gun for free.

I won the auction. Really excited to get it. Will take more pics when it arrives.

Will you keep it as is or swap the stock out? If it were me, I couldn’t swap this one around. I really believe it to be one that was probably found in the factory; either like that, or the bolt components grabbed up and assembled at the factory like the mismatch P.38 ac45’s and late mismatch PP blank slide ac pistols were. The fact that it’s a late c block K.43, no final proof on the stock, missing front sight hood (appearing to have never had one installed due to the front sight rails), missing cleaning rod, and it looked like the extractor spring might be missing too as the extractor looked odd the way it was photographed sitting in the bolt. The bolt components are definitely for a late K.43 ac44 or ac45 because it’s missing the bolt hold open lever and the components are only about a thousand guns off (maybe-the letter block to the bolt components is not known). Too many coincidences on that rifle for it not to be what I am thinking it is.

But, it is what it is, a mismatched rifle. So, no paperwork or anything physically linking it to the factory as a “factory mismatch”, it would be hard convincing some (probably more like most) that this rifle is one of those. Way too easy to say that the bolt components were added post war; and really that is hard to dispute other than what I laid out as to why it could be something more.

Wonder if anything is in the butt trap? Wouldn’t that be awesome if you found the capture papers in there! You should also ask the seller about other items his grandfather might have brought back (unit paperwork, etc.). You never know what they might come up with. Offer a hundred bucks if he finds the capture papers. Maybe his grandfather’s unit can be traced to one that was at the Walther factory at the time of liberation. If so, that could be another little piece of the puzzle.

Would love to see extra photos. It’s a neat rifle.
 
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It's Gunbroker, most of those sellers love telling stories about how "special" a rifle is--Like most, I ignore the stories. Like you said, most people don't know as much as members on this forum and eat that crap up, especially, people bidding on Gunbroker--there are exceptions.

I used to be like: if I have it I'm going to shoot it. I thought you all were crazy. But after two years on the forum, now I'm like can't fire it--you all converted me. I have to put trigger locks on some of my Dad's unfired Colt Match Targets, lol, he gets pissed.

I have 2 K43 AC45s in the C block with the dual lugs. I got my first at an auction where no one knew what it was. Unfortunetly, its duffle cut at a 45 degree angle, sanded to even it out and lacquered with about 5 coats. But, I got it for 1200 (no tax or buyers premium--it was a charity auction) plus I got 3 AYE G43 mags and 1 K43 GBC maps. 1 came with the gun then I found the others in a rubbermaid container with newspapers and other junk (so I got them for free!!!) If I am going to shoot, I'll shoot that one. Problem is, its in mint condition--seperate the stock. I've been looking for years for an unmolested AC45 stock to replace the dufflecut one. Only reason I would switch them out is because the first K43 I got was the first all matching German rifle that I got that was matching, so, it has some sentimental value to me--I'll never sell it.
 
From my previous thread about my stock:

http://www.k98kforum.com/showthread.php?36781-Question-about-Repo-Stocks-K43-AC45-C-Block

The repro stock would be good if you intended to shoot it some more and you turned the rifle into a shooter. What happens sometimes is that a mismatched rifle, with a correct late stock, could come available someday. You could go that route. It will take a while in finding one like that though. Finding those extra mags was great! Receiver and bolt carrier look great and match.

How does my AC45 look? It's all matching down to the lugs, has the correct sight hood and cleaning rod--12.5" and had everything in the buttstock except the manual. Buttstock parts were wrapped in the original oil paper (although the paper was falling apart). It even had the original cosmoline in the parts below the stock.
 

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Too bad on the stock. From what I can see, it looks fine except for the stock. That would be a tough dilemma. Just remember, that mismatch rifle’s stock is for a rifle that was never final proofed. I have a K.43 ac45 a block, fully matched and unmolested that was not final proofed. It also has no front sight hood and never had one installed like the mismatch. It’s a neat rifle and it has all the “giblets” in the buttstock.
 

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