Is it worth it…

[Mariner]

to make my mixmaster K98 more period correct? Or should i save my money and time for an all matching example?

Some notes about the rifle:
- BCD42, I’m pretty sure receiver and barrel match but the barrel isn’t serialized. The rear sight base matches the receiver.
- Norwegian capture stock (not cupped, not correct for my BCD42) all matching metal hardware
- mismatch bolt, bolt guts match the metal parts in the stock (not pictured, I recently swapped)
-bolt release matches receiver and barrel

So, is it worth it to find a BCD42 stock when my current stock, although not correct for the period or manufacturer, is all matching?

At the end of the day, I’ll eventually spend money on a matching example, should I just save my nickels til then?

Thanks

P.S. pictures are the sellers from when I purchased the rifle last year.

 

[iron bender]

I like the idea of saving for a complete unmolested rifle. Use this as your shooter. It's honestly not a bad looking rifle as is. If you do replace the stock, it wouldn't be adding value to the rifle in my opinion. (other than maybe the value of the stock)

 

[Guillaume d'Orange]

My piece of advice : you better save your money for a collectible rifle if that's what you want, rather than try to upgrade something that isn't collectible.
Keep it as a shooter if it's worth it.

 

[Mariner]

I like the idea of saving for a complete unmolested rifle. Use this as your shooter. It's honestly not a bad looking rifle as is. If you do replace the stock, it wouldn't be adding value to the rifle in my opinion. (other than maybe the value of the stock)

Yeah, that’s the way I was leaning. It would be nice to have 2. One to look at and one to shoot. Thanks for the feedback

 

[Mariner]

My piece of advice : you better save your money for a collectible rifle if that's what you want, rather than try to upgrade something that isn't collectible.
Keep it as a shooter if it's worth it.

Appreciate the advice. That was definitely my gut feeling, but wanted to get some other feedback.

 

[Sexton]

Save for a correct example if that is what you really want. You can always circle back to the shooter / mix master in the future and, as funds permit, work towards bringing it closer to correct. It's a great learning experience.

 

[Cyrano4747]

While I don't think making a mixmaster "correct" is worth the time, effort, or money, I do think that for the beginning collector they make great entry points. It's a great thing to pick up as a learning piece, tear it apart, look up what all the little markings etc mean, and generally learn the things you need to know before diving in on more collectable (and thus prone to fuckery) guns.

As an added bonus I've never lost money selling one on to fund a nicer gun. There's always some other beginning collector out there who's willing to pay out a few bills more than you did ten years ago, and start their own journey.

Plus they make great shooters.

The only risk is that you can develop a sentimental attachment. I've got an RC '39 dated Oberndorf that would probably be the last gun I would sell just because at this point I've probably got more trigger time on it than the original owners. Only gun I own that I can recite the serial number from memory (1702u). I really should sell it and roll those funds towards something else I need in my collection, but I won't.

Flip side of that is that I use it for load development now and wouldn't you know it, one of those no-tap scout mounds and a red dot sight on a K98k is an insane amount of fun.

 

[luftpirate]

Id do both. Find someone with a cupped stock who will swap you.

 

[Mariner]

While I don't think making a mixmaster "correct" is worth the time, effort, or money, I do think that for the beginning collector they make great entry points. It's a great thing to pick up as a learning piece, tear it apart, look up what all the little markings etc mean, and generally learn the things you need to know before diving in on more collectable (and thus prone to fuckery) guns.

As an added bonus I've never lost money selling one on to fund a nicer gun. There's always some other beginning collector out there who's willing to pay out a few bills more than you did ten years ago, and start their own journey.

Plus they make great shooters.

The only risk is that you can develop a sentimental attachment. I've got an RC '39 dated Oberndorf that would probably be the last gun I would sell just because at this point I've probably got more trigger time on it than the original owners. Only gun I own that I can recite the serial number from memory (1702u). I really should sell it and roll those funds towards something else I need in my collection, but I won't.

Flip side of that is that I use it for load development now and wouldn't you know it, one of those no-tap scout mounds and a red dot sight on a K98k is an insane amount of fun.

I agree, it could be really beneficial for me to tear this thing apart from a knowledge standpoint. Good thing is, I have all the K98 books so I can flip through pages and take my notes! I understand your sentiment regarding that Russian capture, this was my first K98 and I’m not sure I’d sell it despite it not being so collectible. 4 of my buddies funded me a bit as a birthday gift, so it means a lot to me.

 

[Mariner]

Id do both. Find someone with a cupped stock who will swap you.

Stupid question, would the expectation be that all metal parts go with the stock too?

 

[luftpirate]

Stupid question, would the expectation be that all metal parts go with the stock too?

If theye matching to the stock, yeah.

 

[Muncher 1953]

restoring a stock mismatch is a little better than restoring a complete mixmaster, (IMO) but either is a great educational experience as others have noted above. in a sense, it’s a ‘fool’s errand’ because even with a ‘correct’ type/maker of stock, it’s still a stock mismatch, a hit on value of as much as 50% over truly matching (no ‘except fors’ allowed).
Norwegian capture stocks are fine for shooting, but do use the modified trigger guard with the stock, as the bent-out front of the cartridge box helps support the wood behind the recoil lug, (which was cut away to fit the cartridge box). this is invisible from the outside. 8mm cartridges seem to feed properly, though they might not with magnum loads, shifting towards the front from recoil.
my $.02, been there (am still)

 

[Cyrano4747]

restoring a stock mismatch is a little better than restoring a complete mixmaster, (IMO) but either is a great educational experience as others have noted above. in a sense, it’s a ‘fool’s errand’ because even with a ‘correct’ type/maker of stock, it’s still a stock mismatch, a hit on value of as much as 50% over truly matching (no ‘except fors’ allowed).
Norwegian capture stocks are fine for shooting, but do use the modified trigger guard with the stock, as the bent-out front of the cartridge box helps support the wood behind the recoil lug, (which was cut away to fit the cartridge box). this is invisible from the outside. 8mm cartridges seem to feed properly, though they might not with magnum loads, shifting towards the front from recoil.
my $.02, been there (am still)

Part of the issue comes from the fact that making a gun "correct" is totally in the eye of the beholder, and is a lot more complex with German surplus than USGI, the other area you frequently see it. With American surplus you'll find a lot of people trading parts to get the correct draw numbers etc. for their Springfield rifle made in 1942 (or whatever). The fact that the Germans serial numbered their rifles makes the whole thing a lot more pointless and a lot more difficult.

So with German guns you've got multiple levels. Are you OK just putting correct K98k parts on it and putting it back to military configuration? Say a mid-war cupped buttplate and laminate stock on a sporterized early war rifle? Or doo you want it feature correct? So a correct non-laminate stock, milled bands, flat buttplate, etc for your 1938 dated rifle? Or do you want factory correct? So all WaA63 milled etc. parts for our hypothetical 1938 dated Oberndorf rifle.

And, since the Germans serialed their parts, at the end of the day even if you go to all the trouble to get period-correct, factory-correct parts for the gun . . . it's still very obviously a mixmaster and will be priced accordingly.