Oh they know. They're pimping the money out of the uneducated and unwise. You can bet your bottom dollar there will be multiple buyers on here down the road seeking verification on their "refurbed" K98ks only to find the bitter truth that they've been hoodwinked into buying the next iteration of Mitchell's Mausers...
Proof is in the sales headline. From the James River Armory website....
"Mauser 98k from 1901 - a true two-war rifle, with matching numbers!"
That's the misleading sales header. Here's the rest of the description which obviously leaves out the fact they've force matched the matching numbers. At least they say they put a new barrel on it, but fail to mention they've scrubbed and renumbered it.
"What an interesting piece of history here, and a rifle that has truly "seen the elephant"... many times... This rifle began its life in 1901 as a Spandau Gewehr 98, and saw action throughout the entirety of WW I. It was rebuilt in 1920 to the K98B version, and then again c.1934 into the standard K98 configuration (in violation of the treaty of Versailles). WWII Nazi markings are on the receiver, and the barrel was shot out, so we replaced it with a new barrel, numbered to match the rifle. It has only 5 rounds down the tube!"
What an interesting piece of history here and a rifle that has truly seen the elephant many times This rifle began its life in 1901 as a Spandau Gewehr 98 and saw action throughout the entirety of WW I It was rebuilt in 1920 to the K98B version and then again c 1934 into the standard K98...
www.jamesriverarmory.com
