Third Party Press

Help: 1938 42, but reject?

Justinian

Justinian

Well-known member
Hi everyone,

I’m trti NGto get info on a rifle. It’s been refinished and the bolt is polished and white. Everything but the front band matches. Currently trying to determine if this is worth getting or not. Would appreciate any help! I’ll try and get more photos up but phone is currently causing issues.



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flynaked said:
Mitchells
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thing is, it is not import marked. Says it isn’t marked at all.

Tjv said:
Mausers

You can find discussions here on these rifles and the roads all lead to the same answer - save your money and spend elsewhere.
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While that’s the case, he isn’t asking a whole lot. Just it shows some red flags but it also doesn’t. I’d treat it as a shooter primarily lol.
 
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Justinian said:
thing is, it is not import marked. Says it isn’t marked at all.


While that’s the case, he isn’t asking a whole lot. Just it shows some red flags but it also doesn’t. I’d treat it as a shooter primarily lol.
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Still a Mitchell's, snowflake and pimp shined bolt are dead giveaways. Sometimes guns get missed on the import markings, or they may have been scrubbed...
 
pzjgr said:
Still a Mitchell's, snowflake and pimp shined bolt are dead giveaways. Sometimes guns get missed on the import markings, or they may have been scrubbed...
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So pretty much avoid it. Damn shame. it looked nice too. Worse case I’ll trade a pistol for it lol.
 
The asterisk was a Russian capture X that Mitchell put an extra line through to hide the fact. That's not what a German reject mark looks like. Whether there's an import stamp or not, these rifles will tell their own story.
 
Honestly, it may be worth snagging depending on the price. People pay stupid money for these on gunbroker, so if you can get it cheap it may be worth a flip.
 
If you post images of the other serial numbers, especially the number on the stock it can be confirmed as a Mitchell's mauser. Since Mitchell's are russian captures the serial location on the stock is a dead giveaway, if you want 100% confirmation.
 
Zeppelin5000 said:
100% a Mitchell's. Do you have a photo of the left side if the barrel, near the muzzle? That's where their import marks typically are. Curious if the area looks scrubbed.
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Nah. Don’t got one of those. I told the seller the story about it and he seemed fine with it. Said he’d rather keep it since he’s had it for years then.
 
Cyrano4747 said:
I value my reputation too much to flip a Mitchell's to some poor sucker who doesn't know any better. It's not much, but it's something.
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Yup, agreed. Mitchell already fooled a bunch of suckers the first go around, don’t be the second flipper in that legacy. If you’re going to purchase one of these, buy it as a replica and beat the piss out of it and use it, in the woods, mountains etc.
 
Herk1994 said:
Yup, agreed. Mitchell already fooled a bunch of suckers the first go around, don’t be the second flipper in that legacy. If you’re going to purchase one of these, buy it as a replica and beat the piss out of it and use it, in the woods, mountains etc.
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I think they're fine candidates for turning into a repro sniper rifle. Doubly so if you're handy and want to try doing the work yourself. Bead blast and refinish the bolt, maybe refinish the action into something a bit more period appropriate (or try your hand at scrubbing through the layer of RC refinish to see if you can find the original), do a garage D&T job for the scope mount. The gun has already been completely hosed so nothing you do is going to detract from it.

Of course this is assuming one drops into your lap for an actually fair price, not what someone who buys into the certificate of authenticity thinks it's worth. Still, fun project and a harmless way to do it.
 
The thing that kills me about that rifle in particular is that pre-war Obendorf guns are really nice, even as an RC. A 1939 dated 42 code is what got me into German guns in the first place. I still have that rifle. Great shooter, I've almost certainly put more rounds down the pipe at this point than the original owners. So when I see something like that getting the Mitchell's treatment it stings just a little bit more.
 
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