1941 K98K - Need Help Identifying

[jmd98]

Hey Everyone,

I recently inherited what appears to be a 1941 Kar98K. I'm posting here in hopes that you all could help me figure out exactly what I've got. I was told that the gun was brought back to the US by a soldier at the end of WW2. Admittedly, I know next to nothing about these guns and I'm a bit confused about the stock in particular. It is completely unlike any Kar98k rifles I've seen in my limited research. I removed the buttplate to check for a date code or serial number but there was nothing there. I'll attach some photos below. Thank you all for your time and assistance!

 

[hale1940]

bnz. 41 so Steyr 1941 production.

I do not believe the bolt components are factory original. Stock has clearly been worked over. And the rear site base has been removed.

I like the double struck firing proof though. Thats cool.

 

[RyanE]

It was a depot repaired K98k as the the bolt and barrel are period replacements, but it looks like someone sporterized it in the US. The rear sight was removed, and I am guessing the stock has been heavily reshaped and cutdown.

 

[Mauserguy85]

The reason why you’re having trouble with the stock is because it’s been butchered or is even a aftermarket sporter stock. It’doesn’t even have the recoil lug.

As said above, the rear sight sleeve and its components have been removed and another set hole drilled on the top of the barrel.

Really a shame because a bnz41 is hard to find and even harder to find with a 0.2 depot replaced barrel. The bolt may be reworked during the depot process.

What a shame, but probably could be “restored” to some period correctness. Need more pics of whole barrel all the way to front.

 

[jmd98]

Here are a couple more photos. Is it likely that all of the work done to the gun was before or after it was brought to the US?

 

[Mauserguy85]

IMO 99% done post-war in the US. This was fairly common practice to “sporterize” k98ks. That’s looks like a typical quality wood sporter stock common in the 50’s-60’s.

If you’re asking directly was this German WW2 done? No it was not.

In the second pic above, it looks like someone installed a rail mount for some kind of optic which explains the second hole drilled into the barrel.

The barrel steps look “okay” from the pics but I can’t say for certain. Doesn’t look like the barrel was cut down and the front sight MAY be original (better detailed pics needed).

What are you trying to do? Keep it as is? Restore it into military configuration? Sell it? As it sits, it’s a few hundred value, maybe worth an extra $100 over that to someone who likes the idea of it being depot repaired at one point. Unfortunately, bringing rifles like this back into German ww2 configuration has become fairly expensive…

 

[jmd98]

IMO 99% done post-war in the US. This was fairly common practice to “sporterize” k98ks. That’s looks like a typical quality wood sporter stock common in the 50’s-60’s.

If you’re asking directly was this German WW2 done? No it was not.

In the second pic above, it looks like someone installed a rail mount for some kind of optic which explains the second hole drilled into the barrel.

The barrel steps look “okay” from the pics but I can’t say for certain. Doesn’t look like the barrel was cut down and the front sight MAY be original (better detailed pics needed).

What are you trying to do? Keep it as is? Restore it into military configuration? Sell it? As it sits, it’s a few hundred value, maybe worth an extra $100 over that to someone who likes the idea of it being depot repaired at one point. Unfortunately, bringing rifles like this back into German ww2 configuration has become fairly expensive…

Thank you for all of your insight! I plan to keep it as is and have no plans to sell it.

As far as the depot repair goes, which markings would indicate which depot this was done at?

 

[hale1940]

It was a depot repaired K98k as the the bolt and barrel are period replacements, but it looks like someone sporterized it in the US. The rear sight was removed, and I am guessing the stock has been heavily reshaped and cutdown.

I’m glad you commented. I actually had a suspicion that it might be a depot done bolt base on the font and numbering method, but I wasn’t certain enough to make that claim on my own.

 

[Remfan]

May be worth it to consider a restoration seeing it is a BNZ 41. Tougher to come by as stated. Yep not cheap but if it were mine I would consider it. Looks like someone slapped a stock on it from a Remington 721 back in the 50s-60s.

 

[RyanE]

As far as the depot repair goes, which markings would indicate which depot this was done at?

Those markings would have been found on the stock and are long gone, but my best guess looking at the metal is HZa Posen.