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Help identifying WWII Mauser from Estate

JSC

Member
Good afternoon Forum,
I am looking for some assistance on a rifle my uncle left me. He was an Army Infantry veteran, and brought back K98 rifle. It sat in a gun rack for 70 years, I don’t believe it was fired during this time. It appears to me to be in good condition, I notice some German war eagles stamped on it, along with the number 510 in several locations, including the butt plate and the stock. Gunsmiths are backed up 2 months here in Atlanta, so it will be awhile before I can determine if it can be safely fired. Any ideas on the rarity of this gun are appreciated, best
John
F004E3B2-4E1C-4916-AF03-AEF5B4537948.jpg
 
from that pic all anyone will be able to say is its a K98k with a sanded/refinished stock.

you'll need to post more pics. Particularly receiver markings, bolt markings, and any markings you see on the stock.
 
no shellac, but definitely sanded(coming from me ironic) look at the wrist... Its probably a bolt mm at the worst or a matching with sanded stock at the best. Will need detailed pictures of any and all markings to determine rarity incase its something special.

Value of a bolt MM in my opinion is about $1050

if the metal is matching with the sanded stock I would think its worth $1550-$1700

Some might gawk at that for being an upper estimate in value, but thats what they seem to be bringing on the auctions and auctions imo represent fair market value

good chance its safe to shoot as is. Hopefully you will decide to keep it because your grandfather brought it back
 
good chance its safe to shoot as is.

Yes, and there's also a chance that it isn't. Especially when the rifle has already been messed with to some extent. Service ball puts approximately 50,000 psi in front of your face, wanna roll the dice?

Before you shoot ANY old milsurp rifle, have a competent authority check it for safety (incipient locking lug cracks, excess headspace, et al). Until then, post some good pictures so the fellows here can have a look.

Richie
 
I have never headspace checked a surplus mauser. RC's you dont need to as they already are... A bolt mm maybe, but I thought the issue was blown out of porpotion. It has a built in venting system anyways. Maybe im just a dummy
 
I have never headspace checked a surplus mauser. RC's you dont need to as they already are... A bolt mm maybe, but I thought the issue was blown out of porpotion. It has a built in venting system anyways. Maybe im just a dummy

When I attended the Colorado School of Trades forty-two years ago, the first things we were taught about milsurp firearms were these:

1. You don't know where they've been.

2. You don't know what was done to them previously.

3. You don't know ANYTHING.

Until you ascertain, that is.

Now you're correct -- headspace generally isn't a huge concern in a 98 Mauser, even with a m/m bolt. But how do we know that some "home craftsman" wasn't in that rifle with a reamer on a T-handle at some point? How do we know that someone wasn't busy with a Dremel tool around the locking lugs, because he thought the action needed some "slicking up"?

The stock has obviously been messed with, which indicates that the rifle has likely been disassembled. While it was disassembled, what other "work" might've been performed? Does the stock refinish look like the work of a master craftsman, does it inspire confidence?

I don't think you're a dummy, I just think that your assessment was premature.

Richie
 
Take it outside in the shade and take some pictures.

Thank you for all the feedback so far. While this rifle looks like you could drive a tank over it and still shoot, I won’t try either of those things until a gunsmith checks it out.
Closer photos
4BF6CE1D-74A9-4E7D-8C0C-1F92C2C25A48.jpeg8811B937-E32A-4B83-8D76-4E892F0459CC.jpeg300B65CC-5DCF-40E2-8D33-63966642E05F.jpeg
 
When I attended the Colorado School of Trades forty-two years ago, the first things we were taught about milsurp firearms were these:

1. You don't know where they've been.

2. You don't know what was done to them previously.

3. You don't know ANYTHING.

Until you ascertain, that is.

Now you're correct -- headspace generally isn't a huge concern in a 98 Mauser, even with a m/m bolt. But how do we know that some "home craftsman" wasn't in that rifle with a reamer on a T-handle at some point? How do we know that someone wasn't busy with a Dremel tool around the locking lugs, because he thought the action needed some "slicking up"?

The stock has obviously been messed with, which indicates that the rifle has likely been disassembled. While it was disassembled, what other "work" might've been performed? Does the stock refinish look like the work of a master craftsman, does it inspire confidence?

I don't think you're a dummy, I just think that your assessment was premature.

Richie

I am not sure what may have been done to this rifle during all these years. So will have it looked at by a pro before shooting it. If the stock was refinished, would this number still be imprinted on the underside? I think it may be the guns serial number, 51035CE60D4-5417-4ECD-A9E4-DAA7AC3A286C.jpeg
 
It may not have been sanded heavily enough to have that number removed... definitely a commerical rifle that looks to have been diverted for military use. I was reading in the books that the factory would occassionaly due that to avoid missing delivery requirements
 
Interesting rifle. Looks like a roughly 1940 mauser oberndorf rifle that used a recycled (or never used) banner receiver. All the 510 numbers on the rifle are the serial number, the more there are that match...the better.

John.
 
Mauser 41 Banner

Even if the stock was hit its still a desirable rifle, especially if all matching.
Does the bolt have matching numbers as well?

Last, any of the stock inspection stamps left just rear of the right side takedown disk.
 

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