Cupped Butt Plate Re-installation Question

Red Dog

Member
Dear Forum,

New guy, new to K98s, but fairly adept firearms restorer: know the FAL and all it's variants inside and out, the M1 Carbine and the M14 (lots of wood stocks on all those); HK G3, the Galil, the M16...built many of these from parts kits. I've tinkered with my dad's Pattern 17 Enfield, probably the closest thing to the the K98 that I've messed with to date.

So, I bought a K98, a 1938 J.P. Sauer, and the first thing I did was break it all down--just a field strip really, cleaned everything, and set about removing cosmoline and everything else from the laminated sock. (The only matching serials are the receiver and barrel).

Barrel and Receiver: 3791
Bolt: Can't find anything but an M and a faint Waffenamt both on the rear of the bolt handle--though it does have a plum colored extractor, somewhere I read that that was Sauer thing.
Stock: 4660 Na 2 9 42
Everything else is a mismatch, most all Waffenamts and Weimar proofs, throughout the rifle, are in place however.

The question: The cupped Butt Plate; it came off fairly easy, but now, even after the stock drying for more than 24 hours (I used Windex, sprayed-on and worked around by hand and a sponge--did not soak the stock), doesn't really want to go back on! WTH? Is there a trick to this, or does the lam stock soak it up and you just have to wait?

Yes, I know that the cupped butt-plate stock is probably not correct for my 38 Sauer.

Any help will be greatly appreciated. And please, if this post needs to be somewhere else, just let me know.

Red Dog
 
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I would just put it somewhere arid and dry for awhile and see what happens.... sure sounds like swollen wood....from your description it sounds like a RC...so if it doesnt get any better some sanding to get it back on wont be doing much damage.
 
You're seeing why the cupped butt plate was adopted in the first place. Water wicks into the grain of the wood, causing expansion and softening. The cupped plate didn't prevent this, it just contained the expansion and kept the stock from being further damaged. Agalland is right, if you live somewhere with low humiditiy the stock will dry and shrink. Otherwise, some sanding is probably in order. Wouldn't so this with a prime collectable, but with an RC, why not?

I live in the dry desert Southwest. Every 98K cupped buttplate that I've ever owned eventually had to be tightened up a bit as the stocks eventually shrank slightly in our humiditity that averages under 5%.
 
Good stuff guys, thanks. What are the telltale signs of a Russian Capture? This one was imported by Century International.
 
Good stuff guys, thanks. What are the telltale signs of a Russian Capture? This one was imported by Century International.

Horizontal serial number on left side of stock applied in sanded area. "X" stamped on receiver. Swasticas peened. Dark reblue. Missing cleaning rod and lock screws. Shellac applied to stock.

All of these are not always present.
 
Horizontal serial number on left side of stock applied in sanded area. "X" stamped on receiver. Swasticas peened. Dark reblue. Missing cleaning rod and lock screws. Shellac applied to stock.

All of those, except for the X and the peened swastikas.

Here are some pics:
 

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Like I said, I refinished the stock, cleaned all the metal which is in surprisingly nice shape, and de-blued the butt plate. The stock has a faint Waffenamt, everything else is all mismatched.
 

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Bet it will be a good shooter - the Ruskies tended to discard rifles with "issues" like poor bores.
 
The bore looks good. Haven't had a chance to shoot it yet, but after refinishing and cleaning, it does feel like a heck of nice rifle. The range will tell.

I ordered all the missing parts today, looking forward to finishing it up.

Has anyone on this forum ever found long lost parts with matching numbers to the receive/barrel?
 
I have a 1940 237 RC that the previous owner went to the trouble of matching the correct Waa 214 on all parts - even the stock.

Have not seen a matching number RC yet - possible but difficult I would think - and not worth the trouble
 
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