k98 noob wants to restore an Israeli (PIC HEAVY)

M

mwj

Member
Good evening gentlemen!

I've just today purchased a model 98 rifle. Bubba's been at it a little bit. It's in a felt bedded, wide forent target style stock with a parker hale butt plate. These are the pictures I have from the seller. He says that the bolt and receiver match, and while the barrel looks rough towards the muzzle, the bore is immaculate, shiny, unfrosted/pitted. The safety was broken off at some point, and quite poorly brazed back on.

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So there's the good the bad and the ugly of it. I already have a front sight hood on order, and I'm waiting to get the rifle to see whether I need only the safety or if I need a bolt sleeve as well. I also have a line on a good furniture set. It's not Israeli, but it looks to be in good shape, cupper butt plate which I think would be correct for the age of this rifle? I wanted to get the stock before getting a cleaning rod so I could measure and see what size it needs. Here's a pic of that as well:

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Anyone know anything interesting about this rifle, other than it's an Israeli 7.62 rifle with a little star of davit and all of the eagles peened? Are there any more parts that I will need to put this rifle in this stock? Do I need a new trigger guard and floor plate as well?
 
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I also intend to try to fix this rifle up a little, and was wondering on your guys opinions.

I have birchwood caseys paste blue at my disposal, as well as tome black phosphate tool black which seems to look good on some rifles. On the barrel, I was going to try a wet glass bead to try to smooth out some of the frosting. Should maybe do the receiver as well? I also have access to a lathe so I could put a pretty good polish on it as well, though I was thinking a little buff with some grey scotch brite and oil might be good enough. Would you guys advise this? Also, if I'm going to do that, should I bead blast the bolt shroud, bolt stop and safety and blacken or blue as well? Or should I just leave it the way it is?
 
I don't know much about the Israeli K98's but the trigger guard looks all wrong to me. I thought that they used Czech post-war trigger guards?
 
Yeah it appears to be a commercial trigger. I can get a new trigger guard and floor plate as well. Probably won't be 100% correct regardless :S

This is the list of parts I'm looking at buying


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I don't think you will need a bolt sleeve. You should get it before you buy any parts, except for the stock set, I'd get that.
 
mto7464 said:
fYI cupped buttplate would take a 12.5" cleaning rod.
Click to expand...

Good to know! I almost bought a 10" one then figured I should probably wait!

Re the trigger guard, I'm going to see if the one on it will just happen to fit in the "new" stock. If I'm going to phosphate coat everything anyway, might as well leave that as is if I can and save a few $$ All of the Israelis I've seen have every part blued of phosphate coated, would this be correct for this rifle?
 
I still have a few cupped stock sets on hand. But these cost about $260-275 each + 33sh.

I have also a safety bythway($20), as well as a complete trigger guard($70) and sling($85).

These are all German WWII parts. Postwar Mauser parts are cheaper, but you probably never sell them again. German parts (with good bluing) allways sell, often with profit.


Best regards Tommy
us1945@hotmail.com
 
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I actually got a line on a complete trigger guard and floorplate assembly with all 4 screws, a proper 12.5" cleaning rod, original sling, full stock set with bands, and extended sniper safety for about $200. Helps to shop around :)

Finish on them looks kind of worn, used parts, but it might just look ok with the fine as is, no refinishing required.

EDIT: Since when is a smiley face actually a hello kitty? WTF? hahahaha
 
Pretty much any K98k stock set would be "correct" for an Israeli Mauser, since they used whatever was at hand. You might even check Gunbroker and eBay for an Israeli stock set.
 
If you don't already know your rifle was originally built in Bysterika, Czechslovakia in 1944 for the German military thus the DOU 44 code on the receiver. The Czechs sold a pile of K98's to Israel post war many built with German marked parts but you will see all kinds of variations in Israeli K98's, some still chambered in the original 8x57. As has been said they used just about anything to get a rifle operational. Original Israeli produced stocks will have finger grooves in the forend and the large trigger guards sometimes seen are a post war Czech innovation.
 
Well, dropped the hammer and ordered a couple things. Got a milled trigger guard assembly (with floorplate, spring, milled follower, catch, catch spring, guard screw bushing, front and rear guard screws and locking screws. All for $36.70 + roughly 15 dollars shipping. I'm getting the stock set, cleaning rod and sling locally but it'll have to wait a few days til payday :)
 
She's here!

Looks exactly like the pics. Barrel had some pitting from the rear sight base foreward with some active rust in some spots. Went at it with a stainless brush to try to clean all of the rust out. Got some of the minor pitting out with scotch brite, but there are a couple of troublesome spots. Going to take it to work and give it a wet glass bead blast to see if that helps, scotch brite polish on the lathe, and hit er with some cold blue. I tried some on a small spot and it ended up being a slightly greenish dark blue, a reasonably close approximation of the current bluing that should look ok once the new stock's on.

No pictures! She's HIDEOUS!
 
That's the one thing about the Israeli K98's, they tend to be in "rough" condition with plenty of pitting and rust. Once in a while you find a decent one though. I stay away from them because of that.
 
Some of the bolt parts, the cocking piece, bolt shroud, and what's left of the poorly repaired safety have a green paint on them that reminds me of the green paint I've seen on some lee enfields. I'm probably going to bead blast those as well, and hit them with some black oxide.

The cold blue actually ended up looking not too bad after being left overnight. I don't think the barrel needs to be blasted after all.
 
Progress!

So I figured I'd put a pic of the marginal cold blue job on the barrel. It looks a damn sight better than it did but now that I look at it closely I can see where I could have done a little better. For now, at least there isn't any active rust and it should be stable until I get back around to it.
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Went to the gun show yesterday looking for some 38 S&W brass, and didn't have much luck. Mostly everything was overpriced, but I did manage to get two ammo cans for $25 (usually around $25-30 EACH around here) and a broken MkIII sight for no 4 mk 1 Lee Enfield that I needed for parts for repair. Then, when I had lost all hope of finding anything really interesting, I saw it. Unlovingly discarded amongst a giant Rubbermaid tub of stock pieces. A complete Israeli stock, with handguard and all hardware. The rub, it was missing the nut on the recoil lug. I kept picking through and lo and behold, I found a sporterized stock with NO hardware except the recoil lug. Walked away with both for $65.

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They're both covered in cosmoline or some similar substance. The sportered one not so much, but the full stock was slick and slippery. Took it out to the car and from spending 3 minutes in the sun it was dripping. Figured it needed a good clean, so I'm in the process of doing so right now. Got most of my materials ready. Not shown yet is my $10 walmart clothing iron, pots of boiling water, and giant Rubbermaid tub that the stock fits in.

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Stripped off what I could. These parts will be going to work to be bead blasted and black phosphate finished, along with all of the bolt parts and trigger guard assembly once it arrives. I couldn't get the recoil lug out of the sporter stock as I don't have the proper spanner. I have a set of lock ring pliers at work that should work, so i'll figure something out. I also couldn't get the bayonet lug off. /shrug that's ok I guess. The wood will be covered there anyway.

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Now, for that piece of wood. You know where that needs to go.

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My assistant is helping me get the stock all wrapped up.

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Now it's sitting in the sun trying to bleed some of the cosmo out.

More updates soon!
 
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