Need some expert advice re. my BNZ 41...

69th_Venom

69th_Venom

Member
Hi guys,

I recently bought this 41 dated BNZ online in the UK serial number 3775. Here's a couple of photos of it I pulled from the site I got it from...

k98-1.JPG

k98-2.JPG

It was missing it's front sight hood so went on ebay last night to find one, but in the process discovered some stock parts for "early k98s" particularly this stock barrel band:

stockband.jpg

Now I'm figuring a 41 BNZ would be considered an "early" k98. But as you can see from the photos of my rifle, the front barrel band is not the one pictured above. Is this wrong / replacement?

One thing that's strange is that the barrel band on MY rifle is stamped 3775 - has this been faked?

This made me dig a little deeper, and other photos I've found online of BNZ 41 rifles have the cupped butt plate too. Is this a whole and incorrect replacement stock on this rifle?
 
The numbers stamped into the left side of the buttstock indicate that the rifle is an R/C or at least has had the stock swapped out from the original.
In that situation any and all serial numbers, style of bands and other small parts, these are not going to be "correct".
 
Russian Capture. They disassembled rifles and reassembled them with the parts closest to hand so they would electro pencil the serial number on the mismatched parts. They would stamp the number on the side of the stock and they would put a black finish(paint) on the rifle.
 
So yes, the stock is not original to the barreled receiver, and since the bands and handguard are often replaced at the same time, for instance if the original stock has been modified or streamlined into a "sporter" version, they are also most likely not original to the barreled receiver.
The question at this point is if the bolt (and it's bits) are original to the barreled receiver or were the serial numbers altered/replaced, as this would elevate the rifle above the ranks of the Russian captured (and refurbed) rifle if they were matching to the receiver.
As to Russian capture rifles, google is your friend, much has been written.
 
Yup, looks like an RC stock. A BNZ41 should have an H style barrel band like the one pictured WaA 623 or WaA 77 and serial numbered the same as the action/bolt. Most BNZ 41 rifles I have seen have the cupped buttplate though in early '41 I don't think a flat butt would be unheard of. From what I have read Steyr was the first manufacturer to begin regular use of the cupped buttplate stocks. Like chasdev says, if your rifle is a restored sporter with matching parts it is worth more than a totally mismatched Russian Capture rifle.
 
looks like RC,you could put the H band on it to make it look better but I wouldn't sweat about it venom . I'm guessing you got this from the real gun website.
 
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I wouldn't replace it either use this one as a shooter and a piece to learn up on. And save up to find an bolt mismatched or all matching piece one day. Why spend the money if you don't have to.
 
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Thanks for all the info guys, learning more every day.

@Deadeye yep I got it from real-gun.com. I paid £500 for it which is starting to seem like over the odds, but the metal work was seriously good compared to 95% of the guns available currently in the UK, at least from looking online, plus I liked the woodwork, so was happy to pay that. The guy that runs the site (Dan) said I was paying for the matching numbers more than anything.

The bolt parts don't match the serial numbers to the rest of the rifle no.

I can't remember the names but the two metal plates on the underside of the stock (below where the rounds would be held) are both matching 3775 but the stock has a different stamp on the butt.

It doesn't have any of the Russian shellac on it, perhaps cleaned off? But it does have the eagle and swastika ground away on the receiver, I can see where it once was, plus there's a small star stamped above the BNZ mark on top of the receiver. So sounds like an R/C then. Weirdly when I checked the deactivation papers, it was still live just 3 months ago.

I don't think I'll bother to change out any of the parts for H rings, as I guess this "new" stock is all part of the story of this rifle and I don't mind that. I guess I'll have to keep my eye out for another k98 at some point though, if I want a more museum quality rifle.
 
Venom, good advice given, I'd leave it be. Postwar the K98k was the AK/AKM of today, so they were heavily used and reworked. Can you shoot it at ranges in England?
Cheers,
HB
 
Hambone said:
Venom, good advice given, I'd leave it be. Postwar the K98k was the AK/AKM of today, so they were heavily used and reworked. Can you shoot it at ranges in England?
Cheers,
HB
Click to expand...

I wish... It's a deactivated paper weight (the best I can do here in the UK) unfortunately. But still nice to display.
 
Don't sweat it venom it's still a nice rifle!500 is about average on the net anyway bud so even if it does mostly match then that's a bonus .Some people hate em but I like RC rifles,they're still pieces of history that saw combat .You find that most live firing k98 rifles in the uk are Russian capture and very very few are genuine matching original,same goes for 90 odd percent of De acts.
 
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