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t.hinckley

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I recently picked up what I had hoped was a nice little k98 Shooter through an auction.. All matching, 1938(?), with a modified stock. I had my gunsmith inspect it for me and turns out the description on the barrel was woefully inaccurate... instead of some light frosting and good rifling I have a barrel with heavy pitting that is unsafe to fire.

Now I am trying to figure out what to do!! I had, originally, planned to pick up a mil-surp stock and take the rifle back to original as much as I could, now... I just don't know if it is worth it. Pictures are from the auction listing.

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My gunsmith recommends re-barreling if I plan to shoot it. Is it worth more as a all-matching, non-shooter, or as a re-barreled shooter in the original 8MM Mauser?
 
Welcome to the Forum! I can't quite make out the code on the receiver above the "1938" stamp but it appears to possibly be "243," indicating production by Mauser Borsigwalde. Do any other numbers you can see match? Does the bolt match? Does it have an import mark? It is always a big disappointment to learn your investment might not have paid off the way you had hoped, I had this same issue with a 1937 "237" Berlin-Lübecker Maschinenfabrik I purchased years ago. The bore was shot out and the bolt would not headspace properly. As I had a small budget and wanted a 98k I could shoot, I foolishly sold the rifle off for one in better condition. While I am happy with the rifle I picked up afterward (a bolt mismatched "byf" 43 with a clean bore), I wish I had kept the Berlin-Lübecker in my collection as they are quite hard to find.

If I were in your shoes and the rifle was mostly matching, non-import marked I would consider keeping it as a "study piece" and possibly finding a replacement stock for it. If the stock is not matching to the rifle I would have no problem selling it, and even cut-down sporter stocks sell for more than you would think. If the stock did match, I would still swap it out for a more "period correct" example and keep it tucked away for posterity's sake. As the receiver and barrel are clearly matching, I would hesitate on breaking up the pair...but that's just me! A 1938 K98k has BEEN THERE and would still be a valuable addition to any WW2 or German rifle collection.
 
komet45 said:
Welcome to the Forum! I can't quite make out the code on the receiver above the "1938" stamp but it appears to possibly be "243," indicating production by Mauser Borsigwalde. Do any other numbers you can see match? Does the bolt match? Does it have an import mark? It is always a big disappointment to learn your investment might not have paid off the way you had hoped, I had this same issue with a 1937 "237" Berlin-Lübecker Maschinenfabrik I purchased years ago. The bore was shot out and the bolt would not headspace properly. As I had a small budget and wanted a 98k I could shoot, I foolishly sold the rifle off for one in better condition. While I am happy with the rifle I picked up afterward (a bolt mismatched "byf" 43 with a clean bore), I wish I had kept the Berlin-Lübecker in my collection as they are quite hard to find.

If I were in your shoes and the rifle was mostly matching, non-import marked I would consider keeping it as a "study piece" and possibly finding a replacement stock for it. If the stock is not matching to the rifle I would have no problem selling it, and even cut-down sporter stocks sell for more than you would think. If the stock did match, I would still swap it out for a more "period correct" example and keep it tucked away for posterity's sake. As the receiver and barrel are clearly matching, I would hesitate on breaking up the pair...but that's just me! A 1938 K98k has BEEN THERE and would still be a valuable addition to any WW2 or German rifle collection.
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I'll head over to my smith today and try to get some better pictures of the markings, but here is a picture where you can just make out that it is stamped "42", which I believe means it came from Mauser in Oberndorf am Neckar Germany in the year 1938.

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Both me and my gunsmith are torn on this one, we both agree that picking up a mil-surp stock would be a minimum, what we do with the gun from there... that is the rub.

TBH, this was an impulse buy on a low-bid auction. I am only into it about $600 with all the taxes and fees so I don't think I got hurt too bad. I currently own sporterized versions of all of the WWI allied rifles through various inheritances, and this was my first foray into WWII Axis, and first foray into "original". I like to be able to shoot what I own, even if it is only once or twice a decade to "shake the dust" off and give me a reason to clean them.
 
10-4 and good observations - only you can answer these questions and thankfully there is no wrong answer if you are satisfied! As always, best to weigh out all options before you start operating! I think your overhead is low enough to not feel bad either way. Nothing wrong with a sporter rifle you enjoy shooting, I would much rather put rounds through a sporter than a numbers-matching pristine example.

I just recently put a dou 44 rifle together from parts and was really blown away by original stock prices. Flat buttplate, solid wood stocks are easier to find than laminate, cupped buttplate examples. Ugly, scrubbed Ex-RC stocks are going for $300-500 on Ebay if you can find them. I am certain someone here will chime in with the correct answer but you could probably get away with a flat buttplate on this '38. I recently sold a cut-down French 1946 98k stock for a little over $100 and I believe yours would fetch more. The wood on your stock looks good and it has great "donor" potential for repair work projects if not used as intended.

Good luck on this project, when it's finished it would be great to see how it turns out!
 
I think I am leaning towards an all-matching (mil-surp stock) display piece and look for a shooter that doesn't require "breaking up the band".
 
Made it over to the gun smith. Extremely disappointed that I’ll never be able to fire it, but I just can’t bring myself to rebarrel it. Everything matches and I didn’t see any import marks. I will put a mil-surp stock on it, but keep the one it has with the gun (as long as it matches too).

Guess it’s time to look for a shooter.
 
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