What is this Gew98? k98b or G98m?

[danm55]

I was thinking about buying this rifle but id like to know more about it. It looks like a k98b but it has a straight bolt and oddly has the cutout for the bent bolt. According to the seller the bolt matches the reciever. (could be force matched) Its an obendorf 1915 but was given the 1920 stamp at the top. has the k98 sight. any info would be appreciated. import mark says CAI M98 Germany. Ill post some pictures

 

[danm55]

Im far from an expert. Just trying to learn more about this particular one. Thank you for anyone that takes the time to help me learn more about it. I have done some research into the 1920 stamp which i think adds some cool history to it as it might have been used in both world wars. and it was kept in germany after ww1. Maybe its just a k98b but with a regular straight bolt?

 

[Loewe]

Better pictures would be required to make such an assessment, but generally actual G98 conversions to K98b are rare, it is very unlikely period work or mating.

Also note that discussing active auctions are limited here, if seeking advice pm me or someone else of experience for an opinion with a link to the auction.

 

[danm55]

Oh ok i didnt know that. The item isnt listed for sale anymore but i did talk to the place they said theyd put it aside until the owners back on monday. But as seen in the pics the item has ended without a sale. Hmm that is weird. This is kind of a weird one. In the last day ive learned it is a k98b which i had never even heard of. but it seems like sumone put a gew 98 bolt on it. Ive heard than that definetely wasnt done by germany though. All of the converted gew 98s and k98bs had bent bolts. That barrel band isnt right either. Apparently its not a k98 or gew 98 band. Maybe sumone modified the stock or put a k98b stock on it? Or they just put a gew 98 bolt on it? Im kinda baffled by it lol

 

[danm55]

Heres that barrel band.i may get a k98 bolt for it if i do end up getting it. I have untill monday when the owner will be around. Im trying to get them to come down in price. They were asking $1200 for it which is a lot even with the bayonet. Also looks like the boor is pretty bad. Missing rifling at the end of the bore and broken barrel band spring

 

[danm55]

Heres more of the pics of it

 

[danm55]

One other question that comes to mind. Isnt the k98b supposed to have been changed to accept the k98 bayonet? This one has a gew 98 bayonet

 

[Rutche]

One other question that comes to mind. Isnt the k98b supposed to have been changed to accept the k98 bayonet? This one has a gew 98 bayonet

Same mounting system for both bayonets

 

[danm55]

I was able to talk the seller down and even tho the price is still a lil high i was able to get my first ever gew98 or k98b style rifle! the front band spring is missing. i have found some gew 98 front springs for cheap on ebay. About 12$ Will that work for this k98b?

 

[Loewe]

If this is not a current auction it is fine to discuss here, - before paying for the rifle, you might consider posting the link to the auction or posting the pictures to make sure you are dealing with a original rifle and get some perspective,

Up to you of course, but I can't tell much from the pictures you posted. Conversions and reworks are the most difficult to assess, you really should have some experienced eyes look at the rifle before you agree to a deal.

 

[danm55]

Thats correct its not for sale anymore and listing had ended a day or so before i posted about it. I figured i would buy it anyways because i really wanted a ww1 date and i appreciate the provinance of the 1920 stamp. I was able to talk the seller down but not to the 700$ i wanted to pay. Im just praying that the bore isnt completely shot out like the RTI gew98s that theyre charging $1000 for. And i hope the headspace isnt an issue. Actually the rti gew98s r like sewer pipes so i know it wont be that bad lol.

 

[Stan]

I saw a couple postings of this rifle by you on Gunboards forum. I didn't notice any mention of the stock being numbered to the rifle. Was that indicated in the auction? Being a CAI import, I was thinking it possible that it was one of the Albanian imports brought in by that company some years ago.

 

[Gerst]

The stock has a pass-through for a side-mount sling.and a cut-out for a bent bolt. It has finger grooves, so it is appropriate for a 98b, but the rifle has a straight bolt Which doesn’t go with the stock. The upper band is a Gew. 98 band. The rear sight is correct for a 98m. My guess is that The rifle is some kind of post-war rebuild.

 

[Loewe]

I saw a couple postings of this rifle by you on Gunboards forum. I didn't notice any mention of the stock being numbered to the rifle. Was that indicated in the auction? Being a CAI import, I was thinking it possible that it was one of the Albanian imports brought in by that company some years ago.

This is probably the case, this seller takes a lot of pictures of nothing... most are totally irrelevant, but the barreled receiver is property marked and has a Simson re-barrel, - very unlikely the stock is original to this work. what concerns me most is the lack of pictures of the stock acceptance, in this case the value lays in the stock, - back in the early 1990's people bought these for parts and this was especially true of 98b parts, - before these hit the market the 98b was quite rare in the US, but many bought ten or a dozen and shared the details of the parts mix, John Wall detailed half a dozen in his grabbag.

Anyway, not sure this is worth $700, maybe in parts if the stock is 98b and unmolested, but if Albanian you can bet the bore is shot, some are incredibly bad... Still you do not see these together often, most seem to have been parted out as the 98b parts can be worth more than the whole (which is generally true of any mismatched rifle if the individual parts are decent)

Here is the auction link, took awhile to find it:

Mauser Gewehr 98 5 round 8mm Bolt Action Rifle with Bayonet - Bolt Action Rifles at GunBroker.com : 905010178

Buy Mauser Gewehr 98 5 round 8mm Bolt Action Rifle with Bayonet: GunBroker is the largest seller of Bolt Action Rifles Rifles Guns & Firearms All: 905010178

www.gunbroker.com

 

[danm55]

How do you know if its albanian?

 

[Loewe]

There is no negative for this attribute alone, but the rifle has the looks, the importer mark, the excessive wear, general mismatched state, the fact it has 98b components and interwar work done (Simson barrel); these alone are nothing but together with condition, especially the mix of 98b components it is a good indication...

Really don't worry about that aspect, it may not be true and certainly alone is not the issue... the barrel shots do not look promising and that too is common with the Albanian imports. The real issue is condition of the components, it would be better if you didn't spend over $500-700, I believe the seller stated the bolt matched, could be but he neglected to show this fact and if it is true it is probably not Albanian, Really, 79 pictures with about a dozen useful causes suspicion, but if you have made the payment I guess its arrival will answer most questions.

 

[heavy_mech]

Damn. From what you can see it looks like there's NO rifling at all. Hope you get better news when it arrives but it doesn't look good so far. I agree with the above about lack of photos that 'matter'. Usually also not a good sign.

 

[danm55]

Thanks for the info. And for not bashing the gun too bad lol. Ik the situation doesnt look good. But i really wanted that last rifle to complete my collection. I already have a ww1 era mosin, arisaka, lee enfield, berthier, carcano, and steyre m95. (I should technically get a turk mauser or 03 springfield mayb one day)

but after cleaning it i hope there is some rifling. All my other rifles have pretty bad bores and i dont really shoot that much so im ok with it. Hey at least i didnt spend $1000 on a gew 98 with a sewer pipe for a barrel like the rti ones lol. I did good on the other rifles i purchased years ago. If i find a deal of a lifetime one day i would buy a different one

 

[danm55]

Wow i got the rifle today. Im pleasantly surprised about the rifling. Its not the strongest but it is there and goes all the way to the muzzle! By looking at the pictures i thought it would be a lot worse. Im pretty happy with it actually.

 

[danm55]

Would it be dumb to try to get the bolt bent? Or maybe just put a k98 bolt on it? The bolt doesnt match