Mauser k98 finish and other questions.
 

Hello gang,

So last year I acquired a fairly decent K98 Mauser dated 44 the barrel matches receiver, and all other little parts, but the bolt is non matching to the rifle, but the bolt itself is a complete match. The guy I got it from says he picked up from a vet who picked the nicest looking rifle, and then the nicest looking bolt from two piles before he came back home. The rifle is immaculate the only questionable item about it is the color of the stock. Compared to all other k98 I've seen the color is def lighter then the others. Do you guys have any input?

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...11/image-6.jpg

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...11/image-5.jpg

It looks right as rain to me. These later war laminated stocks made from pine and beech tend to be lighter than the older walnut stocks.

Covering the pics with the sling doesn't help any... :(

My godfather picked a new K98 off the 'assembly line' when his infantry unit liberated the FN factory in Belgium [so the story goes] and brought it home...The laminated stock was quite crudely milled and completely unfinished... :rolleyes:

Thank you guys. I will get some better pictures up when I return home. This rifle is particular clean doesn't even look like a round had been inserted into the magazine, and no markings on the feed ramp to indicate it has been shot.

That is the original sling as well

Looks like a well cared for 98 to me... My Dad sent home two shortly after liberating a small town in Belgium. They were told they could send home war trophies... so he grabbed the first two rifles from people who were no longer using them :eek:, and then tried to figure out how to ship them home. He was standing in front of a fabric store that was unoccupied due to the fighting...

He took the rifles inside and found a large bolt of burgundy red velvet that was long enough to wrap them in, and just started rolling the rifles until he thought they were well padded enough. He bound the fabric/rifle roll with some strong twine and put a shipping tag on it and turned in the package to be shipped home... and forgot about it until he arrived home after the war.

When he got home, there were velvet draperies, table cloths, pillows, and clothing everywhere. Then he remembered the rifles. He asked my grandmother where are the rifles, and she couldn't remember as it had been over a year since the package arrived. --- My grandfather couldn't remember either. :confused: (How do you forget where you put two rifles?)

But when he went out to the barn to get something he found the rifles hanging on a nail by their slings... Fortunately, they hadn't rusted, and the velvet had protected them from bumps during shipping... :thumbup:

I came along two years later, and there used to be photos of me wearing a red velvet suit at the age of two... I wonder where that velvet came from, eh?

He gave one of the Mausers to my mother's younger brother Fred, and the other to his own older brother Leo, who had been classified as 4F and couldn't join the fight. Both rifles are still in the family, but unfortunately not mine. :mad:

..but that's okay... I inherited his Luger! :cheers:

For what we can see fom the photos your K8K colour looks correct, laminatd stocks (since mid 1938) had a ligther colour then walnut ones, they started making the stocks with laminated wood mainly for a matter of costs.
Russia capture ones instead look a lot darker, as they got entirely stripped acid dipped and reblued with a black crappy stuff and the stocks painted with a some sort of orange stuff like shellac.
They all got peened of the swastikas and got the so called "Russian property stamp" (just an awful "X" stamped on the receiver)
Some were also electro penciled.

I can always expect great answers and replys from you all. I am also happy to know that it's color is original. I ended up trading a pistol worth about 450$, and 100 bucks for it. It hangs on my collectors rack with my 42 Garand and my 45 m44. To bad this old gal wasn't a kriegsmarine! Then I would have a kriegsmarine luger with rifle. Still is an amazing piece of history, and in my opinion a fine example of war time manufacturing even in 44 with the allies fast approaching the enemy industries still managed to pump out very nice rifles. No short cuts in qaulity (that I can see) like the Russians and Japanese who cut many corners to add a weapon. I am sure the Germans at the time had there "last ditch" weapon I would love to see one. All german weapons from that era I've held, and seen have all been good makes of quality.

You're right although earlier K98K with their walnut stocks were a lot better refinished.

Unfortunately K98K won't be considered a somehow "scarce" collectible for at least another 50/80 years, a bit too late for us.

Sergio