K98 Weird Bolt Opinions Needed

[Usmc1141]

The serial on the bolt is fake, no question about it. The shroud and safety serial are original

What do you think could be the reasoning behind it? Considering that all other parts of the bolt are original to the rifle even extractor and firing pin?

[wandering38]

The bolt serial number is definitely fake, and the waa135 on it is fake also - mauser was not using this style of marking on the bolt body. Any waffenamt on the bolt body originally would have just been eagle wings over “135”. The rear small parts are original. This could have been a situation where someone started to sporterize the rifle and ruined the original bolt body, and someone else later attempted to restore it by force matching the bolt. I have seen this several times. I actually have an original high turret sniper rifle which had the bolt ruined exactly as I described, and I currently have an unnumbered armores spare bolt body in it to make it presentable. An unscrupulous individual or dealer would often try and “match” the bolt body in this situation...

[zimmerit]

What do you think could be the reasoning behind it? Considering that all other parts of the bolt are original to the rifle even extractor and firing pin?

No way to know. Original bolt body may have been lost or modified. Seen stranger though!

[swjXE]

Can't say from the photos if the bolt body is some kind of legitimate rework, but it's definitely not factory ,The 6 is not the correct shape and the O is not the classic Mauser racetrack shape.
If you had a couple of legit. Mauser bolts to compare, you could check with a micrometer to see if the original number was ground or filed off.
Usually if the bolt was switched out by an armorer, there will be an additional stamping on the stock.

[MAUSER99]

What do you think could be the reasoning behind it? Considering that all other parts of the bolt are original to the rifle even extractor and firing pin?

the reasoning behind it is $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

matching bolt rifle is worth 2x ++ a mismatched rifle.

not sure how they got lucky with the back 1/2 but the bolt body is bad..

its your money just trying to help...


135 proof is mauser 140 is FN please don't try to explain away why you think this bolt is correct. it clearly isn't.

[Usmc1141]

the reasoning behind it is $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

matching bolt rifle is worth 2x ++ a mismatched rifle.

not sure how they got lucky with the back 1/2 but the bolt body is bad..

its your money just trying to help...


135 proof is mauser 140 is FN please don't try to explain away why you think this bolt is correct. it clearly isn't.

I see what you’re saying Mauser and I’m not trying to explain why i think its original or not I’m just simply trying to explore all options and possibilities of what could have happened to the original one that’s all. It’s just odd that all other bolt components are original to the rifle except for the bolt body? Half are saying its good half are saying its fake.

[bodes]

My question would be, how do you acount for the perfectly matched bluing evident on the bolt root along side the surrounding parts?....I'm of the impression that retouching something like that would be a rather difficult task...Bodes

[MAUSER99]

My question would be, how do you acount for the perfectly matched bluing evident on the bolt root along side the surrounding parts?....I'm of the impression that retouching something like that would be a rather difficult task...Bodes

bolts were disassembled and cleaned in groups. One possibility was it happened during the war in rifle cleaning. But, in this modern era we cant have that and the body was made to match for profit.

I spoke to one vet about this and he said they took bolts and cleaned them in buckets of petrol not paying any attention to serial numbers. This was during the war when things like that were less important. Take this for what its worth.
When I met the first living German vet this was the first thing I asked.

All I'm really trying to do is making a big mistake by buying this rifle.

[zimmerit]

Whether or not the bolt number is fake is not even a debate, if you know 98s you know it’s fake. Beyond that, anything else is a guess. I’ve seen upper bands still matching a rifle but the lower band not, why on earth would that happen? I’ve seen rifles with matching bolt parts and a mm body before. Seen mismatched stocks but matching hand guards. Weird things happen over 75 years.... you have to remember for a lot of that time these things had no value.

[bodes]

bolts were disassembled and cleaned in groups. One possibility was it happened during the war in rifle cleaning. But, in this modern era we cant have that and the body was made to match for profit.

I spoke to one vet about this and he said they took bolts and cleaned them in buckets of petrol not paying any attention to serial numbers. This was during the war when things like that were less important. Take this for what its worth.
When I met the first living German vet this was the first thing I asked.

All I'm really trying to do is making a big mistake by buying this rifle.

I've also heard it been said, German soldiers were encouraged not to mix parts.....That's the reason for numbering them (parts), not the idea of future collectibility....

I once owned a '37 dated Borsigwalde....Only period alteration being rebarreled in '39....That rifle had the snot beat out of it from service in the war.....In fact, may have been the most used K98k I've ever seen...Point is, that rifle retained all it's factory issued parts up to and including it's numbered triggerguard screws....How many cleanings do you suppose that rifle had in six years of war, yet stayed intact?.....Bodes