A question for you K98 experts out there...

[Wanderers87]

For all the K98 experts out there....

I see in multiple books and websites that the ZF4 was mounted on the K98 as a sniper scope. Question is, is this true? And if so, anyone ever seen the mount that the ZF4 would have used on the '98? I remember seeing one on a website- looked like the standard ZF4 mount (for the G/K 43) except that the posts the site was rasied on were bent back a little, to put the scope closer to the viewer' eye. Was this the real thing, or something made up by someone out for a quick buck?

Also.... were straight-bolt K98's used by the Wehrmacht with any regularity? Where did these bolts come from, WWI Mausers?

Thanks! -Gavin

[bodes]

For all the K98 experts out there....

I see in multiple books and websites that the ZF4 was mounted on the K98 as a sniper scope. Question is, is this true? And if so, anyone ever seen the mount that the ZF4 would have used on the '98? I remember seeing one on a website- looked like the standard ZF4 mount (for the G/K 43) except that the posts the site was rasied on were bent back a little, to put the scope closer to the viewer' eye. Was this the real thing, or something made up by someone out for a quick buck?

Also.... were straight-bolt K98's used by the Wehrmacht with any regularity? Where did these bolts come from, WWI Mausers?

Thanks! -Gavin

Gavin, First of all welcome to the forum......As for your first question, I do believe the German did in fact make a mount for use of the Zf4 on the K98k......The mount was a "swept back" design.....I'm not sure it ever really got passed the experimental phase though......It was mounted on the left hand side of the rifle further back than the Zf41....Only manufactured in small quantities, they are extremely rare.....A picture can be found in Ludwig Oleson's Mauser Bolt Rifles book....As for your second question, some of the straight bolt rifles were foreign manufactured......One for example was the G24(t) which was manufactured in Czechloslovakia and then integrated into the German military when the country was occupied......Hope this helps....Bodes

[Wanderers87]

Thank you!

Indeed it does! Thank you very much for your info. The Mausers I'm looking at are K98's, marked with German makers- a byf44, a bnz4, and a dou 43 dated, and are normal K98's in every way except for the straight bolts. Rather odd, I thought... I've seen people say they were allocated to rear-line units and Stalag guards, but I wanted to hear from you guys first...

-Gavin

[David Mckenzie]

Fellow collector ,it sounds very much like you have chanced upon arsenal rebuilds!If these same rifles have been refinished,i.e. new blued,copperwash or parkerised parts, then most likely they are repaired battlefield booty by a non german arsenal.

[Frogprince]

Some ex-Romanian imports had straight Czech bolts mated to otherwise stock 98K rifles. Romania being a co-belligerent with Germany during WWII and having large stocks of both with the preponderance of them being Czech VZ24 rifles. Some closeup pictures would help - but in their absence the markings should tell what is what. FP

[sigismund]

alot of K98k's went to a lot of differnt countries, and since all the mauser bolts are interchangeable its not uncommon to see such mis-matches.

but an original bolt are not hard to find at all, so you can easily get the correct bent bolt for your k98k's.

any pictures available? then we can most likely tell you which country they were issued to after ww2.

[Hugh W. Brock]

ZF4 Swept-Back Mount for K98k

The ZF4 was to replace the hodge-podge of issue and commercial type scopes for all service rifles. The swept-back mount, similar to a G/K43 mount was very late war production and is very rare.
All K98k's and K98k bolts that are factory original are turned down. Straight bolts are replacements and could come from WW1 German or several foreign issue 98 Mausers. The VK98's made at Steyr at the end of the War for the Volksturm have straight bolt handles about half the time (but the bolts are distinctive Steyr 1945 production).