1937 Mauser

[rj391]

Going to the auciton in a couple of days and there is a "1937 German 8mm rifle" up for bid. Any advice on what to look for, stay away from, etc, would be most greatly appreciated.

[Jeff Ashenfelter]

Going to the auciton in a couple of days and there is a "1937 German 8mm rifle" up for bid. Any advice on what to look for, stay away from, etc, would be most greatly appreciated.

RJ391,
Condition,matching numbers, bore quality. And also importantly whether it is an import or not. It is also nice to find the matching accessories, the sling, and cleaning rod on these early examples.
There are an awfull lot of Russian import guns in the country now that are being sold as bringbacks. They are not worth what the original souvenir guns are, as most have been refinished and or re-numbered.
There are also some 98's that are quite rare, but it would be time prohibitive to name them all. Good luck, Jeff A

[rj391]

RJ391,
Condition,matching numbers, bore quality. And also importantly whether it is an import or not. It is also nice to find the matching accessories, the sling, and cleaning rod on these early examples.
There are an awfull lot of Russian import guns in the country now that are being sold as bringbacks. They are not worth what the original souvenir guns are, as most have been refinished and or re-numbered.
There are also some 98's that are quite rare, but it would be time prohibitive to name them all. Good luck, Jeff A

Thanks Jeff,
I think this is the real deal as there is a small amount of other legit militaria in an otherwise large auction. Would'nt ther be some Russian stampings if this was a capture gun?

[Jeff Ashenfelter]

Thanks Jeff,
I think this is the real deal as there is a small amount of other legit militaria in an otherwise large auction. Would'nt ther be some Russian stampings if this was a capture gun?

RJ,
I have not examined any of the recent imported Russian capture 98's in a while. They must have an importers stamp on them somewhere. Different importers stamped thier guns in different places. They are usually marked on the side of the reciever. Some are very lightly stamped, and it would not be hard to remove these marks.
I know a few years back when all of the P-38's came into the US that some people were refinishing them and removing importers marks. They were then selling these guns for a premium. Against the law, but that does not seem to matter to these folks!
The Russians were also very fond of refinishing these guns and then storing them. You can sometimes pick these 98's out of a pile simply by looking at the stocks. Jeff A

[rj391]

Not sure if anyone can tell much from this photo but it is the only one I have.

[Peter C]

From the picture that you provided, the only 8mm K98k shown is the rifle on the left. If it is supposed to be a 1937 dated gun, it has the wrong stock. The stock on that K98k is for a much later rifle.

The rifle in the center of the picture appears to be a KKW, which is a .22 cal training rifle.

[sb98]

1937 Mauser via Russia

Hi rj391,

I have a nice 1937 Mauser that is one of the Russian captured guns that was on the market a few years ago. It's nice as a shooter and example, but not a purist collector's gun. Mine has been arsenal re-finished by the Russians and it does have a mark they put on their captured guns. I think it's supposed to be crossed rifles but really it just looks like an "X" on the receiver. Then the importer put their mark on it at the muzzle end of the barrel. It's nice for what it is with the numbers of the major parts matching and some smaller parts scribed with matching numbers (ugly), early quality parts, and a perfect bore. I was able to find a near mint 1937 bayonet to go with it and a 1937 dated sling too with some digging at a few shows.

Tim