Polish PFK Mauser Opinions

[tommyz]

Hello,

I have the opportunity to purchase this Polish K98 rifle and wanted to get some of your feedback and figure out what a fair offer would be. From my understanding, the 1930 PFK was mainly a parts gun put together from German WWI K98's and force matched then finished at the Radom factory. Please share anymore information that you may have on this type of rifle.

Thank you in advance,

Tom

[Ohlau]

Wow, nice Polish pre-war rifle. Rare bird.

"Państwowa Fabryka Karabinów Warszawa" Now you need only Perkun bayonet (of course with "1939" markings) for nice gruping. Congrats.


Both (PFK and FB Radom) produced polish Mausers :

http://www.wojsko18-39.internetdsl.p.../karabiny.html

[Ronnie Fry]

Very interesting rifle, Sir!! "Loaded" with history.

As I often say, "If only they could talk."

r

[gew98]

These polish Kar98a's are not rare... scarce if matched and unmolsested in polish trim for sure, but quite the opposite when mismatched and some overstamped numbers.
Being the stock is unsanded and sports some excellent polish proofs I would have to say if bore is clean and not pitted this would be maybe a $350 item to the right fellow - if for nothing else the excellent stock set. But don't be surprised if you had to sell it and you could not get even $250 for it as most collectors want at least a bolt only mismatch or a complete matched rifle. Look this rifle all over good for any german HzA proofs - I say that as the bolt is blued and looks to possibly be a polish bolt and it would have been blued by the germans. But oddly enough the germans thought enough of polish rifles to have rarely marked them unless repaired or overhauled at an HzA depot. It's pretty no doubt but the value is in it being matched .

[Ohlau]

These polish Kar98a's are not rare... scarce if matched and unmolsested in polish trim for sure, but quite the opposite when mismatched and some overstamped numbers.
Being the stock is unsanded and sports some excellent polish proofs I would have to say if bore is clean and not pitted this would be maybe a $350 item to the right fellow - if for nothing else the excellent stock set. But don't be surprised if you had to sell it and you could not get even $250 for it as most collectors want at least a bolt only mismatch or a complete matched rifle. Look this rifle all over good for any german HzA proofs - I say that as the bolt is blued and looks to possibly be a polish bolt and it would have been blued by the germans. But oddly enough the germans thought enough of polish rifles to have rarely marked them unless repaired or overhauled at an HzA depot. It's pretty no doubt but the value is in it being matched .

Mayby they ( polish pre-war rifles of course) are not rare for you, but as a weapon of Polish Army which was in field in 1939, they are real gold for many collectors in Poland (where firearms law is not liberal)

[tommyz]

Thank you for your replies and the information gentlemen.

[phild]

The characterization of rare is a subject call IMO. Compared to a lot of firearms I agree the Polish 98 rifles are not rare.....but they are if say compared to k98ks or most other production German WWII small arms for instance.

Most of the Polish rifles that I see and have seen for the last 40 years are the scrubbed versions that ended up in Spain during the the CW and then sold here to Interarms. Those rifles are really not that numerous but it is just that they are most all here and can still be found rotating thru the market now and then.

I have not seen that many (maybe dozens but not hundreds) of Polish rifles with the crest intact and fewer still that were matched and not re-worked or even just parts rifles.

I have seen exc. condition matched early Polish Mausers sell for over 2k more than once. Maybe the buyers were crazy, but that is what I have seen. I have also seen many nice but not exoctic variation k98ks selling in the same range and they are 50x more common.

[Ohlau]

The characterization of rare is a subject call IMO 

Well, you don't live in Poland, so you don't understand my point of view.

For you in West Europe and USA this rifle is not something special, but in Poland
provisions of the law are making it almost impossible to have nice old army's rifles and gun in collection. For that reason is very, very hard to find and buy (legal of course) this kind of Mausers, guns, etc.

That's real. For you my "subject characterization", but not for me.



Regards

[phild]

The characterization of rare is a subject call IMO 

Well, you don't live in Poland, so you don't understand my point of view.

For you in West Europe and USA this rifle is not something special, but in Poland
provisions of the law are making it almost impossible to have nice old army's rifles and gun in collection. For that reason is very, very hard to find and buy (legal of course) this kind of Mausers, guns, etc.

That's real. For you my "subject characterization", but not for me.



Regards

I intended to say subjective rather than subject. I think that I am actually violently agreeing with you! I realize that intact examples are very desirable in Poland and not common (based on what I have read from Polish collectors) and they are also not what I consider common in the U.S. I have looked at thousands of k98ks since I have been collecting but maybe only a couple dozen intact Polish eagle crest Mausers including what I have seen posted on the web sites for sale.

There is little doubt in my mind that most crest intact Polish Mausers that are here in the US were in fact captured from the Germans or at least in Germany by US GIs and brought back.

Like the early Polish eagle Radom VIS 35 pistols they are not that common and are considered somewhat special by collectors in the know.

[Alan Smith]

I agree with Phild, in that most or all of the crest-intact rifles found here in the U.S. are WWII bring-backs by American vets. Here are a couple of shots of what is left of such a rifle brought back by an unknown U.S. vetaran from the rural area of Pontotoc County, MS. The intact rifle was given by the vet to a friend of mine when he was a teenager c. 1950. Unfortunately, my friend could not leave the rifle alone and "sporterized" it.

I have the original matching stock (less handguard and metal) that my friend gave me some 25 years ago when I was a kid and found the stock in his workshop. Eventually I may try to get the rifle from him and put it back together as best as is possible. From what I can tell, the rifle was all matching (less bolt) when originally brought home from WWII.

[Alan Smith]

Photo 2

[Alan Smith]

Photo 3

[Alan Smith]

Photo 4

[Alan Smith]

Photo 5

[Ohlau]

You are really lucky collectors ... Alan - very nice souvenir from Warsaw Fabric. Congrats.

Well Gentelmens, here in my country I can only have These photos of Mausers.

Regards.