WHITE CAMMO 98k

[Johnny S]

Bill this K98 is awesome I would like to see this one at the Charlotte show !

[Joe]

Wow!!!

[JohnB]

Bill,

I was honored to met you at the MAX! (Thanks Perry) Bill you have consistently posted some incredible pieces.
John

[NARVIK1940]

This has to be the most amazing K98 I have ever seen! Thanks for sharing!

[Willi Z.]

Nice to see this thread again! The most amazing k98k I have ever seen!!!

[IMBLITZVT]

Very interesting!

I too would like to know why they did not just slap paint everywhere. I know we are talking about Germans to it had to be done "correctly" but still...

[busterz111]

Ok i dont men to be the bad guy here.....

.why would a soldier paint his weapon for cammo purposes when 3/4 of the year it would be more useful in brown. The bulge bulge does not make sense, its such a slight piece to see versus all the other things in the field.

Also the detail in which its done suggests to me a us vet postwar at the vfw who may have used it for parade and painted it white. Your talking 40 years span since acquired and the end of the war...i would love to believe the story and dreams but is there an actual period piece of either a k98 or any other german small arm painted white this detailed.

[NARVIK1940]

A soldier is always thinking about surviving today and hopefully tomorrow. The same logic goes for painting a helmet or gas mask canister white. And we know of many examples where this occurred. A weapon is more unusual, but certainly plausible.

[foy1944]

k98's where all over the place ,so when the snow is gone you just could pick up another rifle (or just the stock) from a dead soldier or so and leave the white one behind...

[buckle1]

While the stock might not show, the black metal certainly would , probably more than a brown stock I agree with the other comments Why not paint the entire rifle ?


Bill

[Willi Z.]

The point of applying camo to something is to break up unnatural outlines, not to always make something a solid color, which is in fact is sometimes counter productive. Troops camoed belt buckles, mess kits, holsters, ammo pouches, binos, scope cans, etc, etc. I even have a DAK gas mask can which is painted and the soldier even camoed part of the filter and the metal around the lens. I wouldn't have done that but someone thought he should, and failing to see the logic doesn't make it bogus.

[CWP]

The previous comparison between the appearance of this rifle and the white-stock drill rifles used for parade by organizations as varied as the VFW and Naval Sea Cadets is striking and, I think, germane. I've seen more than a few surplus rifles like this.

[phild]

Important to the questions raised is the fact that there are published period photos of white washed/painted 98ks and MP 40s being carried by Germans in snow covered landscapes.

We can talk about all of the ups and downs and stock cleaning and why it would not have happened that we want but the fact is it is photo documented that it was done.

Depending on if this is white wash or paint and what kind of paint if it is the latter, the cleaning of it from the wood could range from very quick and simple to moderatly quick and simple.

The only real metal not shown to have been covered by the white at the time is the barrel and front band (about 8-10 inches), the action area/rear site (that would not have been painted!!!) and the trigger guard-floorplate (not seen really)

the barrel and trigger guard my have been covered at one time and either cleaned off or worn off.....more so if this was white-wash.

Really the point here is that this method of camo is proven to have been employed during the period so there is not a lot of use in questioning if this example is real based on a postion that this does not make sense!

[Paul Ba]

Important to the questions raised is the fact that there are published period photos of white washed/painted 98ks and MP 40s being carried by Germans in snow covered landscapes.

We can talk about all of the ups and downs and stock cleaning and why it would not have happened that we want but the fact is it is photo documented that it was done.

Depending on if this is white wash or paint and what kind of paint if it is the latter, the cleaning of it from the wood could range from very quick and simple to moderatly quick and simple.

The only real metal not shown to have been covered by the white at the time is the barrel and front band (about 8-10 inches), the action area/rear site (that would not have been painted!!!) and the trigger guard-floorplate (not seen really)

the barrel and trigger guard my have been covered at one time and either cleaned off or worn off.....more so if this was white-wash.

Really the point here is that this method of camo is proven to have been employed during the period so there is not a lot of use in questioning if this example is real based on a postion that this does not make sense!

I agree partly with what you say, but I do feel that you cant say it can be original just because picture show white K98's. This white paint/wash could have been done just after the war and you wouldnt know. To me it just doesnt look right especially with the metal still bare in places!

I suppose we will never know original or not, but as with other items that are "questionable" people tend not to like/or buy them, like with helmets example - so why is this time different??? Not one I would want

Just my opinion

[afrikasandman]

I like it quite a bit, has the right wear I would expect. I have seen a ton of camoed M4s while down range, so why not back then? If you had a little extra white wash and were looking to help break up your appearance then it makes perfect sense. Either way an interesting article that provokes a good conversation. Matt