I want a mauser 98k

[Hound of Culan]

Sooo I want to get my hands on a mauser 98k. Ideally I would prefer and actual German one but I've heard they can be rather expensive and so I would also be happy with a S American one or some other replica mauser. Anywho my budget for this gun is in 250-300 dollar range, does anyone know of a way I could get one in that price range?

[Haligan]

Have you ever seen the ad in the NRA magazines about Mitchel's Mausers.
Google Mitchells Mausers. Then click the tag for German 98k's. You'll see a bunch when you scroll down the page in you price range.
Hope that helps you out.

[gdmoody]

You might also think about a Mauser M48, I think Yogoslavian, they are pretty much the same as a 98k.

[LDBennett]

Hound of Culan:

Mauser collecting has gone big time and the prices are reflecting that. There are two kinds of Mauser and some are a mix: shooters and collectables.

Shooters can look a bit rough, and have numbered parts that don't match. The real shooters have barrels with a pristine bore and the poor shooters have a bore that looks like a rough road.

Collectables have matching numbers, were manufactured in certain locations (rare by low production numbers), are in very good to excellent condition, usually. Bore condition is not an issue at all as these guns will never be shot by a collector. Stocks are in good condition with no cracks.

Shooters can fall into the $200 to $300 range you are looking for. Look beyond the condition of the outside and concentrate on the bore and the working parts. The stock should be sound with no cracks. If you don't reload an 8 mm version is the best bet as surplus ammo is available but drying up fast. Oddball calibers may be hard to get ammo for in the future so 8 mm is the best choice. Country of manufacture makes little difference for a shooter as all Mausers were made under license and Mauser controlled the quality pretty much.

After WWII the allies and especially Russia picked up all the Mausers from Germany and refurb'ed them, mixing up all the matched part numbers parts. Many were rebarreled and that is fine for a shooter as the primers used in military ammo were corrosive and few Mausers that were shot escaped with good bores.

The Mitchells Mausers are fakes. They are not real collectables and are only refinished to look good. An original Mauser with matched parts is tremendously more valuable to a collector than the Mitchells will ever be.

Gun shows are a prime place to buy Mausers. If you see a table full of Mausers ask the guy to show you the shooters and pass on the collectables if you intend to shoot the gun. That will save hundreds of dollars. The shooter Mausers normally are accurate guns. My son-in-law has a collection of both shooters and collectables and I have a shooter CZ Bruno version. We regularly shoot at a range with steel target to 600 yrds and the Mauser do well at every range, if the bore and chamber is good.

LDBennett

[poobear]

Big 5 Sporting goods has one for 299.

[Hound of Culan]

Thanks for the answers, I want one to shoot so its good to know that they will be cheaper in price. I'm just not sure where to get one because of things like Mitchell's Mausers and captured Russian ones it seems like its hard to verify if one is an actual mauser or some knockoff/refurbished gun.

[poobear]

There isn't anything wrong with a refurbished gun. But for the avid collector its a big nono...
Ive seen some of the Mitchells Mausers and they are very nice BUT they are not originals and in my opinion are falsely advertised and overpriced for what they are. I have seen the 98K Mausers on several web sites and the usually run in the 200 to 400 price range.

[bcj1755]

If you want a shooter, look for the Russian Captures. A few months ago I bought a BEAUTIFUL Russian Capture refinished K98k made by J.P. Sauer und Sohn in 1940. This rifle had an unbelievably sharp bore. It looked almost new. I paid $279. I ended up having to sell it recently Just make sure if you use surplus ammo to clean it well after every time you shoot it.

[LDBennett]

The Russian refurbs only upset the collectors. They can be excellent guns. Do inspect the bore of any potential K98 purchase and pass on any with a rough bore. They most likely will not shoot well.

As for surplus ammo, most is corrosively primed. The primer coats the inside of the bore with salts that pull in water from the air that corrodes the bore surface (the reason so many originals have a bore like a rough road!). Normal cleaning does not kill the salt.

For corrosive primers you have to use a water soluble bore cleaner or simply rinse out the bore with warm or, better yet, hot water multiple times. That dissolves the salts and rinses them out. It is better to stoke the bore with a brush during this process but not totally necessary. It says on the bottle of the latest version of Hoppe's Number 9 bore cleaner that it is for corrosive primer bore cleaning (??). If you believe the bottle use it instead. I have been using the Hoppe's and so far no corrosion. But..... you must clean the gun the day you shoot it and best if you do it at the range before leaving. Leaving the corrosive salts in the bore for much more than a day will cause corrosion. Also it is advisable to run an patch saturated with gun oil down the bore before putting the gun away.

LDBennett

[gandog56]

I got my K98 from SOG.

[ParrotHead]

I got mine from SOG too..forget the Mitchells crap

[gandog56]

And Mitchell's IS crap!

[parker]

I just bought a Yugo 24/47 Mauser from J&G Sales for $149.00 w/$15.00 shipping charge. The guy I talked to on the phone said there was no need to pay for the $10.00 hand pick fee because they all were in good to very good condition. We'll see. If you haven't bought one look at their web site.Parker

[cpkarl1]

I bought one from SOG also. It's great! Very satisfied. Check out the SOG web site. It's worth your time.

[gdmoody]

Originally Posted by gandog56

And Mitchell's IS crap!

But Mitchell's are so purtey and shiney.

I think mine came from SOG, too.

[Czech]

Check internet sites that auction guns, I'm sure your will find something to suit your budget.

For me, Russian capture reworked(RC) rifle is still better than the crap from Mitchells.

If you are lucky, you might even get RC with the original nazi eagles and proof marks still intact.

These days, for a totally genuine and untouched, all matching K98, you could easilly pay $2000+. (I've seen genuine, in excellent condition K98 rifle slings go for $100+)

Amazing, what a few war movies achieve.

[TranterUK]

My WW2 German K98 was re barrelled by the Israelis to 7.62 x 51, and is simply the most accurate rifle I ever owned, bar none.

[Popgunner]

Tranter
I'm sure the NATO ammo is easier to find where you are? Don't know but it is here. The 8mm surplus has dried up but there's still some NATO. Sounds like you have a keeper

I've really loved my two yugo's, an M-48 & M-48A. They are numbers matching in super shape & I paid $99 ea for them. I bought 'em last year from the local pawn shop that stocks lots of milsurp rifles.

Cheers
Popgunner

[shootstr8er]

HOC, try classic arms.com.shooter grade k98 for $199.95 and all the 8 mm u can want..

[Suwannee Tim]

I got my K98 Erfurt from Woolco. Wish I had gotten more. The gun department was a treasure trove, M1 carbines, 1903A3s, Swiss rifles, Mausers, Arisakas, Enfields. Sigh.

[Big ugly]

I love mine. I picked it up years ago from a collecter and it was well worth the money.