[Avi]

Hey I just inherited two old guns from my grandfather and was wondering if anyone could tell me what they are and if possible the caliber. I was told by family he brought them back after WWII.

The first is a rifle it has stamps of an eagle clutching a swastika so i assume its a German gun it says mod. 98 right by the bolt other than that though i can't find anything.

The second is a carbine. It says on it U.S Carbine Cal. 30. This one I was wondering about how legal it is to have and whether replacement parts are available for it considering its missing the magazine

Thanks,
Avi

 

[Alpo]

The carbine is possible it was brought back from WW2. But normally a WW2 gun would have the flip rear sight and no bayonet lug. Korean War gun would have the sight and lug that's on that one, but WW2 - very very late in the war.

The bolt is a Mauser of some sort, but the picture is too fuzzy, for me anyway, to determine anything else. It has been sporterized, in that the stock has been cut and the top handguard removed. The back of the bolt looks more like a 96 than a 98, to me (the Germans used the 98 Mauser), but, as I said, the picture's fuzzy.

Better pictures are needed. Sharp, not fuzzy. The entire gun, not just part of it. Any markings on the gun or the stock. If stampings in the metal are hard to see, dust a little flour or talc on them, then wipe it with your finger. Suddenly the marks will be nice and white.

Magazines for the carbine are available. There are two types. USGI 15 and 30 rounders, and civilian reproduction 5, 10, 20, 30 and (I think) 40 rounders. The repro stuff is mostly junk. You'll be better off with the USGI ones, and the 15s are better than the 30s.

Of course, depending on your state, you might not can have 15 round magazines, and will be stuck to the repro 10s, or if in New York with their new "7-round magazine limit", the repro 5s.

 

[BillM]

Welcome to the forum!

Your pictures are almost worthless--but
just almost. Better pics, especially good close-ups
of markings, will get you MUCH better identification.

That said--The bolt action appears to be a Mauser
large ring rifle, probably a K98. If it has not been
messed with, the caliber is probably 8x57.
It's been sporterized, not a lot of value.

Your 30 carbine--assuming it isn't a M2 (select fire)
version--is fine to own as long as you don't have local
or state restrictions. Parts, magazines, whatever are readily
available. Fun little guns. Depending on the manufacturer and
condition it could be worth some money.

That's about all I can say from what you provided.

Dangit Alpo----I'm going to start typing with three fingers and post before you!

 

[Avi]

Thanks guys
Im trying to get better pictures but it doesn't seem like my camera will allow it but that talc powder trick revealed something cool on the Mauser all the stamps have a 3 digit number underneath them it also revealed 4 digit numbers on barrel, bolt, safety, and "magazine plate" that all end in 89.

 

[jim brady]

The smaller one (I assume an M1 Carbine and not an M2) is missing the handguard. The pictures are not very clear, but from what I see it is beaten up pretty bad. Just means that it needs a new stock and handguard set to make it pretty again. That being done might be worth $400 to $600. Could be more if the metals parts match, but most Carbines DON'T have matching parts unless they were stolen early on or someone took the time to scratch out the correct matching parts.

The bolt-action rifle, as Bill M pointed out, looks like a 98K that has been 'sporterized' by having the stock cut down and the barrel bands and handguards thrown away. Here's the key to that one: IF (with a Capital I.F.) the metal has not been altered with drilling or grinding you may still have some value there. Not ooodles and gobs of value, but at least a couple hundred dollars to someone willing to find replacement wood and small parts to restore it to an example piece. (A lot of that 'Sporterizeing' was done back in the late 50s and early 60s when Mausers were about $15 to $30 each)

 

[Avi]

Thanks Jim, I would much rather get them in working condition rather than sell. Plus my family never sells we sort of just pass them along.

 

[Hawg]

That break in the carbine stock is pretty nasty with at least one chunk of wood missing. You might be able to fix it but you'd be better off with a new stock.

 

[Avi]

Yeah the story is my grandfather was mailing the gun home in pieces and had to break the stock in half so it would fit or something like that.

 

[Alpo]

Well, that would certainly explain the Mauser.

Soldiers would smuggle 'em home in their duffel bags. The would take the barreled action out of the stock, and it would be short enough to fit in the bag. The stock was too long, though. So they would saw the end of the stock off, under the rear barrel band. When they'd get home, they'd put it back together, put the band on, the band hid the cut, and shazam, there's the gun. Looks like someone, in the last 60 years, took the bands off and kinda rounded the end of the stock at the cut. Easy sporter stock.

 

[Silver72]

Back in the 1950s in Korea our carbines didn't have the bayonet lug as shown in this old B&W photo I took of my close friend Tracy and it happened to show the barrels of our carbines racked in our tent. I don't remember about the sight and they are not shown/

 

[Buffalochip]

Back in the 1950s in Korea our carbines didn't have the bayonet lug as shown in this old B&W photo I took of my close friend Tracy and it happened to show the barrels of our carbines racked in our tent. I don't remember about the sight and they are not shown/

Great picture that departs interesting info. My understanding is that as the guns were rearsenaled in the 1950s the lugs were added and the sights modified and the safety replaced. Obviously, as your picture shows, the WW2 configuration was also used. Perhaps these guns were unused from the previous war? Do you remember?

 

[Iron Eagle]

Avi, you lucky dog! Welcome to the forum.

 

[Silver72]

Buffalochip, I was a replacement and didn't carry a gun over but was issued what was already there. As well as i remember the rifle was pretty clean but had been issued before. The .45 they gave me was a different story, a rattle trap that would shoot a 3' group.