WWII Mauser 98
- Thread starter COLT45SA
- Start date
Riesel
Gold $$ Contributor
Personally, I'm of the opinion that a WWII Mauser in good condition should be kept as is. I'm referring to a Mauser that has the original stampings and markings with no import serial number baloney. No rust below the wood line and the bolt has a minimum amount of wobble. Would be great if it had a cleaning rod.
There are many actions to make a custom something out of without using a historical piece, their numbers are dwindling. I had one like the description above and traded it off to someone that really wanted it. We shoot it with the open sights and it is a Hoot. Kicks like an Arkansas mule but is fairly accurate.
Just my two cents.
Riesel
There are many actions to make a custom something out of without using a historical piece, their numbers are dwindling. I had one like the description above and traded it off to someone that really wanted it. We shoot it with the open sights and it is a Hoot. Kicks like an Arkansas mule but is fairly accurate.
Just my two cents.
Riesel
Keep it as is
joshb
Gold $$ Contributor
I have a war bring back K98 with the duffel bag cut stock, cleaning rod and bayonet. I wouldn’t change a thing. I bought it from the nephew of the guy that brought it back after the war. They’re getting to be pretty rare.
Last time I checked, the value was around $1500. That was ten years ago.
Last time I checked, the value was around $1500. That was ten years ago.
I have a an Enfield 1917 that I wish now I left alone. It is still a 30-06 but modified somewhat Oh well cannot turn back the clock now
If you want a sporterized Mauser, they are not hard to come by, and usually don’t bring big money.
If yours is shooter quality, you can still enjoy it as is.
Sporterizing is not cheap if you have to pay for the gunsmithing. It takes time, experience, and skill.
By the time you’re done, you’ll have more in it that it’s worth, and as an alternative, you can buy other actions that are better suited to hunting or target shooting.
As others have said, clean, complete WWII Mausers are not nearly as common as they were in years past.
If yours is shooter quality, you can still enjoy it as is.
Sporterizing is not cheap if you have to pay for the gunsmithing. It takes time, experience, and skill.
By the time you’re done, you’ll have more in it that it’s worth, and as an alternative, you can buy other actions that are better suited to hunting or target shooting.
As others have said, clean, complete WWII Mausers are not nearly as common as they were in years past.
I agree that original military rifles should be un modified. I have a sweed that has a pristine bore, just found new old stock stripper clips, and I have ammo.
Liven The Dream
Gold $$ Contributor
Leave it be.............................
Just Check Gun Broker $$$$$$$$
Just Check Gun Broker $$$$$$$$
I’d leave it alone for several reasons.
The value is what someone will pay for it, which could be significant based on condition and maker. Date of manufacture used to matter, with rifles made after 1943 being less valuable due to quality issues, but that has become less important as people have begun to collect them more for their historical value than as a basis for a sporter.
To assess value, you need to identify the manufacturer. The key to this is the Waffenamt, a mix of letters, numbers, and other characters stamped on the receiver ring. The Germans used it to evade the limitations imposed by the Treaty of Versailles by concealing who was building military equipment for them. From there, online charts can tell you who made your rifle and you can check gunbroker.com and other sites to see what they bring.
Lots of different factories made rifles. Some made a lot, others only a few. In decent shape, a working rifle from a common manufacturer with correct (but not matching) parts can fetch $6-700. A gun with matching parts could bring double that if it’s not a fake. Sky’s the limit on value for the truly scarce versions or anything in really good condition.
Serial numbers can be a red herring. Manufacturers often numbered rifles from 0001-9999, then started over, so they’re mostly useful for telling whether the parts match. Even then it’s easy to fake numbers on minor parts. Also, manufacturers didn’t all number the same parts, and a lot of them stopped numbering parts (other than the receiver) later in the war. They weren’t thinking about tracing the history of a specific rifle decades later, they just needed to keep track of them until they were delivered to the military.
Conversions range from the sublime to the ridiculous; online auction sites have examples of both. Today it costs less to buy a modern rifle than to alter a Mauser to use a scope, much less upgrade the stock, trigger, and other parts. The modern rifle will also fire a modern cartridge, likely be more accurate, etc., while the Mauser will always be an old military rifle. Be particularly wary of converting them to use belted magnum cartridges. This requires altering the feed lips and the follower. The feed lips are built into the receiver and are critical to reliable feeding. Almost everyone who knows how to alter them properly is dead. If you do anything to it, it makes a lot of sense to leave it as a 7.92x57.
Speaking of which, the cartridge is no slouch. You can handload it to match the 308 or 30-06, but the bore diameter probably makes the 338 Federal a better comparison. American factory ammo is loaded about like the 300 Savage if not the 30-30. European ammo is loaded to the cartridge’s full potential.
Finally, these rifles can be remarkably accurate, but you’ll be hindered by the military sights.
Okie John
The value is what someone will pay for it, which could be significant based on condition and maker. Date of manufacture used to matter, with rifles made after 1943 being less valuable due to quality issues, but that has become less important as people have begun to collect them more for their historical value than as a basis for a sporter.
To assess value, you need to identify the manufacturer. The key to this is the Waffenamt, a mix of letters, numbers, and other characters stamped on the receiver ring. The Germans used it to evade the limitations imposed by the Treaty of Versailles by concealing who was building military equipment for them. From there, online charts can tell you who made your rifle and you can check gunbroker.com and other sites to see what they bring.
Lots of different factories made rifles. Some made a lot, others only a few. In decent shape, a working rifle from a common manufacturer with correct (but not matching) parts can fetch $6-700. A gun with matching parts could bring double that if it’s not a fake. Sky’s the limit on value for the truly scarce versions or anything in really good condition.
Serial numbers can be a red herring. Manufacturers often numbered rifles from 0001-9999, then started over, so they’re mostly useful for telling whether the parts match. Even then it’s easy to fake numbers on minor parts. Also, manufacturers didn’t all number the same parts, and a lot of them stopped numbering parts (other than the receiver) later in the war. They weren’t thinking about tracing the history of a specific rifle decades later, they just needed to keep track of them until they were delivered to the military.
Conversions range from the sublime to the ridiculous; online auction sites have examples of both. Today it costs less to buy a modern rifle than to alter a Mauser to use a scope, much less upgrade the stock, trigger, and other parts. The modern rifle will also fire a modern cartridge, likely be more accurate, etc., while the Mauser will always be an old military rifle. Be particularly wary of converting them to use belted magnum cartridges. This requires altering the feed lips and the follower. The feed lips are built into the receiver and are critical to reliable feeding. Almost everyone who knows how to alter them properly is dead. If you do anything to it, it makes a lot of sense to leave it as a 7.92x57.
Speaking of which, the cartridge is no slouch. You can handload it to match the 308 or 30-06, but the bore diameter probably makes the 338 Federal a better comparison. American factory ammo is loaded about like the 300 Savage if not the 30-30. European ammo is loaded to the cartridge’s full potential.
Finally, these rifles can be remarkably accurate, but you’ll be hindered by the military sights.
Okie John
Or…make it a sporter! But seriously, if you have an interest in Mausers, you can get newer models that are top quality, with little collector value. I’m a huge fan of FN commercial Mausers, especially those imported by Firearms International in the late 1940s-early 1950s. They are nice looking rifles with hand-cut checkering and a little “ring of pearls” at the bottom of the checkering on the hand grip. They even made a single shot action that was used in target rifles a long time ago. I have one in 6.5-‘06.
Photo is an early commercial FN that I sent to “Preacher” on this site to restore the stock. He did a beautiful job. It looks like it left the sporting goods store yesterday.
Photo is an early commercial FN that I sent to “Preacher” on this site to restore the stock. He did a beautiful job. It looks like it left the sporting goods store yesterday.
Herzo
Silver $$ Contributor
I have rebuilt four 1903 Springfields over the last few years, restoring them from someone's idea of a sporter. While they cannot by any means be considered to be in original condition, having used CMP stocks, Criterion barrel and other scrounged parts, I have always enjoyed bringing them back to life.
jds holler
Gold $$ Contributor
You can take an all original K98 WWII German Mauser with dirty birds on it, in fair shape, and probably get north of a thousand for it.
OR-- you could spend a thousand to make a nice sporter out of it, and it would be worth maybe $600.
Funny how that works. jd
OR-- you could spend a thousand to make a nice sporter out of it, and it would be worth maybe $600.
Funny how that works. jd
jackieschmidt
Gold $$ Contributor
I just did a Mauser Project, but I started with just a nice action., so there was no heresy involved.
If you have a complete WW-2 vintage rifle, leave it as is.
If you have a complete WW-2 vintage rifle, leave it as is.
If you have a German that is original keep it that way. If you want to experiment there are plenty that have already been molested. I as several locals can attest have molested some in my time, a Spanish that was shot with corrosive ammo and not cleaned, and several $59 turks. A nice German I would have to keep as original.
Upgrades & Donations
This Forum's expenses are primarily paid by member contributions. You can upgrade your Forum membership in seconds. Gold and Silver members get unlimited FREE classifieds for one year. Gold members can upload custom avatars.
Click Upgrade Membership Button ABOVE to get Gold or Silver Status.
You can also donate any amount, large or small, with the button below. Include your Forum Name in the PayPal Notes field.
To DONATE by CHECK, or make a recurring donation, CLICK HERE to learn how.
Click Upgrade Membership Button ABOVE to get Gold or Silver Status.
You can also donate any amount, large or small, with the button below. Include your Forum Name in the PayPal Notes field.
To DONATE by CHECK, or make a recurring donation, CLICK HERE to learn how.