Where the heck are they?

[Guamsst]

I am not a mauser collector by any means but I have people ask me to get them a "mauser" on a regular basis. Ofcourse, they mean a "real" K98. The thing is, I haven't seen a "real" K98 in 3yrs except for the high end collector specials at Tulsa. But, as far as regular gunshows, almost nothing. I had one decent russian capture and I saw the best Israeli K98 I have ever seen this past weekend. But in 3yrs of doing Texas gunshows I have not seen a correct bringback K98.

How is it where you guys are?

[dave]

They are all in collections, these are the "high end collector specials" you refer to, which is most any "correct bring back". There is one kicking around shows here for almost a year now, Sauer, 37, correct and matched, excellent condition. 1300 some bucks. No one will pay that around this area, on a internet auction it would go fast. I have 10 correct bring backs or more but I've had them since the 60's when 60 bucks was high. Vets then were selling them and trading up and there was little collector interest. They seldom come up for sale anymore altho Rock Island Auction house shows them regularly. Even the RC's are drying up!
I see many posts here about M1's, people saying 2000-3000 bucks for a correct HIC or H&R is not a bad price and most have probably been restored. Guys paying 4-5 hundred for an original WW11 M1 stock, crazy! But this too will pass!

[Michaelp]

Real originals are over $2000 now if you can find them.

RCs helped drive up prices.

There is always speculation about the large collections some old guys have hitting the market as they die, but it has not happened yet.

I recently found a closet CE 41 and G33/40. They are out there, but not common.
The fakers are at work as well.

[dave]

A German K98k is pretty darn hard, if not imposible to fake.You have serials on almost every part, altho these declined as the war progresed. Then there are the WaA inspectors numbers, that number stayed with an inspector during his inspector assignment and he was quite often transferred from one area to another (he inspected many factories, not just rifles). So a faker would need many stamps (I do not know these stamps are being made) and know which dates to use them on certain rifles, as rifles are dated. SS stamps are faked but if you know what they look like and how/when they were used you can spot them. But allot of bring backs were not matched and some strange things happened. m/m bolts are quite commen.
I once purchased a bring back from a 3rd Army vet I worked with. It was dirty and had been in his attic for years. When I took it apart (late war byf with laminate stock) it had a walnut duffle cut fore piece. He told me he and 3-4 others all cut and packed their rifles to ship to-gether. Shipped in cardboard tubes tank gun ammo was shipped in, he must have picked up the wrong forend!

[Guamsst]

As a Jap collector I guess they haven't had the enthusiasm for as long as the mausers have. Maybe that is why there is such disparity. But, I have picked up 4 Type99 Arisakas in one day from walkins at a gunshow. I just would think that one would surface once in a while other than Russian Captures or the infamous 100% certified super awesome best of the best refurbished Mitchells Mouser.

[Marcus]

But "Dishonest Don" Mitchell's own personal "Mitchell's Mausers Museum" curator, "Dr. von Scheissberg", personally certifies that each and every Mitchell's Mauser is 100% genuine, original, pristine, and untouched since manufactured at the secret SS/Gestapo Concentration Camp factory in WW2.

And if a world famous expert like Dr. von Scheissberg (I'm sure we all grew up reading his books) is willing to put his signature on a pretty little piece of paper that says these guns are real and Dirty Don Mitchell isn't just bending you over and robbing you, well you know it's gotta be true or the government wouldn't let him say it and the gun magazines wouldn't take his ads.

[John Sukey]

WW2 ENDED over 65 years ago. Many returning GI's were raising families and didn't have a lot of extra money for a commercial rifle, but there were lots of bring-backs around to make into sporters.

[dave]

Yeh John---remember Joe Van? he sportered everyone he got his hands on and that was more then a few!!

[Guamsst]

WW2 ENDED over 65 years ago. Many returning GI's were raising families and didn't have a lot of extra money for a commercial rifle, but there were lots of bring-backs around to make into sporters.

I haven't even been seeing sporters very often. I have honestly seen more nice G-43 rifles than K-98s of any condition in the last couple of years.

As to Mitchells Mousers, I have people show up at Ft Worth asking about values, or if I want their military guns and when they say Mitchells Mousers I honestly feel a bit sick. One poor guy had 3 guns he wanted to sell, an Enfield Jungle Carbine, an M1 carbine and a K98. I was really excited at first and wanted to work a deal on all 3. As we talked about them I just shook my head and said "I am SO SORRY but I am not interested and you don't want to know what I'd offer". He had a Sant Fe jungle carbine, a Universal M1 carbine and a Mitchells Mouser. I would take a Universal carbine for the right price but I don't even want the other two on my tables.

[John Sukey]

Yeh John---remember Joe Van? he sportered everyone he got his hands on and that was more then a few!!

Yes, I remember Joe, and he talked me out of a mint 1936 Oberndorf K98 which he (sporteyized). "Too soon ve gets old und too late ve gets schmart

[snipershot1944]

There are a few guys who specialize in K98k Mausers and other German WWII and WWI rifles. I started my collection in about 1970 when I was 14 and have just kept at it over the years. Generally, one or two come my way every year or two. I think I have about 50-60 matching pieces in the collection now.

My friend Scott Benedict (www.pre98.com) has a few on his website, but they are not cheap.

[dave]

Well I have that rifle, all he did was put it in a sporter stock and ground off the handguard overhang on rear sight. He gave me the stock and other metal. I later found the rifle in a gun store and bought just the barreled action. He never even asked if I would buy it, knowing I had the original parts. He used to give me many of the stocks and metal he took off his "sporters". S/42 1936 #1547t. I also have its younger brother, S/42 1936 #2636t !