Mausers

Status
Not open for further replies.
TDH;

Not in my opinion. Search the used racks at the local gun emporiums. Check the newspaper classifieds, if you have a real newpaper & not a liberal rag. If your so-called print news source is a rag, try the local shopper type paper offering classified ads. Good grief, if its necessary, bond with the significant other & go garage sale hopping, no telling what you might find.

I think there's plenty of places to find a better deal on a used gun.

900F
 
#1. They are Yugo, not German.

#2. They are overpriced by about 100%

#3. They are kind of rough, dont expect perfect finish or fit.

#4. They have intermeate lenght actions, K98 bolts do not interchange.

#5. They are unissued, all numbers matching.


I can get the same gun at gunshows around here for ~$200.
 
Mitchell's Mausers is a company who uses deceptive marketing techniques to sell rifles at roughly 3x their correct price. They sell the Yugoslav M48 (an excellent, inexpensive bolt-action rifle) as a "M48 K98" saying that they were "made on the same machinery as the German K98." While this may or may not be true, the Yugoslav M48 is not, never was, nor will ever be a German rifle of any kind. It is different in many respects from the German K98 and virtually no parts will interchange. The M48 is an excellent rifle, but is not nearly worth Mitchell's asking price.
 
You can get a nice shooting mauser for less than a hundred dollars at a gun show. Collecting is one thing, but there is no reason to spend 400 bucks if you plan on plinking.
 
I think what the major problem is now, that Mitchell's has begun to advertise what could be an actual K-98, not the Yugo M-48 that they make seem a K-98. correct stocks for the gun, with the roundel in the butt and the proper hand guard ending ebefore the rear site. Now if these are M48's in K98 stocks i don't know but I'm wary with the stamping they proclaim

did certain factories actually take the time to stamp K-98's with "Death's Head" markings?

http://www.mauser.org/rifles/german_k98/index.htm
 
I can get a Russian rearsenaled K98 from them for $500 or I can pay $250 for the exact same thing from all the other places currently selling them. That's a tough choice. :rolleyes:

The Death's Head is the symbol of the SS. I can guarante you that you're not getting one for those kind of prices.
 
did certain factories actually take the time to stamp K-98's with "Death's Head" markings?
Click to expand...

Yes, the German's did this. The Death's Head was put on SS rifles. That is what it means. Not all SS rifles had the Death's Head, but all Death's Head rifles were SS rifles. Please notice the SS above the Death's Head.

I hope these aren't just cleaned up Russian captures, with the prices they're charging.
 
Rifles with ss markings are often fake. For the price making a stamp or having one made, you can increase the perceived value of a rifle by 1000% . Not accusign Mitchell's of doing that, but i wouldn't be the first time anyone's done it.
 
Those "SS" Mausers they're selling have been discussed at length over on the gunboards collectors forums. I haven't heard anything conclusive, but folks who know more about Mausers than me have picked through the Mitchells description and found some wiggle room that suggests they've been put together out of parts. Mitchells is totally untrustworthy, at any event. There are a dozen other importers who don't play those games.
 
These particular ones they are advertising now are actual 98Ks and not M48s that they usually try to pass off as German rifles. Mitchells cleans them up and overprices them as usual.
 
Big-5 had a nice sale on genuine K-98's a while back for $129. I almost bought one, but decided instead to spend the money on more ammo for the Mausers I've already got. The K-98 I nearly bought was pristine bore, great headspace, smooth action and a good walnut stock. *sigh* I guess I shoulda bought the thing.

So I'd say give the Mitchell a pass... you can beat their price by a BUNCH with a bit of patience. Good Luck!
 
I've lusted after one for a long time.

I DO like what I've seen of the M48. I like collecting milsurp rifles but I have NO INTEREST in ever owning anything with a swastika on it, well-made or not. I've no quarrel with anyone who does, it's just not for me. The M48 is shorter, and I like something more handy. And I like the other Yugo rifles I have, they just seem beefier in general, a quality I admire in a milsurp. I'm not a purist, but I'm a complete and total expert on the topic of what I personally find attractive. I don't buy to invest, don't buy to impress, and never plan to sell a gun. I buy mostly for pride of ownership and because I admire how a particular firearm works or is put together. I have a lot of specimens that are less than perfect, but I've tried to bring them back to "like new" condition as best I can. And yes, I expect them to shoot and shoot well, generally speaking.

So, I'm GLAD to see these Serbian rifles become available. I think it's unfair to say that Mitchell's is trying to pass them off as German rifles. Anyone who reads the page on their website will see a big disclaimer that takes up a whole paragraph in length telling exactly where these guns were made, by whom, and when. In Yugoslavia, by the Yugoslavians, after WWII. No big mystery. They were supposed to be for use in WWIII, which never happened, so most of them just sat in storage for a few decades. When I spoke with Mike at Mitchells, he used the word "Serbian" exclusively when talking about the M48's. I'm not seeing any attmept at anything underhanded, on the contrary, very above-board and upfront.

True, if I wanted "just any old Mauser" to plink with or use as a truck gun, I'd probably be satisfied with a chipped and dinged stock and half the bluing gone. Those are easy to get for a $100-150 bucks, give or take and there's definitely a market for them. Not saying there aren't some fine shooters in that lot, but it would also take quite an investment of time and effort on my part to make it something I could proudly display. Some of the people who have Mausers in which they are disappointed in have probably gotten Mitchell's lower end Mausers. When I called this morning to inquire, the first thing Mike said was to caution me that the lower end Mausers were not pristine. In better shape than most milsurps, yes - but not perfection. The "Premium" Mausers, he advised, are very nearly perfect - as in, almost right off the assembly line perfect, at about $100 more. (of course they've been handled in storage over those few decades, but never issued and carried). I'm as skeptical as the next person, but if someone told me I could have a nearly pristine Mauser for $400, then that's something I just gotta see. Will it pan out? Will I be disappointed? That remains to be seen.

Sorry if this seems like a commercial. I'm not affiliated with Mitchell's in any way, FWIW. If the rifle arrives and I am disappointed in it's quality, I will moan about it loudly here. If it's a beauty, I will post pics. If it arrives and is everything that is claimed, I will consider it a bargain. I've seen pics of some other satisfied customers, and if I get what they got, I'll be a happy camper. Guess I'll know in about a week, because I placed an order for a Premium Mauser M48 from them this morning. I'll let you know how it turns out.
 
Last edited:
I bought a K-31 last year, because they were "different" and I was intrigued by the straight pull action, plus they are alleged to be tack drivers. They went on sale at Big 5 and I just couldn't see not having one at that price (I think $79). Well I visited Big 5, no wait, I visited EVERY Big 5 in my area, within an hour drive. They were all a pretty rough bunch, but I finally went home with the best of the lot (out of visiting 6 stores and inspecting every one they had). There was bluing wear. There were scratches. There were dings and dents in the wood. The finish was almost entirely missing off the buttstock. There was RUST in crevices. And this was the one they had that was BEST in over all condition. It took me months of painstaking effort to refinish the stock, and carefully and lovingly touch up all the bluing. If I were going to charge HALF my hourly rate and add the cost of my time to the cost of this gun, it would be worth over $800 easily. Of course I have the satisfaction of having done it myself (bragging rights). It's a good looker now, but STILL OBVIOUSLY A USED RIFLE even after all that TLC. So it's easily the most expensive "cheap gun" I own. Not to mention what it costs to feed it.

So if I can get a milsurp that easily outshines my K-31 right out of the box at $400, am I not supposed to see that as a good deal? As I said in the previous post, I guess I'll know in a week or so. Keep you posted.
 
Last edited:
Bruss, I have a Serbian 24/47 Mauser. It does not have "half the bluing gone", it is arsenal-new. Bore is pristine. It cost $119 at Fleet Farm.

The only thing that Mitchell's rifles have that mine does not would be a nice stock finish. You are perfectly within your rights to believe it is worth the $280, though.
 
WH -

I'm very happy for you that you've got a Mauser you're happy with. Would love to see pics, showing the good, bad, and ugly sides (if any) and I'll do the same. Did you pick it out live and in person, or luck-of-the-draw over the net?

I've been keeping an eye out for a 100% blue, unissued Mauser for well over 2 years now, and I have just been seeing the prices go up and up. Every time I think I spot a good deal and call the place, "Nope, sorry, fresh out... yeah I know, we gotta update our web page, sorry..." Same thing with Egyptian Mausers (M48BO). Can't be had for love nor money... at least not with my luck and timing.

Finally got ahead of the bills a little and I'm figuring, WTH, let's get this over with and get what you really wanted anyway...

And yes, a nice new-ish stock is kinda important to the overall quality and appearance, and that is worth something to me. I won't know how much until it gets here... we'll see.
 
bruss, allow me to help you out a bit:

http://www.impactguns.com/store/SAMM9829D.html
(Persian Mauser)

http://www.empirearms.com/
(in rifles, Brazilian 08, Romanian contract VZ-24's, various K-98k's, etc)

http://www.aimsurplus.com/acatalog/Yugoslavian_VZ24_47_8mm_Mauser_Package.html
(24-47's for a C note)

http://www.aimsurplus.com/acatalog/Yugoslavian_Model_M48_48A_8mm_Mauser_Rifles.html
(M-48's for a C note)

What you pay for with Mitchells is a neat white box, some rough cleaning of the cosmoline, and lots of shiny ads.
 
Cosmo,

Thanks for the links. I'm most interested in the M48, and the page at Aim surplus says their rifles are "Shooter Grade", "Very-good overall Condition" and "Please do not expect the bore to be in new condition."

For $100, yer get what yer pays for. :)

I've been down this road once before. I wanted a new, unissued Yugo SKS, and everybody I checked was out, didn't expect any more. So I settled for "Excellent". That rifle took a lot of work to get it clean and looking decent. Of course once I had done all that work, miraculously someone came up with more unissued stock. Sigh. I don't want to "settle" for less than what I want this time. If it only costs me money, rather than regrets, I can live with that.

If an "Excellent" rifle takes a lot of work to get it looking decent, I shudder to think what "Very Good" would be like. Probably similar to the K-31 I got from Big 5 (previous post). *shudder* Oh, a decent collectable with potential no doubt, but I'm not really ready to go thru that beautification process again this year.

I've gotten guns before that were advertised in "Excellent" condition that were very obviously used firearms with notable wear and tear. Admittedly they still shoot (and some shoot quite well, no doubt) but I'm wanting more than that. And willing to pay for it. If I could buy a brand new direct from Zavasta rolled-off-the-assembly-line-the-day-before-yesterday M48, I would do that. But I can't. And if I could, odds are it would cost a heck of a lot more than $400. So I'll settle for "next-to-new", "military new" and "unissued", hopefully that will be what arrives. We'll see. Will it be "worth" 4 times as much as the one at Aim Surplus? Maybe not, but it's not being bought for investment, so that's irrelevant. Do I want it four times as much? If it arrives as advertised, that would be a big YES.

If you want a shooter grade issued rifle, you can get one for $100, yes. If you want next-to-new unissued, naturally thats going to cost more. My Dad always said if you didn't get what you wanted, it wasn't a bargain no matter how little you paid for it. I'm expecting more than a white box with a "very good, shooter grade" rifle in it, and I'll be very surprised and disappointed if that's what arrives. We'll see...
 
I've seen hundreds of M-48's in mint condition and owned about half a dozen over the years. I'm not sure why you haven't been able to find any, but you certainly don't need to get defrauded by Mitchells to find one. Just keep your eyes open. If you want to collect, you need to start by educating yourself about what makes a rifle collectible. A nice box and a cleaned stock don't do it. Indeed cleaning the stock often decreases value.
 
M48s used to sell for around $160 for 'unissued' versions. At that same time Mitchell's was selling the same rifle in the same condition for $400.
I've seen Mitchell's M48s at local Dunham's stores that are priced $200-400 (of course Dunham's marks everything way up:rolleyes: ) that are in rougher condition than $100 M48s I bought 5 years ago.:barf:
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

M
  • Locked
Mausers
Replies
5
Views
519
mugsie
M
W
  • Locked
Mitchell's Mausers
Replies
21
Views
3K
Okiecruffler
O
T
  • Locked
Mauser K98k shooter.
Replies
23
Views
1K
nathan
N
C
  • Locked
Anyone Dealt with Mitchell's Mausers?
Replies
18
Views
1K
dmftoy1
D
N
  • Locked
Anyone Here Own/Shot/Handled A Mitchell's Mausers "Black Lightning" Rifle?
Replies
13
Views
3K
Art Eatman
A
Back
Top