Mitchell's Mausers

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Thompson9494

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I've heard some varying reports about Mitchell's Mausers and would like a few second opinions, whether they're good, bad or indifferent.

I wanted to know if a.) the rifle they have are legitimate and b.) if they are not, are they at least reasonably priced for a K-98 that WILL be a shooting range piece and not a collector.


I have another query and that's, if I do buy a very nice, very clean German K-98, would it be good for me to take it the range say 5 or 6 times a year? Because if can have a K-98 that can serve as a 'collector' and a shooting range gun, it may very well save me the 500 or 600 bucks I'd pay for a Premium grade Mauser from Mitchell's.


Thanks!
 
I have no idea about their current sales, but they used to push Yugo M48's off as WWII K-98's. They were more than happy to sell people $120 rifles for $400. Unless you know exactly what your getting, avoid them. They are a company that has EARNED their bad reputation.
 
From what I have seen, the Mitchells Mausers are mostly for the collector, and I see Very Few at the range.
But you can pick up a Good Surplus Mauser and shoot it all you want and probably save yourself a little money.
I do my own work on restoring them so I end up with really nice looking Mausers that I still shoot.
The ones that are in no shape to restore, like Bad Bores or having Previously Modified, I build into custom rifles or sporterize them for a field gun.
I don't know your skill level, but it is not that hard to do things like putting on an aftermarket Original Style stock if that is the look you want.
I have also built ones that were Original ,all except for I rebarreled them to a more common caliber like .308 with a Military style barrel.
But my thought is, How can a Mitchells Mauser be a Collectors Piece, if it is truely not Original, but Restored to Original.
 
They are know for such things as scrubbing Yugo Mausers and converting them to "collector" German Mausers. A brief web search will find plenty of reasons to not do business with them.
 
Michell's Mausers

The Company:
They have always been known for their dishonest marketing ... and, no, not hyperbole, outright lying. That is enough for many of us to never deal with them.

The Rifles:
They are, apparently, very pretty and shoot both safely & well. They have been heavily redone and, in some cases, re-marked/-stamped ... so that their historical value is as minimal as it can get. That is enough for many of us to never deal with them.

For the same money (or less) you can usually buy a nice commercial longgun.

That said, if you are looking for a pretty milsurp and are not bothered by either Mitchell's Mausers patently dishonest approach to advertising or their cavalier treatment of these historical rifles ... and you can find one for what you consider to be a good price ... buy it and enjoy it! :)
 
@ Zoom6Zoom
How can you Scrub a Yugo action and restamp it to a German Mauser.
The actions aren't even the same length, and can be spotted a mile away.
But I suspected that they were restamping certain Mausers, because,
They sure cornered the market on ALL the RARE models all at once.
 
How can you Scrub a Yugo action and restamp it to a German Mauser.
The actions aren't even the same length, and can be spotted a mile away.
But I suspected that they were restamping certain Mausers, because,
They sure cornered the market on ALL the RARE models all at once.
Click to expand...

Most of the folks buying from Mitchells likely can't tell the difference.
 
Most of the folks buying from Mitchells likely can't tell the difference.
Click to expand...

This. I had one of their stamped floorplate M48's years ago and it was listed on the box, papers and the "certificate of authenticity" (what a joke) that it was indeed an authentic, collectible WWII German K-98. I knew that when I purchased it so I was not hurt, but when M48's were selling for $99, this was listed at $399.
 
Ive handled one M 48 and it is really nice . I would love to have one as a shooter, forget about collector value. Life is too short to be stuck in this kind of mentality. Buy it if you have money and enjoy...
 
@ Nathan
Sence when does a M-48 have any real collector value unless it is Brand new and all original ? They are Shooters
Same with the 24/47's, but some of the early M-24's are sought after if in unmodified condition and good shape.
 
Thompson9494 said:
I've heard some varying reports about Mitchell's Mausers and would like a few second opinions, whether they're good, bad or indifferent.

I wanted to know if a.) the rifle they have are legitimate and b.) if they are not, are they at least reasonably priced for a K-98 that WILL be a shooting range piece and not a collector.


I have another query and that's, if I do buy a very nice, very clean German K-98, would it be good for me to take it the range say 5 or 6 times a year? Because if can have a K-98 that can serve as a 'collector' and a shooting range gun, it may very well save me the 500 or 600 bucks I'd pay for a Premium grade Mauser from Mitchell's.


Thanks!
Click to expand...
Get a good 8mm Turk Mauser, they are not 50 bucks each like a few years ago, but cheaper than others. Many are German GEW 98 rifles from WWI.

I have one of the K. Kale M38 long receiver 98s that were mfg. in Turkey and it is a tack driver.
 
Just say no to Mitchell's Mausers. I wouldn't do business with them under any circumstances.
 
The ads I've glanced at recently suggest that the Mauser they are selling is a K98, but it sure looks like a Yugo M48. Lot's of M48's for sale if you look for a lot less $. A piece of paper, unless it's real bring-back documentation, doesn't add any value to a rifle for me.

Yugo M48s are fun, a couple of different varieties and the stamped pieces are different. The book Serbian and Yugoslav Mauser Rifles by Branko Bogdanovic goes into a lot of detail about these Mauser variants.
 
The fact that they are refinished destroys any collector value, plus they use deceptive advertising. I agree with the others. Buy a milsurp for a lot less, and if you want it to be prettier, have it refinished by someone who knows what they are doing.
 
I have heard the bad stuff about them but I have seen two real German Mausers by Mitchell's at the range. A father and son bought 2. They clearly had been refurbished to a beautiful finish. They seemed to be very happy with them.
 
Mitchell's does do good work, and their rifles are Top Notch.
But they are not always worth what you are getting.
They are too overpriced for shooters, and even for some collectors piece that you think will be worth something more than the standard inflation rate.
I would say the Battle rifle Mill Surps I have in Re Armored condition will be worth just as much in a few years, as the Mitchell's, and I will have been shooting mine the whole time.
Historic Value in IN the gun.
You cant Put it ON the gun
 
^^ What they said.

I have eleven Mausers at this moment.

If I'd spent the same money through Mitchell's I'd have only three Mausers, and they'd actually be worth less than the mix of originals and Bubbas that are in my safes.
 
At least they didn't outright invent models and history like the Tanker Garand guys did :D

TCB
 
I would never give them a dime on principle alone. Nothing but a bunch of lies and deceptive marketing. Stay far away. Any collector value they claim they have isn't worth the piece of paper it's printed on.
 
Real collectors want nothing to do with them, like everyone else here just stay away.

If you want a deal in a 98k took to a RC (Russian capture) most still have the Nazi markings on them, with just a slash stamped on them somewhere. They do have history behind them you could shoot them no problems. To have a good shooter look at bore and nothing but bore. If you want a collectable rifle so much more goes into that.

Taking it to the range is not going to damage the rifle. 8mm is out there, so don't worry about that. The 98k is a very robust rifle that you could shoot weekly and not have to worry about. Some of the other rifles now there are issues....modern ammo in an Garand, shooting a G43....all have issues that the shooter needs to be aware of....but a 98k claw hammer reliable.
 
Mitchells has always played fast and loose with the truth. Those M48's were all advertised as manufactured in 1943 and saw action in WWII.
 
Thanks all

Okay, thanks to all of you!

Just saved myself a lot of dollars. Now comes to my next query, about how much could I expect to pay for a good to very good condition German K-98 or the Gewehr 98 from WWI?

Thanks!

- Thompson
 
@ Thompson9494
Well that all depends on the supply of them around your area, and what guys are buying them for.
I still see good German K-98's DOU or DUV manufactured for around $299.00 and BYF or S/42 for $499.00 ( Those two are actual Mauser Werke rifles )
they are almost all Russian captured rifles of recent import.
I suggest you do some research on where they were made and the Stamped Codes for the factories as well as the years produced.
Like S/42 is not 1942 it is the code for the Factory.
And the later years like past 1944 are not as well made and the same for rifles made under slave labor durring the war.

I would also stay away from the Gew98 made by Erfurt durring WW1 unless you know what you are looking for as they are large ring barrels on small ring 98 actions.
 
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