My Dad restored this. The rear sight was micro-blasted to give it the non-reflective satin finish. The entire gun was hot-tank blued at the time of restoration. As many of the dents in the stock were steamed out and the ones that weren't fully fixed in this manner were filled with a mixture of the sanding dust and a special epoxy.Greetings and thanks for the pictures. I always like to start with the disclaimer that I'm not an expert, but yes, you appear to have a first year of production Gewehr 98. The numbers don't match and the stock has been heavily sanded, but otherwise it looks to be in pretty good shape. That little round disc on the right side of the butt stock is where a unit mark would have been stamped, but it doesn't appear that there was one. However, based on the amount of sanding that has been done to the stock, and the nice sharp edges of the disc and the stock cross bolt, it would appear that the person who did the sanding took it apart before he started working on it. The rear sight, known as the langvisier in German and sometimes called a "rollercoaster sight" in English, appears to be original which is good because many were replaced after the war, but it also appears that it might have been blackend or colored in some way. The receiver also appears that it might have been reblued or "touched up" by someone. But, once again, to have a first year Gewehr 98 survivor is great. I'm jealous! Thanks again for sharing.
This one is not for sale. He made me promise not to sell the German guns . I also have a WW-I carbine (with the muzzle cap) and a WW-II version of the carbine. Both refurbished by my Dad. Now the Japanese rifles he has no interest in and they are completely unrestored.Oberndorfs are one of the few Mauser mfgs. that did not vary much at all from their standards. I have m98's from WWI vintage through WWII and their measurements are all dead on regarding receiver measurements. I suspect that your original Oberndorf is no different.
From a collector standpoint, the refurb by your father probably reduced the market and price for someone wanting to buy it. From a personal standpoint, your father did a job that most refurbs by an arsenal would have done which should help keep the rifle in good shape for the years to come. Better yet, you have a family connection to the rifle because you know exactly who did the refurb.
Thanks for the pictures and sharing its story and treasure the rifle. You cannot literally buy another with that family provenance and that is where price and value differ.
This one is not for sale. He made me promise not to sell the German guns . I also have a WW-I carbine (with the muzzle cap) and a WW-II version of the carbine. Both refurbished by my Dad. Now the Japanese rifles he has no interest in and they are completely unrestored.