Ballpark price on a German K98?

[Balrog]

I have a German K98 with "ax" and "41" on the receiver. It is stamped "Mod 98" on left side of receiver in a German looking font. Most parts seem to have same serial number, but a few of parts such as barrel band do not have same number. Wood and bluing are in good shape considering age of rifle. I believe it was imported into the US by InterOrdnance… Has I.O. Inc electropenciled into bottom of barrel.

Can anyone tell me who made this rifle, and its approximate value?

 

[PabloJ]

According to Gerhard Wirnsberger ax is unknown ordinance code from 1941 era Nazi occupied territory. I'm not sure what shooter grade 8x57JS military K98 might be worth.

 

[jrmiddleton425]

Made by ERMA GmbH, Erfurt, Germany.

http://home.scarlet.be/p.colmant/k98kmarkings.htm

 

[bannockburn]

The ax code was assigned to Erfuter Maschinenfabrik (ERMA), located in Erfurt, Thuringen, Germany. An estimated 95,000 K98 rifles were manufactured by ERMA, pretty much all were made in house with the use of few if any sub-contracted parts. One exception is a number of receivers that were made by Sauer (marked with a WaA37), and then assembled by ERMA. Production of K98s ended in 1941 as ERMA was also the manufacturer of the MP38/40 submachine gun and these were needed in greater numbers as the war progressed.

 

[Balrog]

Any ballpark on price?

 

[Garrobo]

One

hundred dollars

 

[Dr.Rob]

Since it has post war import marks it's not as desirable to a collector. Still worth $300 or so. But condition is everything.

 

[rondog]

Is a K98 the same as a K98k? I'd love to have a genuine WWII German Mauser with intact waffenampts, but I've never ran across one reasonably priced.

 

[GBExpat]

Any ballpark on price?

A current market price floor is probably around $300.

Check out what K98ks are being offered on http://www.gunbroker.com/ , keeping in mind that as a very general rule the prices only have credibility if someone is actually bidding.

 

[WardenWolf]

Looks like around $350 to $475 on average. With exceptional ones up to $700 or so. That's for a good-condition unmolested (except for import marks) Mauser.

 

[Jim K]

Yes, the K.98 and K.98k are the same thing, the K standing for "Karabiner" and the k for "kurz" or "short". The left side marking is "Mod. 98".

There were other Model 1898 carbines, but those were obsolete by WWII. To confuse things, some older rifles were converted to the new (1935) configuration in the German re-armament period, so sometimes what looks like a K.98k originated as a rifle ("Gewehr", marked "Gew. 98"). Markings on the older carbines were "Kar. 98" (looks like "Kax" on the guns) and "Karab. 98b".

Jim