How'd I Do?

[Coronach]

So, I headed to the Funshow a while back, and came away with three rifles:

1. Russian capture Mauser K98. It was coated in cosmoline but with a bright bore and strong rifling. Ivan electropenciled every part, I think. The stock is laminate, and has the flat, early war buttplate. DOB 1943, with "bcd" on the receiver.

2. Mosin-Nagant 91/30. Nice wood, with what looks like a CCCP hammer and sickle cartouche still visible on the stock. Bright, clean bore. Numbers don't match. Hex receiver.

3. Mosin-Nagant M44. The gun looks brand new. Laminate stock. All numbers match. Bore is perfect. The guy had crates and crates of these, and all were in identical condition. It's obvious they were either arsenaled and stored, or just built and stored.

I wheeled and dealed with the guy and wandered off with all three for $375.

So? How'd I do?

Mike

 

[tubeshooter]

You did pretty daggone good, I'd say. Looks like Christmas came a little early.

 

[Soulrider]

Did the K98 have matching #'s?

 

[Coronach]

Before or after electropenciling?

It did not, alas. I'm not a Mauser expert, but I gather it is a mixmaster.

Mike

 

[Jeff White]

I wish I could fall into a 98K at that price...Ya did good.

Jeff

 

[Coronach]

I figured on the whole I did OK. I'm not sure where I 'saved' the most money, as it was not completely clear which rifle got priced at what, but I suppose it really does not matter. Original asking price for the K98 was, IIRC, $250.

The Mauser is not very pretty, at least not yet. I figure I can get it cleaned up and decide what I want to do with it. I'm tempted to pull of the stock and rear sight and put them in a safe place, and install a reproduction laminate stock with cupped buttplate and a Mojo sight. I figure that way I'll get the look I want (I love the light-colored wood and silver buttplate) and have some decent accuracy, and not make any permanent modifications to the gun. If I can get the original stock to clean up nice and light, I'll keep it on, but otherwise I'll pick up a replacement and preserve the original. I don't want to bubba it.

Once I get a better look at the metal, I might try to address Ivan's psychosis with the electropencil. Or, I may not. I don't know. Again, I don't want to be a Bubba.

Mike

 

[Bazooka Joe71]

Aren't we missing something Mike???


I believe their called pictures?

 

[Coronach]

I just took a few, but they're with my crappy camera phone and bad lighting. I'll see what I can do as far as uploading goes.

As to the K98-

I checked it again, while taking the pictures, and all of the electropencilled numbers match, as does the stamped number on the stock. The only stamped serial I could find (I'm at my in-laws, I can't really do a thorough cleaning) is on the receiver. I was under the impression that the Nazis stamped everything (bolt, receiver, safety, etc), so I'm not sure if it is still a mixmaster, or if I'm just not looking in the right place. The good news is that the nazi eagles did not get scrubbed- well, at least three on the receiver did not.

Mike

 

[270Win]

Yeah, pictures!

You did VERY well - I'm envious!

 

[El Tejon]

Cor, the Russian Mausers came in at $80 IIRC in '96 right before Clinton I got the VRA.

It is not the Nazis doing the marking but the NKVD. The Mausers were all battlefield pickups, reworked by the NKVD and sent to warehouses (the CCCP saved everything, and I mean everything, went to law school with a Refusnik who worked in the gun warehouses as part of the Labor Batts., interesting stories he had).

Be sure to get all headspaced, I've heard stories about the Russian battlefield pick up guns having problems there.

 

[Coronach]

Yeah, don't regale me with stories of the good ole days of gun buying.

And yeah, I'll be sure to check headspace and everything before I light one off. Good lookin' out, though. I'm not entirely positive that the bolt and other parts match this gun, despite what some slave laborer's electropencil says.

Mike

 

[El Tejon]

No, they don't match. They needed hard currency and gave us the shlock first. Can you imagine what would be here if there were no VRA. Heck, Clinton had them paid extra for dumping all those pistols over the side while they were in transit. Imagine buying Lugers at $100 a pop all day long.

The Russians saved what they could, re-worked the rest and then boxed them up. Imagine entire warehouses stacked to the ceiling with M98s, MP38 and 40s, MG34s, 42s; enough to make you cry.

 

[Coronach]

That matches with what I've heard others say.

When the Soviets overproduced something- box it up, put it in a warehouse. We might need it someday.

When the Soviets captured stuff- box it up, put it in a warehouse. We might need it someday.

This resulted in miles and miles of warehouses, filled floor to ceiling with crates of God-knows-what. I've heard that since the downfall of communism, the Russians often have no idea what they have and/or where it is.

"Vat is een here?"

"Don't know, Yuri. Let us see."

"Hmm. 2 dozen T-26 tanks."

"But vee are looking for Mausers."

"I know. Let us check the next varehouse."

 

[El Tejon]

Sergei told me about boxes "that a large man could hide in" full of pistols just thrown willy-nilly into the crates.:banghead:

It makes one weep.

 

[Coronach]

The saddest part is that if they could sell it, they could make a friggin mint. I mean, even of you figure in the fact that adding their numbers to the market will drive prices down somewhat, they'd still make a killing selling off the gear they have.

Mike

 

[Thin Black Line]

Yeah, don't regale me with stories of the good ole days of gun buying.

You mean like chinese SKSs for $79 retail

 

[Coronach]

SHADDUP!

Of course, in 5 years we'll be telling people that AIM surplus was selling M44s at $50 a piece and they'll look at us like we're lying.

Mike

 

[Coronach]

Here's the Mosin-Nagant 91/30

Edit: I see that the attachment handler is working about as well as a vodka-soaked laborer on the day following May Day.

Hrm.

 

[Coronach]

Mosin-Nagant 91/30

Let's try this again...

 

[Coronach]

Mosin-Nagant M44

Here's the M44

 

[Coronach]

Mauser K98 Russian Capture

Here's the Jerry that Ivan nicked.