Restore question

[clm128]

Hi all, recently new to this world and been doing a lot of reading on the forum and recently just bought my first k98 (should arrive next week).

I came across a few post talking about restoring, talking about sporterized guns ect. It got me thinking if there was anything that could be done legitimately to restore quality in the weapon with out doing more harm than good?

Thanks

ps sorry if this is not the right place for this post

 

[k98dave]

Hi all, recently new to this world and been doing a lot of reading on the forum and recently just bought my first k98 (should arrive next week).

I came across a few post talking about restoring, talking about sporterized guns ect. It got me thinking if there was anything that could be done legitimately to restore quality in the weapon with out doing more harm than good?

Thanks

ps sorry if this is not the right place for this post

Guess it all depends on what your starting out with. You can restore to period and maker correct but that's about it.

 

[swjXE]

The best thing you can do is send us as many close up, high quality photos of every aspect of the gun that you can before you fool around with anything.

 

[Humbarger]

The best thing you can do is send us as many close up, high quality photos of every aspect of the gun that you can before you fool around with anything.

An ABSOLUTE ditto to that! There's many wrong things that once done the rifle in question is
pretty much screwed.

 

[clm128]

The best thing you can do is send us as many close up, high quality photos of every aspect of the gun that you can before you fool around with anything.

Understood. I have not actually received it yet and wasn't necessarily asking for the gun i purchased either. It was just a general question. I have a really bad tendency to over think things

I will for sure upload some pictures thoough id be curious to hear what you guys have to say.

Thanks

 

[agentcq]

People restore rifles all the time.
Sometimes it may be as simple as making a rifle period correct. Perfect example is adding proper full length wood and bands to a sporterized rifle.
It can get a lot more detailed such as maker correct parts and sometimes people are even lucky enough to find the matching parts that were separated from a rifle.

 

[Loewe]

As a man with considerable experience restoring rifles, or rather taking on rifles to that end and never achieving a happy result, or at least a satisfying one, I can say that very few rifles deserve the effort and fewer still will satisfy a man of discriminating tastes or standards. Really the only rifles that genuinely deserve the effort and expense are rare maker-dates, rifles with special characteristics that fill a troublesome hole in a specialists collection or one that has some sentimental value to the owner.

In any case it will be a personal decision and one where profit plays no role - you will lose money in almost all cases. Especially if time is a consideration. Some collectors are more suited to this path than others, one with resources, contacts and a great deal of patience will do better than with none of those qualities - I think the greatest problem is the quality of patience, I have none or very little and I tend get about halfway before quitting it and unloading the burden (almost always at a loss...)

Really, only the rarest of rifles in reasonable quality should be attempted, for it is truly better to overpay for the right rifle than taking a problem in the hopes of reforming it, - I guess it is like marriage, resolve to find the best person you can and accept any shortfalls you can deal with, - thinking you can reform the rifle or make it is something it can never be is a recipe for disappointment.

Hi all, recently new to this world and been doing a lot of reading on the forum and recently just bought my first k98 (should arrive next week).

I came across a few post talking about restoring, talking about sporterized guns ect. It got me thinking if there was anything that could be done legitimately to restore quality in the weapon with out doing more harm than good?

Thanks

ps sorry if this is not the right place for this post

 

[M1903A3]

Wiser words were never said!! No restoration job will ever really pay off, because typically people seek to restore a K98 that is for some reason already special or significant and the parts needed to make it “right” will either never come up for sale or if they do they’ll be exorbitantly expensive because of what THEY are. Some people DO restore sporterized guns, but many also keep sporters “as is”to represent one possible route for K98s to come down to us today, and some sporter conversions are really beautiful works of art.

It is kind of fun to try to hunt down the “right” parts but it isn’t anything that you’ll get a return on your investment with.

As a man with considerable experience restoring rifles, or rather taking on rifles to that end and never achieving a happy result, or at least a satisfying one, I can say that very few rifles deserve the effort and fewer still will satisfy a man of discriminating tastes or standards. Really the only rifles that genuinely deserve the effort and expense are rare maker-dates, rifles with special characteristics that fill a troublesome hole in a specialists collection or one that has some sentimental value to the owner.

In any case it will be a personal decision and one where profit plays no role - you will lose money in almost all cases. Especially if time is a consideration. Some collectors are more suited to this path than others, one with resources, contacts and a great deal of patience will do better than with none of those qualities - I think the greatest problem is the quality of patience, I have none or very little and I tend get about halfway before quitting it and unloading the burden (almost always at a loss...)

Really, only the rarest of rifles in reasonable quality should be attempted, for it is truly better to overpay for the right rifle than taking a problem in the hopes of reforming it, - I guess it is like marriage, resolve to find the best person you can and accept any shortfalls you can deal with, - thinking you can reform the rifle or make it is something it can never be is a recipe for disappointment.

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[clm128]

Thanks for the info I get what your saying.

I guess i was talking more about doing minor touch ups, like idk fixing the bluing if its in bad shape or the wood, not necessarily a complete overhaul but minor things that can be done to improve the sate of the gun but working with the parts you have already on the gun. Again this inst a specific question for the gun i bought and im not planning to do anything to it, i havent even seen it live yet, I just always thought this kind of thing hurts the collector value but i seen some post (dont remeber if it was here or another forum) about someone rebluing the barrel and buffing the scratches out of the wood and refinishing it to appear in a "brand new" state.

Im prtetty sure i got my answer though

 

[mto7464]

Thanks for the info I get what your saying.

I guess i was talking more about doing minor touch ups, like idk fixing the bluing if its in bad shape or the wood, not necessarily a complete overhaul but minor things that can be done to improve the sate of the gun but working with the parts you have already on the gun. Again this inst a specific question for the gun i bought and im not planning to do anything to it, i havent even seen it live yet, I just always thought this kind of thing hurts the collector value but i seen some post (dont remeber if it was here or another forum) about someone rebluing the barrel and buffing the scratches out of the wood and refinishing it to appear in a "brand new" state.

Im prtetty sure i got my answer though

Those types of fixes are the worst. New touch up the blue, never refinish wood. You are correct that destroys the collector value. You scared me with your first sentence.

I have restored one rifle. It is a vet bring back from my great uncle. He said the stock had been smashed so he bought a sporter stock. I looked for a long time to find the correct stock and was lucky to have some bands lying around. Its value comes from it being a family "heirloom" and will not be sold by me. I might do one more if I come across a unmessed with sporter since I have a couple of stocks that need a partner.

http://www.k98kforum.com/showthread.php?8171-bcd4-restoration

 

[swjXE]

Those types of fixes are the worst. New touch up the blue, never refinish wood. You are correct that destroys the collector value. You scared me with your first sentence.

I have restored one rifle. It is a vet bring back from my great uncle. He said the stock had been smashed so he bought a sporter stock. I looked for a long time to find the correct stock and was lucky to have some bands lying around. Its value comes from it being a family "heirloom" and will not be sold by me. I might do one more if I come across a unmessed with sporter since I have a couple of stocks that need a partner.

http://www.k98kforum.com/showthread.php?8171-bcd4-restoration

Wow mto,
Who wouldn't want to hunt down a stock for such a nice bcd4!
Great job!

 

[mto7464]

Wow mto,
Who wouldn't want to hunt down a stock for such a nice bcd4!
Great job!

It's too bad the bolt handle does not match though. Makes me wonder when those parts got mixed up.

 

[swjXE]

It's too bad the bolt handle does not match though. Makes me wonder when those parts got mixed up.

It's phosphate, so to me it's still a beautiful 98k. And of course the beauty of it is that since it's not absolutely perfect you could still take it out to the range and not worry too much about scratching it!

 

[WAZUP13579]

Usually if its anything more than changing parts its not worth it.

If it is
Drilled and tapped
Reblued
Sights removed
Barrel cut

Its not worth it financially. You will sink more money in parts than you will get in a final product.

 

[swjXE]

Usually if its anything more than changing parts its not worth it.

If it is
Drilled and tapped
Reblued
Sights removed
Barrel cut

Its not worth it financially. You will sink more money in parts than you will get in a final product.

Amen to that!

 

[mike radford]

It is typically a money pit and money loser. If you can not find an example, like a PE or PEM sniper then try a near hopeless wait for an original. I put pretty big money in a JPS LSR restoration, it was reblued and had matching bolt parts. It is a good shooter though it was costly.

US rifles and pistols are often "restored" and acceptable. Luckily I have all that I need and know what I have.

 

[swjXE]

It is typically a money pit and money loser. If you can not find an example, like a PE or PEM sniper then try a near hopeless wait for an original. I put pretty big money in a JPS LSR restoration, it was reblued and had matching bolt parts. It is a good shooter though it was costly.

US rifles and pistols are often "restored" and acceptable. Luckily I have all that I need and know what I have.

You hit the nail on the head Mike. It's alot less painful when the project turns out to be a good shooter!

 

[clm128]

You hit the nail on the head Mike. It's alot less painful when the project turns out to be a good shooter!

That would be the idea

Thanks for all the answers

 

[sprat]

Love these threads and the ones over at GB, amateurs restoring rifles?? why do I say amateurs, well professional restorers do not post questions

also when I read these, I think what is the purpose of these so called restorations. bring it back to life??? then sell it to Joe at work, who in turn sells it to fred and fred tries passing it off as a original. most of these have caveats that go "I m building/restoring this for me yah right

I see these post as con jobs because eventually someone is going to be conned

 

[M1903A3]

Love these threads and the ones over at GB, amateurs restoring rifles?? why do I say amateurs, well professional restorers do not post questions

also when I read these, I think what is the purpose of these so called restorations. bring it back to life??? then sell it to Joe at work, who in turn sells it to fred and fred tries passing it off as a original. most of these have caveats that go "I m building/restoring this for me yah right

I see these post as con jobs because eventually someone is going to be conned

I dunno, the original post seemed like a pretty innocent question. I don’t think he had any ill intent in asking that question, and he got some pretty straight answers about restorations in general. Kinda harsh to call his question evidence of an impending con-job. New guys have to learn a lot to get up to speed in this universe.


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