Even after going to gun shows and local shops, I have honestly never come into contact with a Kar98k. I was interested in getting a rifle in the Nazi period, one that is actually capable of shooting (although I would maybe do it once or twice), but I wanted to know opinions on whether there is a factory that is generally perceived as good quality but low availability, or 2nd best but a ton produced (etc).
Kar98ks in Circulation
- Thread starter Manatee36
- Start date
I'm new, I have limited knowledge and I'm going to look at Karem and Steves books on things but I just wanted to get a baseline opinion on people who are knowledgeable on what is common or considered more geared towards something that is not the "rarest of the rare" and also shootable (of course there's a lot of variability almost 100 years later when it comes rifle to rifle).
Thanks in advance.
Thanks in advance.
Awesome, thanks a lot. Do you generally recommend Russian capture or something brought back from here? I'm honestly not looking at "greatest resale value", I like the idea of a shooter in decent condition more.
Manatee, I collect and I shoot, but I don’t shoot my collector pieces. My shooters are two byf 43 bolt mm K98ks, a walnut and a laminate. Russian capture is fine and has some collector value for what it is, a piece of Cold War history. Make sure your shooter has a mint bore. The closer to a mirror, the better. I shoot almost exclusively 8mm corrosive surplus and even a micro pitted bore takes far longer and is harder to clean. A mirror bore and proper jag is a Ballistol soaked patch or two, about 20 brush strokes, a couple Ballistol patches and a couple dry patches until they come out clean.
Thanks for the response, yea I definitely have no negative opinion on mismatched numbers as long as everything is functional. As long as it's not a clear fake I think these things are a really cool piece.
Good advice on the bolt mm. The most common parts to break in shooting, the firing pin and extractor, maybe even a safety, are numbered parts. So is a stock which can crack. That destroys collector value. Plus, I can’t enjoy myself at the range or in the field if I’m concerned about such things and dings and prangs.
I completely understand, and I would never want to risk destroying it by shooting it too often, I just wanted to maybe shoot a couple rounds just to get the feel, and maybe never shoot it again. I would take it to a gunsmith to look at the headspace and quality concerns before I did anything. Not to mention 8mm isn't readily available most places and with these guns being almost 100 years old, I've seen the difference in the ammo between now in then could potentially cause issues. But thanks for the heads up on the parts.
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