1937 S/42 98K Matching SN's

[Mauser35]

Hello All,
I've had what appears to be a numbers matching rifle handed down from my dad.. He acquired it from a congregation member who's brother had served in WW2. According to the congregation member the brothers unit was in a fire fight with some German soldiers and all the Germans were killed. The rifle was taken out of the dead soldiers hands, unfortunately "Duffle Cut" and shipped back to the US. Sounds like a good story but nothing to confirm it. The stock seems to be the roughest part of the rifle with a few larger gouges in the hand guard and just below that, as shown in the pictures. I bore scoped the rifling and it was in good shape, so I shot it. What's a gun for if you can't shoot it. They sure do have a ton of creep in these triggers. Any thoughts about the duffle cut, leave it like that for it's historical significance, or repair it? Any other comments would be welcomed about it's history or markings. By the way this site is a wealth of knowledge. Many thank you's for the participants that made this info possible!

 

[cj556]

This looks to be an early laminate example. As I recall 1937 was the first year of laminate stocks and these are scarce.

 

[Mauser35]

More pictures.

 

[Mauser35]

This looks to be an early laminate example. As I recall 1937 was the first year of laminate stocks and these are scarce.

That's what I have found in the little research I've done. The reddish figures are the colorant in the glue they used between the plies.

 

[Mauser35]

.....a few more pics!

 

[bruce98k]

You have a really nice original Mauser Oberndorf late 1937 with an early laminated stock.
Rig is totally original. While not mint, its in nice as found condition.

A very nice collectable K98k!

Also, the duffle cut does not detract from the value. That's my opinion.
As long as the cut is hidden behind the rear band, the rifle will retain its full value.

 

[M1903A3]

That is one nice rifle!!!

 

[Mauser35]

You have a really nice original Mauser Oberndorf late 1937 with an early laminated stock.
Rig is totally original. While not mint, its in nice as found condition.

A very nice collectable K98k!

Also, the duffle cut does not detract from the value. That's my opinion.
As long as the cut is hidden behind the rear band, the rifle will retain its full value.

I'm curious about the duffle cut. Would you repair it or just leave it like it is? It needs about a 1/16" spacer to fill the kerf or the spring won't fit in the groove just before the bayonet holder.

 

[bruce98k]

Its totally up to you.
I still have a few non-repaired duffle cut rifles in my collection.
Maybe one day I'll get to it but not a priority.

B/

 

[Mauser35]

Its totally up to you.
I still have a few non-repaired duffle cut rifles in my collection.
Maybe one day I'll get to it but not a priority.

B/

I think I'll just put a cleaning rod in and a sling cinched up to keep the recoil from moving it around when shooting it. Thanks for the input.

 

[Peter S]

I think I'll just put a cleaning rod in and a sling cinched up to keep the recoil from moving it around when shooting it. Thanks for the input.

That's not gonna work. Even with the sling and cleaning rod in place, there is nothing to keep the front piece from moving forward. If you need to shoot it, just leave the loose stuff at home.

 

[Zeppelin5000]

A lot of guys here will tell you not to shoot it being that it's a matching example. One broken part and it's value can diminish drastically. It's all up to you though. Many guys have mismatched shooters for shooting.

 

[Mauser35]

That's not gonna work. Even with the sling and cleaning rod in place, there is nothing to keep the front piece from moving forward. If you need to shoot it, just leave the loose stuff at home.

You are correct. I didn't think that one through.

 

[Mauser35]

A lot of guys here will tell you not to shoot it being that it's a matching example. One broken part and it's value can diminish drastically. It's all up to you though. Many guys have mismatched shooters for shooting.

I have shot 15 rounds through it so why push it. What would be a rough estimate of value for a rifle like this?

 

[Welder1]

I’m always in favor of leaving a duffle cut. It’s as original as it’s ever going to be as is. Once you repair it is that much further away from original. My humble opinion. That said, you certainly have a beautiful example.

 

[Mauser35]

I’m always in favor of leaving a duffle cut. It’s as original as it’s ever going to be as is. Once you repair it is that much further away from original. My humble opinion. That said, you certainly have a beautiful example.

Thanks, I value all of your expert options and will leave it as is. I like the history of it and it’s a conversation piece also.

 

[Muncher 1953]

the creeping trigger is by design, helps reduce accidental discharge. you can take up the slack & release it, without ‘half-cocking’ the action (which could lead to a ‘slam fire’) if you had the action out of the wood, you can see how the parts move against each other, it really quite clever. I’ve had some sporter rescues that were unsafe because someone modified the trigger lobes to reduce the ‘creep’.

 

[Jdt]

What a gorgeous example! I like it a lot! congrats on having it handed down to you.

 

[a j s]

Mine 8811 V [sold now] is one of the first matching laminates,i tryed to find the lowest known serial, unsuccessfully .Yours is 6000 earlyer,maybe yours
These early laminates would fetch a premium.

 

[Mauser35]

the creeping trigger is by design, helps reduce accidental discharge. you can take up the slack & release it, without ‘half-cocking’ the action (which could lead to a ‘slam fire’) if you had the action out of the wood, you can see how the parts move against each other, it really quite clever. I’ve had some sporter rescues that were unsafe because someone modified the trigger lobes to reduce the ‘creep’.

I had carefully taken the action out to check for markings. I saw how it rocks from one lobe on take up to the other for firing. The toolmaker in me makes me curious. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.