Third Party Press

1937 S/42 98K Matching SN's

the more I study & learn about the model 98 action, the more I realize how amazing the design is, & how much the brothers Mauser cared about the welfare of it’s customers. During the early/mid 1800s firearms were a mixed bag, very expensive in relative terms & not uncommon for them to injure & kill the operator. For the time, level of technology in design & manufacturing, it is a truly remarkable device.
one of the things I like to do with any new-to-me model 98 is to check those lobes for wear & tampering. Process control & testing in manufacturing were primitive compared to 20th century, some parts received dubious hardening, & will show wear at this critical location; & then come modern meddlers who thought they knew better. I’ve found some w/normal wear, others that had been put to a coarse grinding wheel to level the lobes.


vs



by having the comparatively long pull & ‘resetting feature’ if trigger was released w/out firing, the rifle is much less susceptible to slam fires, unintended discharge when running, fighting, during shelling, use as a club, regular wartime stuff.
 
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.
The trigger the K98K has is a two stage trigger, mainly a safety feature. One thing I've noticed with both my JP Sauer examples is the triggers are smoothest out of all the other K98K manufacturers I own, but it could be more related to wear over time smoothed out the triggers. I think the No.1 Mk3 was the first rifle to use a two stage as a standard setup.
 
If you aren't sure about what your doing best is just to leave it be. It's in its original state since it was shipped back. One wrong move you will hurt value. As it sits its worth a good chunk of $$ these 37 s/42's are the one case where the laminate is worth more than solid walnut even though the walnut is more appealing.
 
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.
Good point. At this point why push breaking something that's not replaceable
 
If you aren't sure about what your doing best is just to leave it be. It's in its original state since it was shipped back. One wrong move you will hurt value. As it sits its worth a good chunk of $$ these 37 s/42's are the one case where the laminate is worth more than solid walnut even though the walnut is more appealing.
I never would have thought that.
 
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.
I vote to repair the DC.
Repairing it doesn’t change or hide the fact it was DC’d, so what’s the harm?
CONGRATS on recognizing the need to compensate for the kerf!
I’ve seen posts of guys repairing WITHOUT realizing the need . . .then wondering WHY the band spring no longer fits!
 
I vote to repair the DC.
Repairing it doesn’t change or hide the fact it was DC’d, so what’s the harm?
CONGRATS on recognizing the need to compensate for the kerf!
I’ve seen posts of guys repairing WITHOUT realizing the need . . .then wondering WHY the band spring no longer fits!
It’s the toolmaker in me. I visualize the outcome and any issues before doing any work.
 
Awesome rifle. The beauty marks on the wood are incredibly minor. Glad no one thought to sand them out in the past! The stock acceptance is very nice laminate. Nice grade of finish too.
 
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.
I leave my duffle cut as it sits. So many guys are repairing their own, that soon no genuine dufflecuts will remain. I think they should be left as is, its part of the history. My whole duffle cut assembly slides together in one grouping, with an air gap under the barrel band spring just like how you have yours now.
 
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