1944 DOU Russian Capture - Good First K98k?

[seriouslynotatwork]

Hey guys, new to the forum and the K98k. I stumbled across what I believe is a Russian Capture at a local store and currently have it on hold to pick up tomorrow.

What are RC's going for these days? Anything I should be aware of when I go to pick it up? I'm hoping I didn't overlook anything.

Thanks for the help!

 

[Cyrano4747]

$600-800 ballpark, I bias a bit towards the lower end of that for common years/codes.

RCs are good learning rifles. They're not highly collectable in the way that an all matching etc. gun is, but they're a great way to get your feet wet without worrying about faked numbers etc and they hold their value well.

Also holy cow there's a lot of new posters in the last couple days asking about RCs. Something get linked elsewhere?

 

[moconfed]

Sight hood could be for a k43. Looks too tall to be for a k98k

 

[Cyrano4747]

Sight hood could be for a k43. Looks too tall to be for a k98k

Could also be a repro. Lots of those floating around on RCs, since it’s not like they came in with them.

Honestly my money would be on repro. Picture isn’t great but the curve of the bends on the bottom doesn’t look as crisp as you see on the real ones.

 

[BB308]

Looks solid . No rust and pitting good wood stock too. No one drilled holes in it thats great.

 

[moconfed]

Could also be a repro. Lots of those floating around on RCs, since it’s not like they came in with them.

Honestly my money would be on repro. Picture isn’t great but the curve of the bends on the bottom doesn’t look as crisp as you see on the real ones.

Goes without saying. Repop hood. Probably with a glaringly fake sling picked up on ebay by the previous owner.

 

[mrfarb]

Great looking RC if I say so.

 

[72usmc]

Here is a review of RC attributes : https://www.treasurebunker.com/foru...iew-commonly-found-on-the-us-market/#comments

Value if intact in WI is approximately $750. Some have been refinished and altered for re enacting- in my book less say $500.

Yours looks intact. However, it has an added reproduction rod and most likely lock screws. Classic (The original owners) sold rifles as select with very high quality reproduction cleaning rods that they had made for them. Not cheep chinese rods. Back in the day, Stewards military antiques sold tons or Norwegian K98 rods, slings, and stocks. Some added these. At a Wi show that specimen would be an easy $750. I have not seen an RC in a year for sale, some of us old timers got to die off first, then they come out of the wood work. That is about as good as you will get. Check the bore. Headspace is always like new on RCs with matching Russian electro penciled bolts. Original numbers are a mix.

NOTICE It is a plus if the import mark is on the barrel. That is an early import, later ones have a bill board or a dot matrix serial number imprinted on the receiver. I did not see the import mark, but I assume that is an early import example ---all the better. That appears to be a great example, read my old TB/SRF post that I linked to. Unfortunately in todays market, that $200 specimen is now well worth $750. I have seen some pay as high as $900-- totally nuts. Then consider RTI ( royal tiger imports) worn out garbage K98k rifles are priced at $999 and the barrel is a sewer pipe. Are the dirty birds pinged out?
Maybe that will provide some perspective

 

[yellowkid]

Like mike said. It looks just as it left Russia varnish and all. And yes not as “collectable”, but still it’s 750-800 for something that we were buying up for 99-129 all day. So not bad appreciation either. You’re on the way and you won’t lose any money.

 

[seriouslynotatwork]

This is really helpful, thanks for the info. I'll spend some time tonight going through those links.

NOTICE It is a plus if the import mark is on the barrel. That is an early import, later ones have a bill board or a dot matrix serial number imprinted on the receiver. I did not see the import mark, but I assume that is an early import example ---all the better.

The import marks are on the barrel and pretty unobtrusive. It's a little hard to make out but I believe it says "COLE DIST S VILLE KY" but that doesn't ring any bells.

Then consider RTI ( royal tiger imports) worn out garbage K98k rifles are priced at $999 and the barrel is a sewer pipe.

The bore looks in decent shape but I'm not an expert at judging. Probably needs cleaning and may have some pitting but I don't think it's too bad.

Are the dirty birds pinged out?

Still new to this so I'm not sure if "dirty birds" refer to the proof marks on the barrel and receiver with the swastika underneath or to the waffenamts? Either way, neither the proof marks or the waffenamts I saw were pinged out.

 

[krukster86]

Also holy cow there's a lot of new posters in the last couple days asking about RCs. Something get linked elsewhere?

I may be to blame. I tell folks looking for K98k’s to get off of Reddit and come to where the real experts are.

 

[OnlyMil]

I may be to blame. I tell folks looking for K98k’s to get off of Reddit and come to where the real experts are.

I see you over there on Reddit! I typically hide and not post or comment much. There can be some really funny posts there. Makes me feel highly educated and I'm certainly no expert on most stuff!

 

[krukster86]

That’s good. I try to only comment on Polish stuff and maybe some Imperial German stuff. Otherwise I just browse for entertainment.

 

[heavy_mech]

The import marks are on the barrel and pretty unobtrusive. It's a little hard to make out but I believe it says "COLE DIST S VILLE KY" but that doesn't ring any bells.

Gary Cole ran CDI out of Scottsville, Kentucky for a few decades? before his death. He imported some pretty neat stuff and I ended up getting quite a few pieces from them. Their stuff always was pretty nice IMHO.

 

[Cyrano4747]

I may be to blame. I tell folks looking for K98k’s to get off of Reddit and come to where the real experts are.

Lol you're doing god's work. Once in a blue moon I get a couple beers in me and brows around r/milsurps and inevitably close it down when I see some advice either bad enough it could damage the gun or, more rarely, bad enough it could hurt someone. Once upon a time I'd argue with it, but that got old fast.

 

[Cyrano4747]

Still new to this so I'm not sure if "dirty birds" refer to the proof marks on the barrel and receiver with the swastika underneath or to the waffenamts? Either way, neither the proof marks or the waffenamts I saw were pinged out.

Yeah, it's an old collector's term for the proof marks, like you said. Basically the eagles with the swastikas, and swastikas are bad hence eagle w/ swastika = dirty bird.

I don't care for it myself, but you'll run across it.

edit: also not being struck out is one of the big things with RCs. That was done pretty haphazardly and irregularly by the Soviets, (as opposed to, say, the Yugoslavians who were much more thorough - interestingly the Israelis were pretty good about defacing them but the defacing was a bit less thorough, a bit more like the bayo-strike 'mum defacement you see on T99s as opposed to the grinding wheel ones), so guns where they're intact tend to command more of a premium.

 

[Cyrano4747]

Gary Cole ran CDI out of Scottsville, Kentucky for a few decades? before his death. He imported some pretty neat stuff and I ended up getting quite a few pieces from them. Their stuff always was pretty nice IMHO.

Oh yeah, they're great. I've had a few guns with that mark as well, including my RC.

Super tastefully done import marks. I've seen better, but never on someone who was bringing in actual large shipments, always on higher end stuff imported by auction houses and individual collectors.

Here's the mark on my RC for people who haven't seen it, and while I'm at it the RC itself. 1939 Oberndorf. Easily the Mauser in my collection that I've shot the most, lots of time spent in quarries fifteen years ago. These days it lives with a red dot on a non-destructive mount for load testing.

Be careful with these guns OP. That RC K98k started me down a dark and degenerate path that's ended in a safe full of guns from Oberndorf specifically.

 

[Muncher 1953]

Import marks:
these vary widely, the basic requirement being only the importer’s company name & location, after 1968 GCA. HOW the mark was made, other than “permanently engraved” was not specified in the requiring regulation. the earliest marks I’ve seen are only caliber markings (most countries didn’t mark caliber on their military arms) and importers oriented towards the collecting community were pretty good about making the marks inconspicuous. Sometimes there was no name (pre-‘68) but an added sn was marked on the receiver or barrel, (wherever it wasn’t marked before). I have a 1909 Argentine engineer’s carbine marked on the right side of the rear receiver bridge in letters so tiny I couldn’t see them for the corrosion at the wood line, but found it one day: “Gibbs Martburg WVA”. I don’t know who marks w/the big ugly dot matrix, but they’re morons, other inexpensive, less obtrusive marking methods have been available for years. As rifles have become more an assembly of parts, increased focus has been put on marking receivers.(AR mentality)

interestingly, as discussed here on the forum, it is not illegal to remove the import mark after initial sale.

 

[72usmc]

BUY IT if at or under $750. Great barrel, nice stock, an intact RC with added cleaning rod and capture screws.

 

[heavy_mech]

Oh yeah, they're great. I've had a few guns with that mark as well, including my RC.

Super tastefully done import marks. I've seen better, but never on someone who was bringing in actual large shipments, always on higher end stuff imported by auction houses and individual collectors.

Here's the mark on my RC for people who haven't seen it, and while I'm at it the RC itself. 1939 Oberndorf. Easily the Mauser in my collection that I've shot the most, lots of time spent in quarries fifteen years ago. These days it lives with a red dot on a non-destructive mount for load testing.

Be careful with these guns OP. That RC K98k started me down a dark and degenerate path that's ended in a safe full of guns from Oberndorf specifically.

Interesting mine is also a CDI and an MO. I started calling them 'handsome RCs'. The shellac is pretty nice (not over sawdust or dirt) and they don't have that awful (IMHO) 'stove black' finish. Yours certainly appears to fit that bill.