Gustloff (337 1940) sporter restoration worthy?

[1984Landcruiser]

I ran into someone today who had recently purchased a sporterized K98k code 337 1940 rifle. A brief look showed that the original stock had been replaced with a sporter stock (Bishop marked buttplate) and a Lyman 57 SME rear peep sight installed (tapped on the side just forward of the bolt). The rear sight assembly has been removed and no hardware was present except for the matching triggerguard and no matching floor plate/follower. The bore has good rifling, with noticeable frosting. We settled on a price and I bought it.

So do you think it has promise as a restoration project? I’ve got quite a few parts in my stash as I recently finished a duv 41 restoration (photo at end). I know it’ll never be original, but I would want to end up with a nice looking shooter at the very least.

I’d really like to hear tips on a budget conscious restoration, as I went a little overboard on the last one.

 

[1984Landcruiser]

Here it is

 

[Jdt]

That DUV 41 restoration is gorgeous!

 

[nirvana]

I would pass. Too much missing or damaged. D&T basically kills a rifle to me.

 

[Cyrano4747]

Agreed. You can fix a lot of screwed up things, but once metal has been cut or drilled there's no going back.

Once in a blue moon someone will come across something rare enough to be worth taking the effort to fix a drill and tap right. The example I always use is the polished, d/t'd, refinished, sporterized swjXE that I saw on some forum years ago. I think it might have been a member here. Either way, that gun was rare enough that it was worth the effort to fill the holes, gently bead blast the action, refinish it in a more appropriate park or phosphate, and put it in a proper late war stock. It was never going to be anything but a drastic restoration on a badly sportered gun, but those are rare enough that it was worth the effort.

A 1940 dated 337 isn't.

 

[Muncher 1953]

mostly i wouldn’t, but

maybe i have a weak spot for gustloff rifles, but i would fix it up, BECAUSE THE BOLT MATCHES, esp if i had a few spares to use while i was looking for better ones. a ‘40 337 code (110,000 made) isn’t as common as a ‘40 42 code (350,000), a dot/dou (252k), or ‘40 147 (230k) gustloff was still trying to find their arse with their hands early on, tho they grew to be #3 in overall numbers. even steyr made 118k+ rifles in 1940. so yes not rare, but less common. finding a correct rear sight sleeve & installing/having it installed would be pivotal, the rest is swapping parts. i don’t mind the set screws in the rear bridge holes as much as in the front ring, but i have a couple of those as well.

have you had it apart far enough to determine if the trigger/sear/cocking piece have been messed with? some guys grind/file/polished those critical sliding surfaces, it can cause slam fires & other issues. this would be my critical item on whether to ‘fix’ it or not, if those critical surfaces have been altered then i would change those out, if you have spares, easy, if not…..$$$.

 

[1984Landcruiser]

have you had it apart far enough to determine if the trigger/sear/cocking piece have been messed with?

Not yet, as a work trip got in the way this week. I'll break it down this weekend. And it looks like the rear peep sight only has two mounting screws installed on the side wall of the rear bridge, which can be mostly covered by an intact stock. I've got plenty of spare parts that will give it an armorer's repair look, so I'll probably go ahead and make it into a decent looking shooter.

 

[Loewe]

mostly i wouldn’t, but

maybe i have a weak spot for gustloff rifles, but i would fix it up, BECAUSE THE BOLT MATCHES, esp if i had a few spares to use while i was looking for better ones. a ‘40 337 code (110,000 made) isn’t as common as a ‘40 42 code (350,000), a dot/dou (252k), or ‘40 147 (230k) gustloff was still trying to find their arse with their hands early on, tho they grew to be #3 in overall numbers. even steyr made 118k+ rifles in 1940. so yes not rare, but less common. finding a correct rear sight sleeve & installing/having it installed would be pivotal, the rest is swapping parts. i don’t mind the set screws in the rear bridge holes as much as in the front ring, but i have a couple of those as well.

have you had it apart far enough to determine if the trigger/sear/cocking piece have been messed with? some guys grind/file/polished those critical sliding surfaces, it can cause slam fires & other issues. this would be my critical item on whether to ‘fix’ it or not, if those critical surfaces have been altered then i would change those out, if you have spares, easy, if not…..$$$.

There are worse projects for sure, though it rarely pays to undertake such (extensive) projects.... you will rarely break even on such adventures, but I like GW also, at least until 1940, after that they get less desirable.