How to find a K98

To me, and many others, a Mitchells is pure kryptonite, and the company is comprised of huckster scumbags who outright lie in their ads....yeah, the ads look good, and lots of newbie get suckered by thier carnival barking, but their guns (to a collector) aren't even worth the sum of their parts.

You have to pound the pavement, look at places like here on the trader, and Gunboards on their trader, check local gunshows, etc...

I just lucked into one walking in the door at a show this weekend...straight up bolt mismatch dot 43 "p" block, straight out of the attic type gun, unmessed with...for $550, which is almsot RC price...so they are out there. Will post pics and info later this week, off to Chicago right now....
 
stcappelli said:
I agree, and I think most other users on here would too. I was really shocked and confused when I first started researching, because Mitchell's website/advertisement seemed really well put together and legit.

Despite the hate they usually get, I've found the MM K98ks shoot great, and look pretty good (minding the shined bolt/sanded stock). Just look at it this way, you have a nice shooter that can make a great deer-gun, range-toy, or just something to hold you over while you research your next K98k purchase.

Happy shooting!
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Sorry to hear you guys got burned by Mitchell's. After looking at their deceptive advertising, I was tempted to buy one, but the cheapskate in me made me hold off on that until I learned a thing or two about these rifles. Although you may get lucky at a gun show, I seldom see any there, at least in my part of the country. My local gun shops rarely get any in, and if they do, they have been sporterized. Your best bet is to get to know other collectors, do some networking, and buy from people you can trust. This is a great place to start acquiring knowledge about Model 98 rifles and you may even be able to buy one at a decent price from one of the members.

Bear in mind that pricing has gone up significantly and availability has dropped off quite a bit since Sandy Hook. For a decent, mismatched RC Model 98, peened and slathered in Soviet red varnish, you are probably going to end up spending at least $400.

BTW, if you like deer hunting rifles/range toys with shiny bolts and nice looking stocks, buy a post-war M48 series Yugo Mauser. I love mine and it's an excellent shooter. I replaced the original rear sight with a peep sight to make it easier on my aging eyes. If you look around, you can still get M48s in almost brand new condition for about half of what Mitchell's charges for their botch job German Model 98s.
 
Their out there guys you just have to look for them and luck has a little to do with it in my opinion. Heck I bought my all matching 660 1940 code K98K at auction two weekends ago for less then $300! And know body made any bids on this rifle and they beg people to open this at $100, will I did and I won it. The rifle was missing a few parts but the duffel bag cut was never fixed and it was a true GI bring back Mauser. The only sad thing to me is alot of these rifle are coming out of the wood work now and the greatest generation are passing on. The rifle I bought from that estate auction the owner was 94 years old and they said he's been collecting and been a gunsmith for 70 years.
 
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