Is this a gun i should avoid shooting? Or go for it?

[TMos63]

Reading through a bunch of these threads recently and it started to get me thinking. I see people saying not to shoot some of the more rare or good condition guns, find a RC instead. As far as I know from the info i got from all of you, and please correct me if I’m wrong. A bnz 41 KM isn’t the most common gun, so I’m asking is this a rare gun that i should avoid shooting and maybe look for a RC that i can have my fun with?
P.S. the gun is all matching except for the bolt.

Thanks, Tyler.

 

[simpdfd]

K98

I personally don't shoot my all matching or bolt m/m. Once those parts break..that's it..To each his own though..

 

[mowzerluvr]

Have a gunsmith check the head space. Aside from that I'd not be afraid to shoot any K98 with no obvious defects.

 

[R.W. Parker]

Reading through a bunch of these threads recently and it started to get me thinking. I see people saying not to shoot some of the more rare or good condition guns, find a RC instead. As far as I know from the info i got from all of you, and please correct me if I’m wrong. A bnz 41 KM isn’t the most common gun, so I’m asking is this a rare gun that i should avoid shooting and maybe look for a RC that i can have my fun with?
P.S. the gun is all matching except for the bolt.

Thanks, Tyler.

If it was all matching, I'd say a '41 Steyr would be something you'd want to pamper. But this one I'd have no problem shooting, provided you used commercial sporting ammunition or lighter handloads.

Obviously you wouldn't want to pound a hundred rounds through it every time you took it out, because it's still an 80-year old barreled action in an 80-year old piece of wood. But in moderation, I would say that it's okay to shoot.

Richie

 

[Joseph Burke]

I’d check the headspace but other than that shoot on.

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[TMos63]

Thank you all for the comments. Headspace is something that will for sure be checked. My main concern was just deciding on if the gun should be babied and not fired. Ive seen alot of people say Steyr Kriegsmarine rifles arent the most common and I would hate to have something break or go wrong on it. A RC is something I am interested getting at some point anyways, wondering if its worth it to just wait to shoot that or fire away with this thing. thanks again

Tyler

 

[swjXE]

You can't really tell from the photos, but it looks like you might have kind of a nice stock and you'll ruin it if you don't make sure that there isn't recoil bolt setback. You'll hear this ad nauseam on the Forum but it's one of the most important things to know if you're going to shoot a collectable Mauser.

 

[TMos63]

You can't really tell from the photos, but it looks like you might have kind of a nice stock and you'll ruin it if you don't make sure that you don't have recoil bolt setback. You'll hear this ad nauseam on the Forum but it's one of the most important things to know if you're going to shoot a collectable Mauser.

Yeah I'm at work so I dont have the option to take better photos this second. Also dont want to continue to post the same set of photos of the gun everytime I make a post about it.

 

[TMos63]

You can't really tell from the photos, but it looks like you might have kind of a nice stock and you'll ruin it if you don't make sure that there isn't recoil bolt setback. You'll hear this ad nauseam on the Forum but it's one of the most important things to know if you're going to shoot a collectable Mauser.

These are a few that i have on my phone right now as we speak

 

[mto7464]

"head space" is misunderstood by most people. Yes, if headspace is really bad it can cause a problem by means of a case separation but this does not destroy the firearm. Head space is more a problem for the reloader. Enfields are notorious for headspace excess. This causes stretching of the case, but also allowed a dirty rifle to function better. The brass was never used again. So having excess headspace is not a dangerous thing unless it fails the field gauge. There are several gauges to check this. Most smiths with have a go and a no go gauge. Most will not have a field gauge. I have checked headspace on many military firearms and have yet to find one fail the field gauge even on non matching guns.

 

[k98dave]

Ah the never ending discussion. I have been shooting mine (matching and non) for oh something like 25+years and no doubt thousands of rounds over that time and have never had any broken parts what so ever. I don't shoot full power ammo as i am just punching holes paper or pinging a steel gong. Nor do I ever use mil surp corrosive ammo.

Recoil lug set back is mainly caused oil soaked or moisture damage wood and the only time I have seen that was on some RC's actually!

What interesting is that I have had failures in 1903a3 (extractor) M1 Garand (main spring) M1 carbine (gas piston nut split) and FN49 (broken old type one piece firing pin, a known issue)

 

[swjXE]

Ah the never ending discussion. I have been shooting mine (matching and non) for oh something like 25+years and no doubt thousands of rounds over that time and have never had any broken parts what so ever. I don't shoot full power ammo as i am just punching holes paper or pinging a steel gong. Nor do I ever use mil surp corrosive ammo.

Recoil lug set back is mainly caused oil soaked or moisture damage wood and the only time I have seen that was on some RC's actually!

What interesting is that I have had failures in 1903a3 (extractor) M1 Garand (main spring) M1 carbine (gas piston nut split) and FN49 (broken old type one piece firing pin, a known issue)

Wow Dave, You've lived a charmed life. I've seen it numerous times, most often on original late war laminated stocks that weren't even oil soaked.

 

[R.W. Parker]

Wow Dave, You've lived a charmed life. I've seen it numerous times, most often on original late war laminated stocks that weren't even oil soaked.

bnz41 John recently made a believer out of me on this. The laminated stock on my byf44 had ZERO issues with oil or moisture, but the recoil lug setback had increased over time to nearly 1/32 inch. I never even noticed until I posted a few photos of that rifle, and John keyed right in on the problem.

The recoil lug on that rifle always had a slight bit of setback but, thanks to John's keen eye, I pulled the metal out of the wood the following day and inspected the stock. Sure enough, when I gently tapped the lug forward there was an .030 gap between the lug and the wood.

It was simple to fix, but if I had continued to fire the rifle in that condition I might've seen one of the laminates open up in the wrist.

Richie

 

[mrfarb]

bnz41 John recently made a believer out of me on this. The laminated stock on my byf44 had ZERO issues with oil or moisture, but the recoil lug setback had increased over time to nearly 1/32 inch. I never even noticed until I posted a few photos of that rifle, and John keyed right in on the problem.

The recoil lug on that rifle always had a slight bit of setback but, thanks to John's keen eye, I pulled the metal out of the wood the following day and inspected the stock. Sure enough, when I gently tapped the lug forward there was an .030 gap between the lug and the wood.

It was simple to fix, but if I had continued to fire the rifle in that condition I might've seen one of the laminates open up in the wrist.

Richie

You’re lucky, usually it’s a quick motion to set the lug back and the crack the wrist when the tang hits the back of the stock. Your rifle must have had excess space at the tang, lucky for you. Like swjxe I’ve seen it on laminate stocks. Usually really dry minty looking ones along with the Oil soaked. Seems the longer it sits without firing the more brittle it is? Never tested such things, I just keep shooters as shooters.


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[R.W. Parker]

"head space" is misunderstood by most people.

Indeed.

<Yes, if headspace is really bad it can cause a problem by means of a case separation but this does not destroy the firearm>

Generally not, but it's by no means a pleasant experience! Thankfully the M98 action handles gas extremely well...

<Enfields are notorious for headspace excess. This causes stretching of the case, but also allowed a dirty rifle to function better>

I'm not an Enfield guy but, off the top of my head, I believe the problem with those isn't so much headspace as it is an oversize chamber to improve functioning under adverse conditions. Same thing with Jap T38s -- they'll headspace just fine on the gage, but the fired cases show a lot of "stretch" at the head. This would ordinarily be indicative of excess headspace, but the problem is that the o/s chamber isn't properly supporting the cartridge case.

<The brass was never used again>

Right! As a result, it was never a problem for the military. And it wasn't a problem for civilian shooters either, until a handloader full-length resized the brass. The cure, of course, is a neck sizing die. Since the body of the case isn't sized, it expands to chamber limits and eventually stops when it can expand no more. Metal fatigue at the case head, caused by expansion and resizing, is eliminated.

<So having excess headspace is not a dangerous thing unless it fails the field gauge. There are several gauges to check this>

A collector need only possess a "no-go" and "field" gage, for the chambering of interest. The "go" gage is primarily used when a barrel is being fitted to an action.

<I have checked headspace on many military firearms and have yet to find one fail the field gauge even on non matching guns>

That's been my experience as well. Perhaps the best (and most easily understood!) treatment of this topic can be found in Hatcher's Notebook. The chapter, oddly enough, is titled "Headspace".

When gage-inspecting headspace, the rifle's bolt should ALWAYS be stripped completely (extractor removed), the chamber and gage should be squeaky clean and dry, and the gage should be examined for imperfections. Use two fingers on the bolt handle, and "feel" the gage as you'd feel the spindle of a micrometer caliper. NEVER force a gage!

Richie

 

[Hans98k]

A few rounds shouldn't hurt it, if you really want to get it out of your system. If you decide you want a k98 as a regular shooter, a RC isn't a bad idea. Remember, you can NEVER have too many guns. That's just my 3 cents.

 

[tsmgguy]

This question is always coming up. There are only two schools of thought. I'm solidly in the "shoot it and enjoy it since you can't take it with you" camp. The only exception is a gun that's obviously never been fired, and I have a few, including one of the factory fresh Portuguese M1937As that came factory crated into the US in the early 1960s. I don't even handle that one.

I've never had a part break on a collectable firearm that is occasionally fired.

Whether or not you fired your collectable will be a very dim memory in about a billion years, and that time will inevitably come.

 

[DionBurke]

From what I’ve read, it sounds like your bnz 41 KM is a pretty cool find! If it’s mostly matching (even if the bolt isn’t), that definitely adds some collector value. Personally, I’d be hesitant to shoot something like that often, especially if it’s in great condition. It’s one of those things where you might kick yourself later if wear and tear affects its value. If it were me, I’d probably check out a more common RC to scratch that shooting itch without worrying as much about wear or damage. Plus, having a “fun gun” to go with your collector piece feels like the best of both worlds.

 

[whcoyote]

The most interesting thing I have found w/rt headspace is, on bolt-mismatched K98ks, I have never found one that failed either the GO or NO GO gage. Truthfully, I have not gaged hundreds, only a few but I had expected failures on all of them and found none. A tribute to the German QA system.

 

[Murkan Mike]

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It's like the similar question of "I have this beautiful, young, well endowed blond wife, should I have Sex with her or just watch her wash the dishes?"

Well, she might get a rug burn on the knee, or a splinter on her derrier from the kitchen table, so the best thing to do is to admire her while washing the dishes, but go next door afterwards, and have Sex with the old grayhaired, fat, ugly, nose-warted, farting neighbor lady, while she is cleaning the pig Stall.

The answer is simple. Shoot it. Often. Until you can master it.


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