New K98 Barrels

S

Sjaak91

Member
Hi guys,
What are your opinions on newly produced K98 barrels? I see them on the internet for 150-300 dollars at different websites.
Are these any good and accurate?
Sjaak
 
Well i think this forum mainly deals with the historical aspect of these mausers. A new barrel on a k98 would be a "bubba." If your rifle is already bubba'd and you just want one as a shooting/hunting rifle it would be okay, but a sin to put a new barrel on a good k98
 
This forum is mostly for collectors. There are quite a few guys that are also shooters on the forum. You will find that you will not get many responses when it comes to shooting or altering.

With that said, NEVER alter a collectors piece or limit your shooting to a collectors piece. Rebarrel a RC or a sporter? Absolutely. Have fun with it. These are great rifles to shoot but in the right examples.

As for the new barrels, yes they are good but really only are good for what something that you are going to shoot and not for collectibles. I matching K98 for a sewer pipe barrel is always going to be a collectible. If you rebarreled it, the collectibility is gone forever.

There are many K98s out there that would be prime candidates to rebarrel and shoot. Just please, stay away from collector pieces if that is what your plan is.
 
Thanks guys,
I fully understand what you mean. It would be interesting when I own a non-matching junk K98 and want to use it for shooting, not really collecting.
An all matching K98 is not something you should rebarrel.

Sjaak
 
They are certainly not cheap, but Lothar Walther I believe guarantees the accuracy of their barrels.
I have two friends that have purchased their barrels and have been pleased with them.
 
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I have a Lothar Walther barrel in the standard military contour on my RC. It's a great barrel. I dont recommend stainless barrels if you want to have it blued. You cannot blue stainless steel.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
 
If you want a good; shoot able kar98k that's at least representative of a historical example, then I'd try to find an orphaned receiver or a sporter for your project, because even a RC has some collectability if the barrel matches the receiver.

I know there's a tendency among collectors to dismiss RCs as having any collectable value at all, but thats only if you keep them as mixmasters as how they were put together by the Russians. Once I finish restoring my 1938 bSw # 1475 with all correct and original bSw parts, it should be worth more than a typical RC simply because of how rare bSw coded receivers are.

Also to mention that RCs are more likely to have seen combat than pristine matching examples.
 
daltrey99 said:
This forum is mostly for collectors. There are quite a few guys that are also shooters on the forum. You will find that you will not get many responses when it comes to shooting or altering.

With that said, NEVER alter a collectors piece or limit your shooting to a collectors piece. Rebarrel a RC or a sporter? Absolutely. Have fun with it. These are great rifles to shoot but in the right examples.

As for the new barrels, yes they are good but really only are good for what something that you are going to shoot and not for collectibles. I matching K98 for a sewer pipe barrel is always going to be a collectible. If you rebarreled it, the collectibility is gone forever.

There are many K98s out there that would be prime candidates to rebarrel and shoot. Just please, stay away from collector pieces if that is what your plan is.
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While I understand this from a USA perspective, in some countries, like here in the UK, you have to justify ownership by usage, so if you don't shoot it, you'll loose it, as the police can confiscate it as not meeting the conditions of having it on your licence. Many collectible and even some all matching K98k's have thus been butchered by de-activation as a result of having shot out drain pipe bores. Which is worse, a butchered and cut all matching K98 or a re-barreled and otherwise all matching K98k?
However, one K98k specialist gunsmith here in the UK has done a number of re-barrelled K98k's that have retained the original markings from the original barrel.....although I'm not sure how they do this. Its very expensive to do, and they have only done a few I believe, and if I ever manage to find out I'll post the info if anyone is interested.
Not every country has the luxury of the laws on firearms that you in the USA have.
 
GeeRam said:
While I understand this from a USA perspective, in some countries, like here in the UK, you have to justify ownership by usage, so if you don't shoot it, you'll loose it, as the police can confiscate it as not meeting the conditions of having it on your licence. Many collectible and even some all matching K98k's have thus been butchered by de-activation as a result of having shot out drain pipe bores. Which is worse, a butchered and cut all matching K98 or a re-barreled and otherwise all matching K98k?
However, one K98k specialist gunsmith here in the UK has done a number of re-barrelled K98k's that have retained the original markings from the original barrel.....although I'm not sure how they do this. Its very expensive to do, and they have only done a few I believe, and if I ever manage to find out I'll post the info if anyone is interested.
Not every country has the luxury of the laws on firearms that you in the USA have.
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Absolutely my friend and I feel your pain in Europe of not being able to enjoy firearms as we do in the USA. I was speaking more in terms of what is the normal here. It really pains me to see great examples of firearms in Europe that have been butchered by deactivation. It is great to see enthusiasts like yourself in Europe. If you ever come stateside, it would be a joy to shoot with you.
 
GeeRam said:
While I understand this from a USA perspective, in some countries, like here in the UK, you have to justify ownership by usage, so if you don't shoot it, you'll loose it, as the police can confiscate it as not meeting the conditions of having it on your licence. Many collectible and even some all matching K98k's have thus been butchered by de-activation as a result of having shot out drain pipe bores. Which is worse, a butchered and cut all matching K98 or a re-barreled and otherwise all matching K98k?
However, one K98k specialist gunsmith here in the UK has done a number of re-barrelled K98k's that have retained the original markings from the original barrel.....although I'm not sure how they do this. Its very expensive to do, and they have only done a few I believe, and if I ever manage to find out I'll post the info if anyone is interested.
Not every country has the luxury of the laws on firearms that you in the USA have.
Click to expand...

Well guess that shuts down the argument many have on this forum about shooting your "collectable" rifle.:googlie
So its shoot it or loose it in the UK...Just curious as to what's the requirement and how is it measured, so many trips to a range and/or rounds fired?
 
We have to go to the range 12 times a year.
But they just want to see the stamps in your booklet.
Nobody cares if you've fired 1 shot or 100 that session
(Or none if you forgot the keys of your trigger lock)
 
k98dave said:
Well guess that shuts down the argument many have on this forum about shooting your "collectable" rifle.:googlie
So its shoot it or loose it in the UK...Just curious as to what's the requirement and how is it measured, so many trips to a range and/or rounds fired?
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The criteria various across each Police authority in the UK, some are more strict than others, so where you live comes into play as well. As a general rule, the Police like to see each firearm you possess used at least 3 times per year. There's no requirement as to how many rounds though, so you could keep usage down to 15 rounds per year if you wanted (or even 3 rds!!) It used to be easy to have a theatrical licence which allowed you to own but not buy ammo or shoot, but this is seen for theatrical or battle re-enactment use (with blanks) only not for collectors so they have clamped down on that now, and you have to now show membership of a recognised theatrical or re-enactment group to have one of those licences, which many 'collectors' are not interested in, plus, owning more than 10 guns (even on a threatrical licence) means you have to upgraded security systems to cover your licence requirements, with Police monitored alarms systems and all sorts, so again, being just a non-shooting collector in the UK, is not very easy, which is which those that want to go that route collect de-activated guns, so not having the restrictions that a 'live' firearm requires. Hence the amount of nice K98's and other WW2 historic stuff being butchered as there's more money in it for dealers to make in the UK doing that.

I'm not as precious about my Kreigsmarine 243 1940 bolt m/m, and while I'm not going to shoot it out by putting hundreds and hundreds of rounds though it, I do enjoy putting 40-50 rounds a year though it, as it puts a smile on my face :biggrin1:
We've only got back to shooting here in UK in past couple of months because of range closure's etc due to Covid, and my club had a 600 yard shoot booked last weekend, so I took the K98 along as well as my Lee Enfield No.4T, just to put 10 rounds through the K98. With my old eyes and having to wear varifocal glasses, trying to shoot a K98 at 600yards with the original battle sights is frankly a waste of time really, so it was just for the usage and giving the old girl some exercise after sitting in the safe for nearly a year....
I only put 10 rounds through it, but I still managed to score only a few under what the micrometer sight heavy barrel target rifle guys were scoring, which pissed them off no end, when they looked down at my 80 year old standard battle rifle.
Vorsprung durch technik I told them :laugh:
 
swjXE said:
They are certainly not cheap, but Lothar Walther I believe guarantees the accuracy of their barrels.
I have two friends that have purchased their barrels and have been pleased with them.
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Was looking at doing one of those, there website is down. What's the price on their nicest barrel options for replacement? Thanks.
 
CobraKyle04 said:
Was looking at doing one of those, there website is down. What's the price on their nicest barrel options for replacement? Thanks.
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Assuming we're talking about the short chambered (7,92 Kurz) K98k replacement barrels with the steps, last I checked LW was was going through some import gymnastics and was finally told "No dice". And for some unknown reason, they aren't planning to manufacture that barrel at the Georgia facility.
 
R.W. Parker said:
Assuming we're talking about the short chambered (7,92 Kurz) K98k replacement barrels with the steps, last I checked LW was was going through some import gymnastics and was finally told "No dice". And for some unknown reason, they aren't planning to manufacture that barrel at the Georgia facility.
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This is just a k98, non short. It's a RC russian capture 1938 i inherited. I had a gunsmith look at it and the barrel is shot out of it. He was recommending doing a Green Mountain barrel. I just want a exact 8mm military profile barrel new that I can shoot and have confidence in. I don't care what it cost ha, in reason obviously. Any suggestions i appreciate, thanks.
 
CobraKyle04 said:
Was looking at doing one of those, there website is down. What's the price on their nicest barrel options for replacement? Thanks.
Click to expand...
I haven’t purchased a barrel from them directly, but IIRC a K98k replacement barrel was ~$287 2 years ago. I bought someone elses’ unfinished project, have shot it but not enough to give an honest endorsement, though I have no doubts about the barrel. (the ‘torqued’ receiver, some doubts)
 
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