New K98 Barrels

[Cyrano4747]

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.

I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with this. It sounds like a fun project, but at the end of the day it will be worth the sum of its parts. A mixmaster is a mixmaster whether someone has taken the time to pull together all correct parts from the factory that made it, or if it's a totally randomized parts bin gun the Soviets put together. If you do anything to refinish it or remove the Soveit finish I'd actually rate it as worth less than an RC, but that's just my approach and not not everyone will share that.

Note that this isn't me crapping on RC's. I'm the first guy to get out front talking about how they're good guns, especially for people looking for a representative example or are putting their toes into the k98k hobby.