Prestigious reproduction k98 stocks

[petersen43]

Hi all,
Wanted to share my experience with purchasing a Prestigious wood reproduction k98 stock from Canada.
After reading a thread here mentioning thier stocks I looked them up. I sent Jesse at Prestigious an email ahead of time with a specific request to eliminate the hole for the lug at the wrist and the superfluous hole for the bayonet lug.
Jesse responded to my request and I subsequently placed an order. About a month went by before the stock showed up and even before I unwrapped it I could tell it was very light in weight.
On initial inspection, the wood laminations were found to be far less dense than what you expect from ww2 Era stocks, with very noticable voids in the wood which would have had to be filled. Comparing it to an unaltered k98 stock I found the Prestigious stock to be a full 1/2" too short at the muzzle end when aligning the recoil lugs side by side. Additionally the step in the stock near the forend had a soft transition with the bolt dish & sling cut being extremely shallow. I emailed Jesse some comparison photos and he agreed to the return.
I returned the stock via USPS at the cost of about $50. Given they're based in Canada, it took nearly a month to arrive back at thier doorstep in part due to a two week delay in Canadian customs.
I received a refund for my original purchase price but wasn't refunded the $50 it ran me to return it. If you decide to give them a shot, expect to have a similar experience. While they may be on thier way to manufacturing a quality stock, they've still got a way to go.
If you need a quality stock and have the patience to wait a year, I recommend Fox-military repro stocks. Here are a few comparison photos of the Prestigious stock to an unaltered original.

 

[mauser99]

never have been able to find anyone on this continent that could make a good hand guard no less a k98k stock ! Lez is the way to go.. it sucks that he's so back logged and in Poland.

 

[mrfarb]

They used a Yugo modified ww2 98k stock (1/2 inch shortened for using m48 barrels) and not an original ww2 98k stock for a pattern. You should tell him that.

 

[Brunomauser44]

I asked jesse about his stock last week , i told him his stock template was a yugo modified stock . He told me he got rid of the extra lug hole and the second hole in the front lug area. But that he didn’t updated his website pictures . But with what you showed to us , at 665$ cad with taxes and ship for a reproduction stock , i was expecting wayyyy more than this . Seems like i will cancel it and wait for lez.

 

[petersen43]

They used a Yugo modified ww2 98k stock (1/2 inch shortened for using m48 barrels) and not an original ww2 98k stock for a pattern. You should tell him that.

I explained the distinction to him, including the different lengths of 98 actions, citing Yugo vs German comparison. I offered to send him an original German stock for reference but he never responded to the offer. He's having some personal issues at the moment, so I imagine that's affecting his attention to his work & correspondence.

 

[Sauer_Kraut]

Wow, $665? You can usually get an original stock with hardware for $450 up here.

 

[petersen43]

I paid about $350 USD shipped

 

[Brunomauser44]

Wow, $665? You can usually get an original stock with hardware for $450 up here.

I know … even original (norway or really german one ) from the usa with the conversion come around this price … i just checked back they are on sale come around 540-550$ now but still giving the OP pictures i wouldn’t pay that for that quality

 

[Brunomauser44]

I paid about $350 USD shipped

You saved canadian taxes

 

[petersen43]

Maybe, but I paid the equivalent in mailing it back to Canada

 

[Fal Grunt]

There are plenty of people in the US who can make a correct stock, they choose not to.

There are several problems here. First is the demand, second is the cost of business, third is the wood itself. Demand is the biggest problem. I started casually working on bringing a K98k stock to market. I've got well over $2k in work, phone calls, email, modeling, research, etc and I've only started to scratch the surface. With the low margin on aftermarket parts, if I sell a stock for $500, I might make $50-$75 profit to cover the expenses of research and development. I'd spit ball $10k+ to bring a stock to market that I would be happy with. Using the low of profit and the low of cost for easy numbers, I'd have to sell 200 stocks just to net zero. 200 stocks @ $500 could very well take 10 years to sell. A 10 year, $10k investment, to get a net zero return, never mind tying up the capital necessary to produce 200 stocks for 10 years, is not an appealing business proposition.

 

[Muncher 1953]

I asked jesse about his stock last week , i told him his stock template was a yugo modified stock . He told me he got rid of the extra lug hole and the second hole in the front lug area. But that he didn’t updated his website pictures . But with what you showed to us , at 665$ cad with taxes and ship for a reproduction stock , i was expecting wayyyy more than this . Seems like i will cancel it and wait for lez.

I too have sampled his wares, but didn’t want to pan him or his work. I paid about $300USD shipped. Agree about the weight, density & overall finish. I HADN’T checked the length, now I’m disappointed. It was going to be a winter project, I may still use it. I bought it because I’ve paid more for original stocks found on our trader, only to find them w/recoil lug setback, & I hoped to find something I didn’t have to ‘fix’.

I didn’t want to wait a year+, & deal with the uncertainty of Foks’ situation, but don’t think this was a better option. The owner is a cnc engineering type living in a small town trying to make $ making cnc stuff, & works primarily from existing samples. If it weren’t for the risk of loss/damage, I’d send him one of my new replacement Israeli stocks (solid beech, but w/finger grooves) as a template, but if his base material isn’t better, not sure there’s a point. Good enough guy, but definitely not a K98k expert or very familiar with their details.

 

[Brunomauser44]

True your 50$ back equal the same

I too have sampled his wares, but didn’t want to pan him or his work. I paid about $300USD shipped. Agree about the weight, density & overall finish. I HADN’T checked the length, now I’m disappointed. It was going to be a winter project, I may still use it. I bought it because I’ve paid more for original stocks found on our trader, only to find them w/recoil lug setback, & I hoped to find something I didn’t have to ‘fix’.

I didn’t want to wait a year+, & deal with the uncertainty of Foks’ situation, but don’t think this was a better option. The owner is a cnc engineering type living in a small town trying to make $ making cnc stuff, & works primarily from existing samples. If it weren’t for the risk of loss/damage, I’d send him one of my new replacement Israeli stocks (solid beech, but w/finger grooves) as a template, but if his base material isn’t better, not sure there’s a point. Good enough guy, but definitely not a K98k expert or very familiar with their details.

yes , i talked alot with jesse he had a grade B stock for sale on local website was 250$ cad with a flaw at buttstock (flat spot as the template was wobbly) . I was interested in a repro stock for a sniper clone project and that would have been a perfect stock for repro parts. He is a nice guy i talked alot to him about the flaw in its design . He said he fixed the 2 lug holes and the wrist lug . However i never thought about lenght issue ( not all yugo stock were shortened) but he hasn’t replied about the total invoice and shipping over a week . Now that i see that his stocks are not suited for general k98’s other than yugo shortened there is no point in buying one . The guy is trying but the knowledge isn’t there. He primarily sell Lee Enfield woods . I know fox is backed for 2 years now so i was trying to find a more local option.

 

[Muncher 1953]

True your 50$ back equal the same

yes , i talked alot with jesse he had a grade B stock for sale on local website was 250$ cad with a flaw at buttstock (flat spot as the template was wobbly) . I was interested in a repro stock for a sniper clone project and that would have been a perfect stock for repro parts. He is a nice guy i talked alot to him about the flaw in its design . He said he fixed the 2 lug holes and the wrist lug . However i never thought about lenght issue ( not all yugo stock were shortened) but he hasn’t replied about the total invoice and shipping over a week . Now that i see that his stocks are not suited for general k98’s other than yugo shortened there is no point in buying one . The guy is trying but the knowledge isn’t there. He primarily sell Lee Enfield woods . I know fox is backed for 2 years now so i was trying to find a more local option.

I thought the shoulder for the bayonet lug should have been cut cleaner, same w/shoulder for sling band, and the cut for the head & nut of the recoil lug on my stock AREN’T ROUND, but show irregular orbits of the milling cutter. I get that he may be using a CMM system to plot a stock with some wear/damage, but I won’t buy another, without hearing reports of improvement. The Minelli stocks aren’t perfect, but better than the one I received.

 

[Brunomauser44]

I thought the shoulder for the bayonet lug should have been cut cleaner, same w/shoulder for sling band, and the cut for the head & nut of the recoil lug on my stock AREN’T ROUND, but show irregular orbits of the milling cutter. I get that he may be using a CMM system to plot a stock with some wear/damage, but I won’t buy another, without hearing reports of improvement. The Minelli stocks aren’t perfect, but better than the one I received.

Im glad you told us what those stock feel. It was my #1 option for my project but ill wait to find an original or a Rc . He needs to tweak a bit . It would probably be ok for a shooter grade rifle , but again price isn’t the cheapest…