QVE 45 K43 a buddy picked up this weekend.
- Thread starter Joe7170
- Start date
Super gun...milled housing..un-messed with stock and Zf marked on stock...put a nice a mag in it.
Just a bit of followup on this rifle. We ran 10 rounds of modern 8mm through it without a hitch. Bore has cleaned to pristine. I want to find a tall sight hood for it but now I hear from time to time these came without sight hoods? Any comments? Needless to say the proper scope for it would be really nice to have if anybody knows where to find one for a decent price. Also everyone says the K98 sling would be right for it too is this true?
If nothing else this rifle has taught me to be sure and treat people with respect at shows when they say Grandpa brought home this old rifle could I bring it in for you to look at? We told him sure at the previous show and told him there would be no charge and could show it to anybody as long as he still showed it to us before doing anything. I mentioned to him I more than likely would not have the type of money he should get for the gun and yes I did try and get him to keep it in the family and not sell it. He came back to us at the time he was getting ready to sell it and leave and gave me a price I just could not refuse, even took my personal check cause I was always there and treated him nice when he asked questions. All in all I was very lucky and got what I think is a good honest rifle that works and hasn't been messed with. Thanks for the comments and input! Bill alias zeebill
PS would sandblasting and repainting the mag be acceptable ?
jack944
Senior Member
Mags are easy to get. I wouldn't mess with an original. Put it in a pouch where no one sees it for display. Sight hoods are tough to find. I have one left that I keep in reserve if I find a nice rifle without one.
Honestly...that is collector condition. I wouldn't be putting modern ammo through it. You can lose a couple of grand pretty easily if it breaks...
robber3
Member
I agree with Jack, and I wouldn’t fire any ammo through it. Doing so you are risking the possibility of ruining a Collector Grade Rifle not to mention what you loose if it breaks !
Congrats on a very nice Rifle !
Thank You Sir! I just shot the last ammo it will ever see in my hands through it. I have shot just about everything I own at least once to sort of check fire with original set up when I get the rifle. My SVT 38 has been shot, my RV27 gets shot regularly, as is the case with most of my Finnish and Russian rifles I own. I have no use for the so-called shooter kits available these days as I know a couple of people who bought rifles out of auction of large collections with no teardown allowed and got rifle without original parts not knowing the internals had been switched out for these kits. One collector buddy watched unknowingly as the original parts were auctioned before the rifle was and decided to not bid on the lot thinking he needed no spares for a rifle he did not plan to shoot. It was heart breaking for him. Myself I almost missed the original holster and a numbered matching mag for a Nazi marked pistol I had bought previous to that lot because the auction company separated them to make more money. I have SS pistons and kits for all the SVT's I own but none stay installed in the rifles for that reason and no none of the kits are for sale either.
For some reason when I read this forum sometimes pages are skipped or I can't get to them and that is the reason I still asked about the sight hood and sling after you already answered the questions about it. I apologize for it seeming that I ignored your answers in a slight of your knowledge as I hadn't seen your posted answer yet. The second or third time through I suddenly was seeing all the posted answers. Maybe I am doing something wrong I don't know but thanks for all the input! Now to try and find a proper sniper scope and mount and accoutrements for the rifle. All help is appreciated there by the way. When I raced years ago I always said I would rather be lucky than good and I find that carries over to gun collecting too. Over the years I have been awful lucky and I have had a lot of pleasure finding the right things. I thank God for good friends and finds quite a lot these days. Bill
Super cool. Since it was likely or perhaps a sniper, I would just leave the marred barrel. Not the first time nor the last I have seen pipe wrench marks on G/K43 barrel.
The VZ58 also uses a pressed barrel. I wonder if the thought was the rifle was only designed to last only as long as the barrel - disposable? Yes, Apfeltor does press barrels. I had a buddy do one for me, he always laughs and says it really isn't as hard as people think, but then again he has worked with lots of firearms. He says the most important this is a good aluminium jig so you don't bend the receiver. He said changing the barrel is about on par with changing out m1 carbine barrels, but then again...lots of people are scared of doing that and also end up bending receivers.
I also had to check all my mounts to see if I had the matching one...no game.
The VZ58 also uses a pressed barrel. I wonder if the thought was the rifle was only designed to last only as long as the barrel - disposable? Yes, Apfeltor does press barrels. I had a buddy do one for me, he always laughs and says it really isn't as hard as people think, but then again he has worked with lots of firearms. He says the most important this is a good aluminium jig so you don't bend the receiver. He said changing the barrel is about on par with changing out m1 carbine barrels, but then again...lots of people are scared of doing that and also end up bending receivers.
I also had to check all my mounts to see if I had the matching one...no game.
I just don't understand why folks feel they have to shoot these collectibles
What would you do when something breaks or cracks? A nice original rifles then becomes a parts piece with minimal value.
Find something non collectible to shoot!
I was reading your reply and a question popped into my mind. I have never heard anyone ever say anything about destroying a rifle by shooting it as it was designed to be shot. I mean it had the usual safety check and look over for cracks or such so why not do a limited shot trial to make sure it does what it is supposed to do?
Thanks to the poster for checking your mounts to see if you had a match! I never thought to ask anyone. Rifle is hiding safely in one of my safes awaiting a safer bugless setting to come out and be enjoyed again. No not shot just handled and enjoyed for what it is. I have very few German rifles in my collection but they all seem to shoot well and are very durable from my experience with them. I have a pristine Yugo M48 that I consider one of the best shooters I have ever worked the bolt on and a RC that really is in nice shape too. My one K98 is a bring back that a friend's brother a Capt. returned to the states hidden in his unchecked whole baggage. Things like that happened back then I am told. Born in 1944 so I don't have any first hand recollections but family members related things from their childhood to me when I was young. One Uncle was on Okinawa but he never talked about any of his experiences. If the subject was brought up he always left the room. When I was a teenager my Grandfather told me he was really troubled for many years by what he went through and the Army told the family to never bring it up so they never did. Bill
Yes, when they were made, they were made to be fired. That was then and not a collectible but a battle rifle and no thought of being a collectible. Today they are collectible. The problem comes when an original part breaks or cracks and once that happens, the value is gone. Shooting with modern ammo does not help it in that area.
But, in the in, your rifle and free to do as you please. This is my opinion only.
But, in the in, your rifle and free to do as you please. This is my opinion only.
It is tough...90%+ of my collection is un-fired by me. However, I have another friend and every rifle goes to the range within a week of purchase and if it doesn't meet the accuracy cut, the rifle is on the chopping block and sold/flipped. I never questioned firing old guns either but when I fired my first G43 and broke a matching locking lug on the first shot, I realised why many collectors recommend not shooting any of the G series rifles or G/K43's. They are uncommon to rare and quite expensive. The same goes for collectors optics, is it worth the risk of damaging that original optic just to have shot it? Doing a cost/benefit analysis is recommended for sure and you can always minimise risk with spring kits, shooters kits, proper maintenance and a ammo selection. However, I wouldn't think twice about firing a K98, M1 Garand or Enfield, but they are more 'meaty' rifles.
I think the long story short is think twice before pulling trigger and if it you still want to shoot your rifle go ahead with it. Some people only store collector cars/planes/bikes etc. and others use them. Sometimes things go wrong both WWII Bombers (German and B17) I got to admire first hand are now gone, they were both flown to air shows which allowed people the chance to see them but they have both since crashed and are now lost to history.
I think the long story short is think twice before pulling trigger and if it you still want to shoot your rifle go ahead with it. Some people only store collector cars/planes/bikes etc. and others use them. Sometimes things go wrong both WWII Bombers (German and B17) I got to admire first hand are now gone, they were both flown to air shows which allowed people the chance to see them but they have both since crashed and are now lost to history.
I have flown in many WW2 planes and indeed 2 of them have ceased to exist but I sure hope that doesn't mean that other people won't get the chance to fly in similar planes some time in the future. Shooting a rifle is a very personal choice and indeed I don't shoot them all but they all get cleaned and checked like I was going to shoot them at the very least. I know many collectors I buy from that I would not touch one of their rifles unless I get a teardown and look through. Why because they don't do anything other than wipe a gun down with an oily rag and put it in the safe. If that rifle has bogus parts, is corroded all to hell under the Woodline, or is totally unsafe as far as parts on the rifle they would have no idea of it. I have bought rifles from very well known collectors and people who know more about the rifle in question than I ever will and found gas systems that had to be totally replaced and were frozen and unworkable. Usually they are the same people who tout how easy the rifles were to clean and reassemble and take care of! That tells me they have no idea how to care for a rifle in the first place and they go on my teardown required list or I just won't buy anything from them. Its comical almost because many of them are leaders of this hobby and very well respected too. It's like all of life you live and you learn sometimes the hard way. Many long time collectors have bogus rifles in their collections because when they got them (many long years ago) all the internet information we now have was not out there. They are not being dishonest they are just not up to speed on things of today like many of you young'un's are these days. I know I am very limited in modern computer knowledge and electronic devices and often seek my buddy Joe to enlighten me as to what people are talking about. I digress and the old mind wanders off the subject. Shooting a rifle is a very personal thing and varies as it should from collector to collector. To each our own. Thanks so much for the information people have added to this post it really has been helpful. Bill
Bigdibbs88
"Ach du lieber!"
I’ve had a k43 go kaboom. Not fun.
What failed? do you know? Mine is back in the safe and will like as not stay there till I find and appropriate scope and mount. Bill
Just want to resurrect this old thread to report I have taken possession of this beautiful qve 45. My buddy zeebill sadly has been moved into assisted living, and he gave this rifle too me since I helped him purchase it those few years ago this was posted. Hopefully I'll have many more years with Bill, and eventually his collection will go to good homes, but this rifle will be mine, and as long as I breath here it will be mine.
As a side note I never asked, oiginally but does anyone know about when the C block of qve 45 rifles were built?
As a side note I never asked, oiginally but does anyone know about when the C block of qve 45 rifles were built?
Joseph Burke
Senior Member
"As a side note I never asked, originally but does anyone know about when the C block of qve 45 rifles were built?"
Roughly March 1945.
Roughly March 1945.
Joseph Burke
Senior Member
I'm glad this thread was resurrected. I had missed it earlier. That QVE45 c block has all the cool features. What a gem of a rifle.
So question all, I'm not sure how I missed this year's ago when we picked this rifle up, but I think the dust cover is missing a tab at the end that enables it to slide with the bolt cover back forward?
Are these milled dust covers available? Are their originals or repros?
Are these milled dust covers available? Are their originals or repros?
