So I got this K98 home today, at first glance when I bought it it seemed just fine, but on second inspection, now that I have it in hand, I'm surprised at just how mean bubba was to this poor rifle.
I'd noticed that it was wearing an improper yugo looking handguard. The kind that extends behind the rear sight. That didn't both me as it's easy to fix... untill I realized why the replacement handguard was in place.
Bubba actually shortened the barrel AND the stock a couple of inches, although went to some pains to retain the same look, to turn this poor K98 into a "tanker" version. I could only tell once I set it next to my East German refur
Oh well, all collector value is completely shot because of this... but lets see what else bubba did to her.
For start, he soldered on a new, non-original front sight assembly when he hacked the barrel down:
Another thing, that I'd never have noticed until I took the previous picture is visible in the next one... see if you catch it:
I guess when the bloody idiot cut the stock down to suit the shorter barrel, he wanted the bands still in place.... but the fool inletted the wrong side of the stock for the band spring! Not only that but he substituted some wierd rear band that is held closed by a screw. Is it a Swede part or something?
Another unexplicable alteration bubba made is visible at the butt end of the stock. Apparently bubba liked using the rifle as a golf club, or as a billy bat for killing fish or something, because he decided to screw a steel shroud over the cheek side.... I'm literally speechless. What practical reason could anyone have for wasting their time in such a way?:
Finally, or at least the final bubba feature I'm aware of is this. Apparently bubba liked the style of his No.4 Enfield and decided to mimmick it by hollowing out the bolt kno
Oh well, it's not a total loss.... Obviously as a collectors piece this rifle is shot straight to hell... but I have big plans. I was going to bubba a RC mauser to make a deticated moose rig, but my RC is too pretty to chop and I'm not really comprotable with bubbaing even something as commonplace as an RC, so I've decided to make this monstrocity into my moose rifle. The hardwood stock looks a lot nicer and cleaner now that I've sanded it a bit, and my dad has a bit of wodworking gear so I'm going to chop it just at the barrel band and sand a schnoeble(sp?) tip into it. And as I type the action is in the shop being drilled for some Weaver mounts I picked up last week. Since I've scrapped the barrel bands now that the stock has been shortened I'm going to have to find a way to fill in the German sling hole in the stock... shouldn't be much trouble though, and it should turn into quite a devestating moose slayer. I'll update the thread with pics of the improved rifle once it's returned from the smith and I put my scope on it.
What do you guys think? Im just dumbfounded, it always amazes me how stupid bubba can be. Ever see such an odd bubba?
PS: I've found out it was made in a Czech factory, based on the manufacturing stamp, "dot 1942" anything else you can tell me?
I'd noticed that it was wearing an improper yugo looking handguard. The kind that extends behind the rear sight. That didn't both me as it's easy to fix... untill I realized why the replacement handguard was in place.
Bubba actually shortened the barrel AND the stock a couple of inches, although went to some pains to retain the same look, to turn this poor K98 into a "tanker" version. I could only tell once I set it next to my East German refur
Oh well, all collector value is completely shot because of this... but lets see what else bubba did to her.
For start, he soldered on a new, non-original front sight assembly when he hacked the barrel down:
Another thing, that I'd never have noticed until I took the previous picture is visible in the next one... see if you catch it:
I guess when the bloody idiot cut the stock down to suit the shorter barrel, he wanted the bands still in place.... but the fool inletted the wrong side of the stock for the band spring! Not only that but he substituted some wierd rear band that is held closed by a screw. Is it a Swede part or something?
Another unexplicable alteration bubba made is visible at the butt end of the stock. Apparently bubba liked using the rifle as a golf club, or as a billy bat for killing fish or something, because he decided to screw a steel shroud over the cheek side.... I'm literally speechless. What practical reason could anyone have for wasting their time in such a way?:
Finally, or at least the final bubba feature I'm aware of is this. Apparently bubba liked the style of his No.4 Enfield and decided to mimmick it by hollowing out the bolt kno
Oh well, it's not a total loss.... Obviously as a collectors piece this rifle is shot straight to hell... but I have big plans. I was going to bubba a RC mauser to make a deticated moose rig, but my RC is too pretty to chop and I'm not really comprotable with bubbaing even something as commonplace as an RC, so I've decided to make this monstrocity into my moose rifle. The hardwood stock looks a lot nicer and cleaner now that I've sanded it a bit, and my dad has a bit of wodworking gear so I'm going to chop it just at the barrel band and sand a schnoeble(sp?) tip into it. And as I type the action is in the shop being drilled for some Weaver mounts I picked up last week. Since I've scrapped the barrel bands now that the stock has been shortened I'm going to have to find a way to fill in the German sling hole in the stock... shouldn't be much trouble though, and it should turn into quite a devestating moose slayer. I'll update the thread with pics of the improved rifle once it's returned from the smith and I put my scope on it.
What do you guys think? Im just dumbfounded, it always amazes me how stupid bubba can be. Ever see such an odd bubba?
PS: I've found out it was made in a Czech factory, based on the manufacturing stamp, "dot 1942" anything else you can tell me?
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