ZF41 clone project

This thing is starting to look really, really legit! Awesome work Claven!

And yes, a good lesson on how well these high-value pieces can be convincingly faked.

This particular rifle looks so good that you should consider taking a page from Schuff's Parkerizing Service and stamp REPRO somewhere on the bottom flat of the receiver to short-circuit exactly the type of behavior people like us want to avoid. Perhaps somewhere in the stock as well... all out of sight, naturally, but something that will still ID the rifle for what it is.

As Desert-Fox points out, after you are gone, there is no guarantee of a continuum of honesty... and the rifle might well be foisted off as an original to some poor, unsuspecting sap.

That said, BRAVO ZULU on a fantastic build, and we are all looking forward to the finished product!
 
At present, I left post-war east german markings on the barrel underneath the wood line and I did not re-number the wood (except in pencil). I may also stamp something on the receiver when I get it back. Externally though, I think it will look pretty good.
 
Back from bluing! Yay! It's all together with a temporary rear action screw as my gunsmith seems ot have misplaced it - I'll call tomorrow to track it down.

The receiver, as I knew, is a good bit rougher than the rest of the gun, but still I like it and it reminds me of the rusted tomato stake I started with! ;)

Here are a few detail pics and overall shots. Sorry for the poor lighting and detail, I shot these well after dark in poor light.











Yes, I applied a fake firing proof the the barrel. Exact size and style as the one on the receiver, although not struck as deep due ot the type of die I had.





Top of the sight leaf in the white, as is proper.



Stamped band spring:



Oberndorf double-135 proofed trigger guard with no serial numbers... now that was a chore to find. Paid dearly for it too - yikes!



And overall:




I'm happy with the result. A very fun project that hopefully you guys learned a bit from! The bore is perfect, as-new, so I hope it will make a fine shooter.
 
Hmm... I didn't track hours of work. But I'd bet I spent almost as much time hunting down the right parts as I did actual labour! If I had to guess, I'd say 20 to 30 hours of actual "work", and close to that again in logistics.
 
Claven2 said:
I thought about faking that ink stamp just to show how it's done. It basically involves carving a stamp (Staedtler erasers work the best) and using thinned lacquer black paint. Doesn't have to be perfect, most originals are pretty smudged.

I wan't planning on doing the stamp because:

a) it's a lot of work to carve a fake ink stamp.
b) nobody would ever see it.

PS: that's a WaA497 buttplate made by J. Grossfuss. Later they started marking the outsides with the bpr code.
Click to expand...

You could if course do a fake, funny homage inkstamp; same basic pattern with the bird and all but with text in Fakendeutsch to the effect of "replikengehwehr fabriken mit der rustensparenpartzen by Claven2 2013"...
 
Coyote Ugly said:
Mitchell's Mausers is making repro zf41 K98's, although heavily humped.

http://www.mauser.org/german-zf-41-sniper-rifle/
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Huh, I didn't know Mitchell's made them up. I'll bet they pay no attention to making sure maker and period-correct parts go on the rifles. I wonder who makes their bases though (?).

They want a pretty penny for a mixed-mfrg RC with a heavily sanded stock and some refinishing and re-stamping. Gives me a value point for mine, I guess (?) Though I probably have more & into this build than it's really worth.

Prices include any shipping, etc. and parts marked free, I already had:
Repro scope - approx. $350
Repro mount - approx. $200
Repro base - approx. $250
Stock set with buttplate - approx. $250
Barelled receiver. free
Bolt and bolt parts (bought separately) - approx. $150
Trigger guard - $80
Floorplate - $100
Cleaning rod - $60
Bands - $50
Bans Spring - $35
Front sight assembly - free
Bayoney lug off a byf44 - free
Sights - free
Bolt Stop - free
Trigger - free
Gunsmithing (bluing and assistance with bbl install) - $100

What does that add up to? Call it $1625 or so. So more than Mitchell's wants for one.
 
I don't think the scope and mount is included in the Mitchell's Mausers price. An extra to buy.


K98-505 Original ZF41-ready German K98k Rifle, Collector Grade, with ZF41 Mount permanently built into barrel. (Scope and Mount Not Included).
$999.00


Model Number

Description

Price in USD



K98-505 Original ZF41-ready German K98k Rifle, Collector Grade, with ZF41 Mount permanently built into barrel. (Scope and Mount Not Included.)
$999.00

K98-505
+ K98S-### Original ZF41-ready German K98k Rifle, Collector-Select Grade, with ZF41 Mount permanently built into barrel.
$1,099.00


K98-507 Original ZF41-ready German K98k Rifle, Premium Grade, with ZF41 Mount permanently built into barrel.
$1,299.00

K98-507
+ K98S-### Original ZF41-ready German K98k Rifle, Premium-Select Grade, with ZF41 Mount permanently built into barrel.
$1,399.00


K98S-900 Special Factory Code and Year Code (Most codes are available)
Selection search charge.
$100.00
 
well that probably makes sense then. I doubt Mitchells can get scopes and mounts a whole lot cheaper than I can. I would not mind seeing their work up close to see how it compares to mine. Those buff-polished bolts HAVE to GO though.
 
collector67 said:
Awesome work! I'd love to see what the sight picture looks like...
Click to expand...

I finally got a decent pic to illustrate that. Hard to photograph when it comes to long eye relieve scopes. The ZF has the longest eye relief you can imagine - truly the grandpapy of all modern scout scopes.

Looking at the back of the rifle:



This is about how it looks when shouldered:



And here's the post and crosshair reticle:



Some other pics I had forgotten to take earlier.



Note the late war type unserialized bayo lug, with flats instead of a rounded edge (it's blued, but the flash makes it look another colour):





Obviously the pitting I left on the receiver came out somewhat mottles. I wanted to preserve the original rough machining though, a matter of personal taste.

 
I think leaving the receiver the way it was when you got it was the right choice. Cleaning it up would have ruined the late war machining and left the markings washed out. Looks good to me.

I like the pic of the zf 41 sight picture. That is going to be fun to shoot.

So when are you posting a range report?
 
Claven2 said:
When I get time to go to the range! ;)
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I hear you. I'm itching for an all Mauser day at the range. I head out to Silverdale whenever I can. I like it there. During the week is much better than the weekend as you're not competing for real estate. Though admittedly I only have 1 K98, 1 Yugo M48 wearing a modern ATI stock so I dont have to drill and tap it for a scope, and 2 Swedes, a CG M96 and a Huskie M38.
 
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