Duffle cuts don't bother me at all.
The truth is a lot of rifles were cut down AFTER they were surplussed back in the day. Usually in exactly the same manner as the one in the pics.
If that stock had been cut by a soldier, trying to hide it in a "duffel bag" The pieces would be done in a manner to keep them as short as possible.
I have a Boer stock from a 95 Mauser that Bubba got ahold of to sporterize. To bad, because it was one of the personalised rifles with quite elaborate engraving on the buttstock that showed it was a gift from one friend to a friend.
It was cut in the same manner described by Tiriaq.
It's worthless but makes for a great conversation piece.
Mismatched bolt, screams post war refurb, to me. Many of those rifles were surrendered without bolts or the bolts were thrown in one pile and the rifles in another.
I spoke with an armorer that supervised the surrender of several hundred German troops, from a column trying to get out of Russian occupied Germany, over to either the Brit or US sectors.
He told me that the weapons surrendered were anywhere from almost worn out to brand new in appearance.
They had empty crates for the bolts and a big helter skelter stack of rifles.
Handguns were thrown onto a pile as well, usually in their holsters.
Submachine guns etc had their magazines removed, usually loaded and the guns were also tossed onto big piles. Same for other gear, such as helmets and equipment harnesses/back packs and bayonets.
The mismatched bolt could have been replaced in the field, IMHO not likely, but it did happen.
In 1972 I went to Montreal with Alan Lever to International Firearms. At that time, a lot of firearms that were coming out of Europe came through Canada, before continuing onto the US. Something to do with approved exporters.
I remember seeing pallets of K98s, unsorted in every imaginable condition, 15 rifles per tier, stacked high enough to fit into a tractor trailer. Sea Cans weren't a big thing in those days.
They weren't wrapped for shipment but appeared to have been either covered while at sea or in holds.
Some were rusty but it was old rust.
Not one of them had a bolt
In the final days of the war, Axis soldiers abandoned their firearms wherever it was convenient or at surrender points, then continued their way to home.
Some of that equipment sat out in the elements for a couple of years, until one government or another decided to take on the task of picking them up, mostly just to get them out of sight.
IMHO, your rifle is a great historical example and shooter grade.
I've also known collectors, in Canada and the US that only sought out "duffle cut" or personalized weapons.
It is what it is. If you like it and the price seems reasonable to you, go for it.
