Got my first collectors gun. Mauser k98

[kennymo]

Looks like a Russian capture (the 'X' on the top of the receiver). The eagle on the barrel (with wings swept down) is pre-war acceptance mark. On the right side of the receiver you have a wartime acceptance stamp (wings spread out with swastika), the small eagles beside with #'s below are pre-war inspectors marks.

Being a Russian capture, the electro penciled #'s, miss-match numbers, painted/varnished wood, missing front sight guard, missing cleaning rod and I will guess two small screws on the trigger guard are absolutely correct for a Russian captured rifle. The Russians stripped them into bits and pieces, inspected and rebuilt them to go into long-term storage as an emergency/war stockpile.

The best thing (as a collector) to do is leave it just the way it is, as it tells a good story. Being an early number it may been there for the invasion of Russia and captured during the German retreat... Who knows what it's seen and done!

I'd have to agree with this. Though some would snub their nose at a Russian refurb, they are a very interesting rifle. Guaranteed you are holding a real piece of WWII combat history there, not some pristine piece that sat on the sidelines guarding the Fuhrer's latrine. That the Russians took the time to rebuild all these and stockpile them alongside the obsolete Mosin Nagant in case of dire times is just another interesting little bit of history. They could have just melted them down into SKS's. Or Ladas.