Info Request - Mauser 98k's

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German Rifleman

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Hi fellow Canucks I'm kind of new to the community so please forgive me for my noobish questions :oops: I've had and owned a few WWII-dated rifles in the past, sold some, kept some. Because they had been passed down from my grandfather and other senior relatives, I took them for granted :) It is recently that I am aware of their value and I am starting to have an interest in the history of WWII rifles, especially the Mausers. OK I think I'm getting carried away so I'll cut to the point :) Can you tell me, in the world of the KAR 98k's, which one(s) have the most value ? I am aware of such Mausers, please tell me from the list (or any that I missed) which one is of top quality (making, material, performance, etc.) in the Mausers ?

I used to own two German Mausers but I sold them when I moved... Kinda regretting it now :(

Swedish Mausers
German Mausers
Czech Mausers
Chinese Mausers
Yugo Mausers
Turkish Mausers

I know this is a wealth of info to ask from any individual, so a link to a website is also equally appreciated !! :)
 
I think a lot of the things you are asking are subjective and individual to each person. As far as monetary value, anything more rare is going to be generally more expensive, such as an all matching German K98 in excellent condition, a rare manufacturer's code or an early K98a.

Also, are you talking K98's only or Mausers in general? As far as I know, the Swedes did not make a K98. As far as workmanship, I think most would agree that the Swede Mausers are very well made. I personally love German K98's, particularily the late war ones where there were some 'shortcuts' made to crank them out faster.

I would check out some books on the K98 to get real indepth, start with Richard Law's books.
 
From those listed, in order of sale value for equal condition basinc infantry rifles, I'd rate them in this order:

1) German Nazi.
2) German Imperial
3) Yugo
4) Swede
5) Czech
6) Tied between Chinese or Turk, neither is what I'd call highly sought after by Mauser affectionadoes, bt no Mauser collection would be complete without examples of each ;)
 
yea.. as far as ww2 goes the nazi k98k's are more valuable, ALTHOUGH, many nazi k98k's saw service in russian, yugoslavia etc etc, and if k98k is post war marked etc, its not at all rare to see the overall value of the nazi k98k's be less than any of teh others listed.
 
rare 98s

About the rarest are snipers (any country) and SS issued rifles, see backbone of the Whermacht - Sweden used 98ks made in Germany bored out to 8X63 (ammo Marstar is selling) though these went to Israel, so are mostly converted to 308. Also, last ditch as mentioned above, some look like cutdowns because they were not full stocked. I have an SSzza4 marked rifle and it is the only one I have ever seen besides pictures. Still, lots of fakes (not really in Canada). Even the reissued non-matching rifles are going for $350 and up now. Originals on here usually go at least for $500. If you can find an early Chinese issued rifle with a Mauser logo banner on the receiver ring, these are nice as they are original German rifles of "b" grade sold to the Chinese. They usually have laminated stocks, and as they are from 1938ish, these have the earliest laminated stocks made, flat buttplate and 10 inch cleaning rod. Usually rough. If you luck out, you can get a cut down bubba'd rifle for about $100 and then buy a laminated stock set from Marstar for about $100 with all bands etc., then at least you will have a reasonable 98k that will always be worth more than it cost you to put together.
 
Matching German 98k!
Be careful with SS-Issue rifles. Very unfortunately there are lots of fakes, there.
I have 2 German 98k and I couldn't be more happy with them.
 
OMG thanks so much for the wealth of info guys !! :eek: Really educational to say the least :D

But guys the value of the Mausers (German, Yugo, Czech, etc.) is actually my second concern, what I really hope to know is which Mauser is the most durable of them all which one is produced with the best material (steel & wood) ?

The reason I ask is because of my history purchasing WWII Arisaka rifles; I never knew that later war productions, especially those made in the 44's and 45's were of such poor quality compare to the Arisaka's made in the 30's... I ended up collecting a few low-grade Type 38's that the more keen collectors refuse to touch, and I was made a joke... Haha... :(

Well I'm now going to start collecting Mausers and I'm hoping I won't be making the same mistake :) Thanks guys any info would help !
 
I think out of all of them, the Swede Mausers were made of the highest quality materials. As far as K98k's, I would say the pre-war German Mausers are the best as far as workmanship. I don't know if you would have the same problem with K98's as the Arisaka's. Lots of Mauser collectors prefer the later war stuff that is supposedly inferior quality.
 
Thank you Steve. A quick question: are the Swedish Masuers similar in appearance with the German Mausers ? If not can you tell me where they differ ?

Also guys, can you please help me, in terms of worksmanship and material, list the following Mausers from the best to the umm, not so best ? :) Mausers in random order:

Swedish Mausers
German Mausers
Czech Mausers
Chinese Mausers
Yugo Mausers
Turkish Mausers

Thanks so much !! :)
 
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