My local shop just got some today. Took a look at one of the three crates they got. Certainly a mix.
On the plus sides, most of the metal is actually in fairly nice shape. No pitting, not dinged up. Most of the rifles still had their WaffenAmts intact and most actually did NOT have the RC 'X' mark on the receiver. I didn't see one that had what I would consider 'shot out.' Didn't see any that I would call anywhere near 'mint', but didn't see any that I think wouldn't shoot either. Some stocks were in quite decent shape, though yeah, some looked like Ivan had used them as hammers.
Another big plus was that they do come with original ammo pouches, which was a nice surprise.
The downsides, of course, the electropenciling. Thought I might win the lotto, per se, and find one that's even mostly matching, but no. Standard shellac on the stock, no capture screws, no sight hoods, no cleaning rods.... There was one in the crate that had a straight bolt handle, though it actually had WaffenAmts present? Not sure on that one. Also saw one that had the bolt from a G33/40! That made me cry. Cried even more when I saw that there wasn't a G33/40 in the crate to go with it....
A huge mix of arsenals and years, saw everything from a 1937 Sauer & Sohn to a 1944 byf. No really super rare years or makers, the most uncommon that I saw was a 194..... 3, I think, 'ar' marked one. Their price on them was $619, regardless of which one you took. Was joking with one of the guys there, reminiscing about the $389 RC 98ks they had a few years ago. The guy commented that this batch is costing them substantially more than what they were selling the last batch. More than I'd like to pay, but as has been mentioned, given that all-matching non-RC jobs are going for $1,500 + and even the RC's from the last batch going for $650 - 700, still a good deal, especially with the original ammo pouches being included.
At the end of the day, given the mix of quality, I would recommend buying locally and making sure you can handle and inspect them before you buy. Of the 15 rifles I looked at, at least half of them I would consider 'buyable' quality. The other half I didn't look at due to peened WaffenAmts, stock repairs, or generally other issues that made me put them aside, though all of them I would consider to be more than adequate as shooters.
On the plus sides, most of the metal is actually in fairly nice shape. No pitting, not dinged up. Most of the rifles still had their WaffenAmts intact and most actually did NOT have the RC 'X' mark on the receiver. I didn't see one that had what I would consider 'shot out.' Didn't see any that I would call anywhere near 'mint', but didn't see any that I think wouldn't shoot either. Some stocks were in quite decent shape, though yeah, some looked like Ivan had used them as hammers.
Another big plus was that they do come with original ammo pouches, which was a nice surprise.
The downsides, of course, the electropenciling. Thought I might win the lotto, per se, and find one that's even mostly matching, but no. Standard shellac on the stock, no capture screws, no sight hoods, no cleaning rods.... There was one in the crate that had a straight bolt handle, though it actually had WaffenAmts present? Not sure on that one. Also saw one that had the bolt from a G33/40! That made me cry. Cried even more when I saw that there wasn't a G33/40 in the crate to go with it....
A huge mix of arsenals and years, saw everything from a 1937 Sauer & Sohn to a 1944 byf. No really super rare years or makers, the most uncommon that I saw was a 194..... 3, I think, 'ar' marked one. Their price on them was $619, regardless of which one you took. Was joking with one of the guys there, reminiscing about the $389 RC 98ks they had a few years ago. The guy commented that this batch is costing them substantially more than what they were selling the last batch. More than I'd like to pay, but as has been mentioned, given that all-matching non-RC jobs are going for $1,500 + and even the RC's from the last batch going for $650 - 700, still a good deal, especially with the original ammo pouches being included.
At the end of the day, given the mix of quality, I would recommend buying locally and making sure you can handle and inspect them before you buy. Of the 15 rifles I looked at, at least half of them I would consider 'buyable' quality. The other half I didn't look at due to peened WaffenAmts, stock repairs, or generally other issues that made me put them aside, though all of them I would consider to be more than adequate as shooters.
