Is there a new RC K98k import?
- Thread starter Claven2
- Start date
I thought about the 660 too, but I was looking for a cupped buttplate rifle with a receiver correct for a cupped buttplate issue period. I know, they are mixmaster RC's, but for some reason I still look for stock pattern to match the date of manufacture of the barrelled action (?).
Kinda like apples and oranges. Price-wise, not even in the same league.
You really need a good RC.
Agreed, but If I can buy the originals now, I should, may not be able to someday.
I agree, a flat butt on a 41 or later rifle just doesnt sit well.
Yes, well, not everyone is exactly "rushing out" to buy a $1500+ rifle in the states that becomes a $2000+ rifle by the time you get it to your house, all before you've seen it in person and a reasonably high chance it could be humped.
Just sayin'...And yes, I've done the import thing too. It's a lot of bother given the risks.
I'm having alot of fun finding parts to rebuild one coming from Europe from a friend, more fun than I've had in years collecting these. Also had a good day with a buddy going through a few RC rifles locally. The next one I buy is going to be all RC and I'm leaving it alone, as Ivan left it. My days of buying matching original pieces are long over. Too many scammers and I can't keep up with the humpery. I knew more back in the day when knowledge came from handling and reading a good book on the subject (kids have a funny way of making you empty your head of old knowledge). More detailed info on the internet now at the click of a key. But it's really taken the fun out of it for me. The rebuild I'm working on and the prospect of buying a few nice RC rifles has kind of reinspired my enthusiam. I admire you guys who are importing nice original pieces from USA I just am not brave enough to take the chance anymore.
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I hear you Joe. I actually don't own a single RC anymore, though the last time they were around I had a handful of them. Shoulda kept more! Similarly, I should have kept a nice Yugo capture when I had some, a few nice EG re-issues when I had them, etc.
Now I have an original, a nice vet bringback with non-matching stock that was un-bubba'd with a nice correct stock out of Norway, and this RC.
As for RC "originality"... I personally disagree with some of the folk on here. I never leave any black paint on these. I collected Mosins for a long time and it was common practise for the Russians to apply some cheap black paint right over any oil, grease, shellac, etc. was present if they saw any white metal (from wear) before putting the rifles into storage in salt mines. It was not the intended finish for a Mosin, but was part of the preservation process. When you take a mosin out of the crate, any black paint is gone after 2 or 3 range trips as it flakes off from normal handling being it's applied over oily, dirty surfaces.
I see the black paint on RC's similarly. You see the paint on the "white" surfaces that the Rooskies could not easily remove for re-bluing (recoil bolts, take-down disks, etc.). IT was applied right before storage and usually is slopped on haphazzardly wherever they wanted to discourage rust before the rifles went into storage crates (for the next 50 years). It's not, IMHO, the intended issue finish and similarly flakes off easily.
Typically, when de-greasing an RC mauser you will lose a lot of that black paint on first cleaning. What doesn;t come off then, will come off in the first 5 range trips unless you are VERY careful. After not being able to ever preserve it, I now just remove it from the start and properly protect those surfaces with a good gun oil. YMMV.
I don't typically swap parts around though to try and build a "correct" RC rifle. Whether I remove shellac depends on the condition of that finish when the rifle gets to my hands. In a coupl cases half the finish had flaked off in storage, I removed the rest b/c it looks like cr@p. In other cases, it was applied well, was sound, and I left it alone. Again, YMMV.
I typically DO add sight hoods, rods and capture screws though - guilty. Interestingly, when these were real common in the US 5+ years ago, rumours floated around that many of the e-bay sellers with a lot of original rods and hoods and capture screws were shill accounts for the big importers - allegedly some dealers stripped them off RC's to pad profit by selling $50+ cleaning rods to RC buyers through e-bay. No idea if that was true or not, but interestingly, some dealers (Alan Schisel comes to mind if I recall) somehow had RC's for sale with original hoods, rods and capture screws. Alan's a stand-up guy, so I doubt he did anything nefarious - I rather tend to believe that some of the RC imports came in with these parts installed. No idea how many though.
All food for speculative thought.
Now I have an original, a nice vet bringback with non-matching stock that was un-bubba'd with a nice correct stock out of Norway, and this RC.
As for RC "originality"... I personally disagree with some of the folk on here. I never leave any black paint on these. I collected Mosins for a long time and it was common practise for the Russians to apply some cheap black paint right over any oil, grease, shellac, etc. was present if they saw any white metal (from wear) before putting the rifles into storage in salt mines. It was not the intended finish for a Mosin, but was part of the preservation process. When you take a mosin out of the crate, any black paint is gone after 2 or 3 range trips as it flakes off from normal handling being it's applied over oily, dirty surfaces.
I see the black paint on RC's similarly. You see the paint on the "white" surfaces that the Rooskies could not easily remove for re-bluing (recoil bolts, take-down disks, etc.). IT was applied right before storage and usually is slopped on haphazzardly wherever they wanted to discourage rust before the rifles went into storage crates (for the next 50 years). It's not, IMHO, the intended issue finish and similarly flakes off easily.
Typically, when de-greasing an RC mauser you will lose a lot of that black paint on first cleaning. What doesn;t come off then, will come off in the first 5 range trips unless you are VERY careful. After not being able to ever preserve it, I now just remove it from the start and properly protect those surfaces with a good gun oil. YMMV.
I don't typically swap parts around though to try and build a "correct" RC rifle. Whether I remove shellac depends on the condition of that finish when the rifle gets to my hands. In a coupl cases half the finish had flaked off in storage, I removed the rest b/c it looks like cr@p. In other cases, it was applied well, was sound, and I left it alone. Again, YMMV.
I typically DO add sight hoods, rods and capture screws though - guilty. Interestingly, when these were real common in the US 5+ years ago, rumours floated around that many of the e-bay sellers with a lot of original rods and hoods and capture screws were shill accounts for the big importers - allegedly some dealers stripped them off RC's to pad profit by selling $50+ cleaning rods to RC buyers through e-bay. No idea if that was true or not, but interestingly, some dealers (Alan Schisel comes to mind if I recall) somehow had RC's for sale with original hoods, rods and capture screws. Alan's a stand-up guy, so I doubt he did anything nefarious - I rather tend to believe that some of the RC imports came in with these parts installed. No idea how many though.
All food for speculative thought.
Some of the early RC Mausers were in really good condition compared to the ones coming in now. Unless they aren't mismatched and closer to combat condition.
I kept most of my RC Mausers and packed them away. I don't like the winter guards on some but they are force matched to the rifles.
I have been sorting parts a few hours every few days, for the past three months and I am about half way through them. I still haven't found the parts I am looking for, I need some parts for FN's, 1919 GPMG, and Lee-Enfields.
I kept most of my RC Mausers and packed them away. I don't like the winter guards on some but they are force matched to the rifles.
I have been sorting parts a few hours every few days, for the past three months and I am about half way through them. I still haven't found the parts I am looking for, I need some parts for FN's, 1919 GPMG, and Lee-Enfields.
