Israeli .22 magnum K98 price check (sort of)?

[TheCoachZed]

Hey guys,

I have an Israeli K98 trainer (originally .22 lr, reamed out by gunsmith to .22 magnum).

The metal still has some blueing, but it's worn. There's no cracks in the stock, but it has a few nicks and dings. Nothing too serious.

Action cycles well, although the firing pin has come loose on me before - no big deal. I just strip down the bolt and fix it. The barrel is a Remington, not an FN.

I bought this gun wanting a milsurp that I could afford to shoot a lot without reloading, and because I figured I could use it on coyotes. However, I never get out for coyotes, and if I did, I would hate to lug this beast through the woods and then get it beat up. So, I think I want a .223, either Stevens or H&R/NEF. With practice, I can also use this gun for deer and bear.

Is the K98 worth as much as a .223 NEF or Stevens, or will I end up having to throw a bunch of cash in on the deal? I don't see many of these trainers for sale, so I don't know if they are well-liked or not.

 

[Turkeyslayer 1300]

Why not trade up to a .243 it would be a much better choice for deer and bear. As for value some people might straight across trade but it depends on how badly they want the gun.

 

[762mm]

You should've kept it all original. There aren't any serious collectors that will be interested to buy it and most sports/target shooters will probably prefer a more modern & lighter design. I have one of those Israeli K98 trainers too and I paid something like 150-200$ for mine a few years back (private sale). It is all original (22LR), decent looking and working perfect.

All in all, you really should've kept it all original to make any decent money on it (or at least not to lose any money on it). In an all original condition, I'd say 400$ would be a fair price for one of them today. They are pretty common among the mauser-type trainers and don't really have any pertinent historical value, as they're basically hacked down german mausers with new post-war bolts & barrels. The finish quality on a lot of them also leaves lots to desire... I don't think the Israelis really cared much about the looks of these guns, as long as they worked.

 

[TheCoachZed]

You should've kept it all original.

I bought it like that. I wouldn't have reamed it out myself.

I know a .243 is much better, but in NB, we can carry a .223 year-round, but can only carry a .243 if we have a valid moose, bear, or deer tag. Once that tag is used or expired, we can only carry a rifle smaller than .23 in the woods.