Norwegian K98 Re-issues

Yes, I went with the CE43. It looks really good, and it's not a HAER, it's a FLY :)

I prefer the later guns, else I would have gotten that walnut stocked S/27 or one of the BNZ41's.

Ron
 
Hey that's rare, the airforce version. I do prefer the earlier mausers therefore the 1938 S/42. Got a few RC's one 1937 147, one 1940 660 and a 1941 CE. Haven't been able to find anything matching yet, but still looking.
 
These things can REALLY shoot.

Likely someone will call me a liar, but I have seen on of these rifles, with a handload designed for it and a whopping hge Leupold scope, consistently turn in 1-inch groups at 300 yards. If the rifle had done it once, it would be a fluke. But..... every range session for 4 years? They are good.

BTW, I didn't do the shooting, as minute-of-barn is good for the stuff I can afford!
 
Helped You Sell Some Eh!

Hey Jean, I did not even buy my Norwegian from you but rather from a local gun nutter shoot!!!. And only started this thread for tech input. But It looks like I've got some of the big boys interested enough in these rifles that they bought some...:)

What d'ya say big fella, can yu cut me a deal on something.... How about that Swede knapsack for say half price...????:rockOn:
 
Coyote Ugly said:
It's a shame the barrel and receivers were changed/altered. Is the bolt at least all matching?
At least the stock matches the rifle.
.30-06 in a Mauser is like a '65 Corvette with a Dodge inline 6. Technically not correct!

These rifles are a part of history. The Norwegians inheirited them from the Germans stored in Arsenals. These guns were ment to arm Norwegians who were believed would welcome the Nazi invasion and join in the fight against the Allies. This did not happen and the rifles stayed in storage. At the end of WWII the Norwegians needed to rebuild their army. They were allies with the U.S. and decided to go with the .30/06 as the U.S. could supply boatloads of ammuntion and M1 Garands in this caliber. These M98s were converted to .30/06 as it was faster and cheaper to build a barrel than a complete gun.
I have seen several hundred of these firearms. The work is of very high quality, and they are all done to the same standard. I have shot several and they seem to be the same accuracy as a well cared for and set up 8x57.
Groups of 2" or less.
As for the .30/06 and the 8x57, they are ballistically similar with the .30/06 having a slight edge in velcity and range. Both are excellent cartridges and both preform very well in good rifles.

And of all of the Norwegian arsenal conversions, there are very few that do not have most parts matching. The Norwegians seemed to be meticulous in keeping the numbers matching.

As for technically not correct. It was a military arm modified by a state arsenal to meet the requirements of the nation.

I have a M95 mauser in 6.5x55 that started off life in 1900 and was converted by the Swedish military arsenal to M38 Carbine specs. That isn't technically correct either but it is a genuine military article.

In all a K98 that is part of military history in an excellent caliber.

BTW: mine really likes 150 grain cast bullets at 1700 fps.

And what is wrong with a Dodge inline six in a '65 corvette if it was installed in a Dodge factory? That would be a unique collectors item.
That reminds me of a Camero that my ex neighbor brought from Ontario, it had an inline six. That was the first Camero I had ever seen with a six. I didn't even know they were available from the factory that way...
 
Any rifle in it's ORIGINAL form will be more desireable and collectable than one that has been altered.

Unfortunately, the new .30-06 barrel and the date with the milling machine and the stamping dies just doesn't cut it. Just a little too harsh. 30-06 isn't 8 mm, and butchering the receiver for extra clearance for the longer cartridge!!! and the flat spot milled for the word HAER - it ain't the same rifle anymore. It's far from original now other than the stock and bolt.

It would make a good shooter grade, just like a Russian Capture, but will never be collector grade, that's the difference.
 
Last edited:
CU: Anyone who would equate a Norwegian K98 with a Russian Capture is either ignorant or has never had both rifles to compare them.

The Norwegians are every bit as collectable as any other K98k when collected as a Norwegian K98k. I agree though, they are not collectible as a WW2 German example.

RC's are an abomination of a rifle in comparisson to a K98k reworked in Norway. Adn yes, I have owned (and still own) examples of both. Have you?
 
Like I stated before, I have no interest (and many people don't) in RC or Norwegian K98's because of the alterations done to both. I'm more than happy with 100% matching and all original K98's as they left Germany.

Sure, Brazil altered K98 Mausers too postwar in the 1950's, but...how bad do you want one? It looks like an M14 hybrid K98! Then the Israeli Mausers in .308.

On the bright side, both the RC and Norwegian are priced right for the shooter. Really depends on what you want it for and your interest.

If I wanted .30-06, I'll reach for a Garand, it's that simple.
 
Last edited:
Coyote Ugly said:
Like I stated before, I have no interest (and many people don't) in RC or Norwegian K98's because of the alterations done to both. I'm more than happy with 100% matching and all original K98's as they left Germany.

Sure, Brazil altered K98 Mausers too postwar in the 1950's, but...how bad do you want one? It looks like an M14 hybrid K98! Then the Israeli Mausers in .308.

On the bright side, both the RC and Norwegian are priced right for the shooter. Really depends on what you want it for and your interest.

If I wanted .30-06, I'll reach for a Garand, it's that simple.


I would reach for an '03 springfield, or a P17...
As for collectable, everyone has their own standards.
Folks are allowed to collect pristine, state of the art K98s as they came from the factory, or they can collect and shoot what they can afford and what is available.
Because it was used by the Norwegian military, this mauser refurb does qualify as a real military rifle.

As for 100% matching mausers "as they left Germany". They are getting very rare and rising in price quickly. So much so that they have become an "investment" rather than a joy to shoot.
Also if it is a K98 made by BRNO is it worth less?

Regarding the Brazilian 98s manufactured in 30/06 in Brasil, I have yet to see one that looked like an M14 clone. Could you post a photo please?
 
10x said:
Also if it is a K98 made by BRNO is it worth less? No, Absolutely Not, BRNO was a pre 1945 contractor, also known as "dot", Norway was in charge of postwar HotRod-ing K98's, just like the Russians :D .

Regarding the Brazilian 98s manufactured in 30/06 in Brasil, I have yet to see one that looked like an M14 clone. Could you post a photo please?

Oh Blasphemy and 1000 pardens :D , I didn't have my book at the time and a gross error occurred :slap: , it was Spanish and not Brazillian, and in .308 to boot:

The Spanish FR8 in .308, now hows that for a POS! :eek:
http://www.gunsworld.com/spain/cetmefr8_us.html
 
Last edited:
Coyote Ugly said:
Oh Blasphemy and 1000 pardens :D , I didn't have my book at the time and a gross error occurred :slap: , it was Spanish and not Brazillian, and in .308 to boot:

The Spanish FR8 in .308, now hows that for a POS! :eek:
http://www.gunsworld.com/spain/cetmefr8_us.html

Once again POS is your opinion.
I grant you 1001 pardons.

The FR8 served a purpose - teaching the use of the sights and how to shoot to recruits and training - in the Spanish military while the semiautos (not M14s) went to the troups higher up the training scale.
To a person that collects Spanish military firearms, they are part of the history that does need to be remembered. Not discarded as spurious because they were a variation. They served a purpose and were used.



I think they are ugly, but they do have a place in a military collection.
And a number of folks have them, shoot them, and shoot them well.
Not to mention they are proud of owing a part of history.
 
Stevo said:
FR8's a great little gun. Don't have one of those either, Coyote Ugly?
Going to have to stop you there. The Spanish suck at making guns. Anything they touch sucks. Even Gamo guns are junk.

They're only good at producing beautiful women.:cool:

Edited to say: And the FR8 is a terrible gun. It's the Remington 710 of Mausers.
 
10x said:
Regarding the Brazilian 98s manufactured in 30/06 in Brasil, I have yet to see one that looked like an M14 clone. Could you post a photo please?

I assume you mean the M954. If so, they were NOT manufactured in Brasil. They are DWM and Mauser made M1908's and M1935's that were the most badly worn rifles in inventory at the time (1954). The Itajuba arsenal stripper the actions, scrubbed them, parked them, installed new barrels and usually new (lower quality) stocks, and stamped them M954. They did NOT manufacture any Mauser receivers. They are a brazilian made rifle only in the sense that a Finnish Mosin is a Finnish made rifle.
 
It's really all about choices. No two people have the same interests, which is great because there is something out there for everyone. That's the beauty with milsurps!
 
Coyote Ugly said:
...both the RC and Norwegian are priced right for the shooter....

Gotta disagree there. An RC is priced right for a shooter. Norwegian K98k's are selling in the $700 range. to be classed "shooter grade" in my book, it has to come cheaper than a new Savage 110. ;) I still shoot more expensive milsurps, but don't consider them cheap shooters or beaters, as you seem to classify them.

Answer me this. Would a collection of K98k's (not just WW2 whermacht ones) be complete without nice examples of Norwegian and Isreali mausers?
 
ilovepotatos said:
Going to have to stop you there. The Spanish suck at making guns. Anything they touch sucks. Even Gamo guns are junk.

They're only good at producing beautiful women.:cool:

Edited to say: And the FR8 is a terrible gun. It's the Remington 710 of Mausers.

Where do you come up with this stuff? Do you own one, have you shot one? Have you ever seen one in person?
 
Claven2 said:
Gotta disagree there. An RC is priced right for a shooter. Norwegian K98k's are selling in the $700 range. to be classed "shooter grade" in my book, it has to come cheaper than a new Savage 110. ;) I still shoot more expensive milsurps, but don't consider them cheap shooters or beaters, as you seem to classify them.

Answer me this. Would a collection of K98k's (not just WW2 whermacht ones) be complete without nice examples of Norwegian and Isreali mausers?

You have to remember the Norwegian and Israeli Mausers are "REWORKS", just like the Russian Capture Reworks. If a person collected K98 Reworks, it would fit into his or her collection quite nicely.

That would be a question of personal taste just like the color of your car or house. I could live without a RC, Norwegian and an Israeli Rework, but maybe others couldn't. Personally, I like the Mauser as it was, not REWORKED. You either like it or pass on it when you got it in your hands.

It's really all about choices. No two people have the same interests, which is great because there is something out there for everyone. That's the beauty with milsurps!

Now the $700 CAN Dollar Norwegian Rework. Probably some of that is the low value of the Canadian Dollar last year and beyond, and money tied up in investment.
As you know, RC's are cheaper in the States ~$200 USD and up, and our dollar is creeping up quite fast now....94 Cents....
If the exchange was 1.50 at the time the deal was struck on the reworks, naturally we pay more up here, as well as shipping, brokers, duty and tax.
 
Last edited:
I tend to think of things like this, a Norwegian K98k is a piece of history in itself. A rifle built in the WW2 period by German arsenals and shipped to Norway. When the war ended, the rifle was rebarrelled for the winning side's calibre, 3006 Springfield. The rifle is unchanged other than a new barrel and some receiver milling. All markings remain and the numbers match the original receiver number. The rifle served that country for many years.

The Israeli K98k similarly rebarreled but most of the original markings have been peened and some new ones added. But yet still a piece of military history, a Nazi rifle defending Israeli interests. This prinicpal in itself is ironic.

The RC K98k's, probably the largest stash of German manufactured WW2 mausers. Sure they are pieced together and in some instances peened but still none the less a Nazi mauser and still a piece of military history unto itself. It's affordable for the collector who wants a piece of history and in many cases you can choose the manufacturer you wish to collect and the specific year you like from 1937 to 1945. Then you can fix-em to be as close to original as you like, new cleaning rods and lock screws and bring the original finish back.

Sure it would be great to find an original bring back, but as we know they are scarce and when available expensive. And lets be honest, in a few years the RC, Norwegian and Israeli market will dry up too driving prices and collectablity up.

So I say collect what you want, it all means something to someone, some of us have German roots and any rifle we have could have been carried by our grandfathers.

Just my two cents.
 
Back
Top Bottom