Russian Captured Mauser
- Thread starter CaptainW
- Start date
If most people are buying RC Mausers because that's all that's out there, and not because they are RC's, why will the value drop if you clean the finish up?
Let's face it, no one buys an RC because they are dying for a piece of Soviet history, they buy an RC so they can have a Mauser without the second mortgage.
Well guess what? After the stock is refinished it's still a Mauser.
Let's face it, no one buys an RC because they are dying for a piece of Soviet history, they buy an RC so they can have a Mauser without the second mortgage.
Well guess what? After the stock is refinished it's still a Mauser.
They will notice later when there are no more RC98s that their refinished one is not as valuable as an un-fudged up one. When you cut the stock off a Lee Enfield, it's still a Lee Enfield.. but look at the difference between a sporter and a full military one. Refinishing is bubba to a smaller degree, but a bubba to any degree is still a bubba.
Value? It is whatever one places on it. It is either appreciated or it is not. Re-sale value? Posterity? When one is too old to shoot the rifle these things will have lost all meaning.
Relax, Skirsons. Owners of these rifles are using them and that in itself demonstrates their appreciation and regard for the rifles. The value they place on the rifle is greater than any "Book Value". Posterity and museums will still have plenty of examples of Soviet Captures to display.
Relax, Skirsons. Owners of these rifles are using them and that in itself demonstrates their appreciation and regard for the rifles. The value they place on the rifle is greater than any "Book Value". Posterity and museums will still have plenty of examples of Soviet Captures to display.
That's a good theory, but very few people are buying an RC Mauser because it's an RC. They want a Mauser, period. They don't actually want an RC. This same demographic will be around in the future and will probably pay more for a "restored" RC, than a "mint" RC.
I suppose if those racks of dusty Lee's we see in Pakistan and Afghanistan hit the market, we'll start arguing about the historical value of the sand, or whether or not unstacking them ruins the value.
Hell, all that cosmoline is part of the history of a rifle, put on by a historically signifigant factory worker.
There is no blue book for milsurps. Value is place on them by the consumer. People want "German" Mausers, not "Russian" Mausers.
The finish on an RC is essentially a step up from cosmoline, it's there to preserve the rifle. Stripping it is not even in the same ball park as cutting wood or drilling.
The problem is what people "want." They discount the Soviet history; think that their putting the rifle "back" to a German condition, when really they are just bubba'ing. Sure no one wants an RC now because its an RC, but watch what happens when all you bubbas have refinished them and you can't find the original RC. The history will have been wiped off the earth by people who want a rarer rifle than they can afford.
longbranch*
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Victoria,BC.
Rc
My two RC's had lost about 30% of the shellac finish when received so stripping the remainder was a no-brainer. Actually a plastic scraper got most off. I think the shellac was only for storage reason, like cozmoline. Haven't seen any of these Paki-Enfields that have come in to the country lately, but bet the are full of cozmoline, so will cleaning them up hurt the value? Naaah. Just my opinion, but stripping the shellac and cleaning up the wood , leaving handling marks as-is and re-linseeding doesnt qualify as a "bubba job". These will always be known as "RC K98's" and wether one is gently cleaned up or left as-is will likely not matter. I have sevaral matching Mausers in my collection and bought a couple RC's out of boredom to be honest. Price of matching examples are out of my budget these days so these "fill the need" in the meantime. Again, just my 2 cents.
Cheers brothers and lets pray for a Conservative government Tuesday.
Geoff in Victoria
My two RC's had lost about 30% of the shellac finish when received so stripping the remainder was a no-brainer. Actually a plastic scraper got most off. I think the shellac was only for storage reason, like cozmoline. Haven't seen any of these Paki-Enfields that have come in to the country lately, but bet the are full of cozmoline, so will cleaning them up hurt the value? Naaah. Just my opinion, but stripping the shellac and cleaning up the wood , leaving handling marks as-is and re-linseeding doesnt qualify as a "bubba job". These will always be known as "RC K98's" and wether one is gently cleaned up or left as-is will likely not matter. I have sevaral matching Mausers in my collection and bought a couple RC's out of boredom to be honest. Price of matching examples are out of my budget these days so these "fill the need" in the meantime. Again, just my 2 cents.
Cheers brothers and lets pray for a Conservative government Tuesday.
Geoff in Victoria
My father-in-law was stationed in Germany after the war. He recalls running tanks over mounds of K98s to render them as scrap...
EDIT: nice job Captain W
I have plans on doing the same with one of mine when time permits 
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Coyote Ugly
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
For the record, I don't own an RC. If I did, I'd strip it and if I wanted to put it back a little stain, you know, for the patina, and some shellac flakes and... presto.
I'm putting the Turkey and the K98 on the grill at the same time tomorrow!
Infanteer90
CGN Regular
- Location
- Where you all want to be... Alberta
skirsons, You will be happy to hear that I have decided against swapping the stocks in order to preserve their RC history. Sometimes things seem like a good idea at the time and luckily in this case no harm was done. Turns out that my 1939 660 would have been originally issued with a laminated stock anyways.
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