Russian capture K98?

[TheSovietSamurai]

Hi folks, what are your thoughts on this K98 I have recently purchased? I need some help identifying it. It's a 1939, Mauser Obendorf manufacture, in a non-period stock (With a non-matching number on the butt) along with peened swastikas. Everything is mis-matching, the bolt is apparently force matched. I'm almost certain it's a Russian capture, that somebody has cleaned up and replaced the stock with that of another Russian capture. I'm not sure of the stocks original serial underneath it.
The Waffenamts on the receiver read WaA63, WaA655, WaA63, which apparently includes a stamp from the transition period. Could the stock belong to the rifle if it was built during a transition period? I have seen Yugoslavian captures with an incorrect butt stamp, but with a matching German stamp on the bottom.

http://postimage.org/gallery/qw1t73o/9ca46761/

[Jumperwire]

[Junk Yard Dog]

No, I do not think that is a Soviet capture, for one thing I don't see the characteristic X stamp on the ring that RC's have. You also don't have the dark bluing the Sovuets put on these. The SOviets used an electropencil to force match the RC's and slapped red shellac on the stock. Your is probably a Yugo used K98k as a bringhome or early import would be unlikely to have had any markings peened out.

This is a typical RC





This is a German as issued K98k original matching bringhome

[hoshow]

[Junk Yard Dog]

The RC X is a bit hard to make out in the pic, but if you look at the pic of the markings, it's off on the left side of the ring, a typical half assed commie style stamping.

[desdem12]

[dou44]

looks like you found a good one.

[TheSovietSamurai]

Those are some great looking K98's by the way JYD, thanks for the info. I'm very happy with the old girl, I just wish I knew the story. Didn't the Soviets stamp the serial this way, and doesn't the blued butt-plate suggest Russian capture? Perhaps the stock is from an RC that has had the SHellac stripped off, and the rest is from an entirely different rifle?

[Junk Yard Dog]

A lot of early import or bringhome K98k's were turned into hunting rifles by having their stocks cut down. It's very possible that someone put a RC stock on that rifle to bring it back to military configuration. The SOviets didn't stamp numbers on the RC's like they did some of the Mosins, I suspect that the RC's were refurbished at a later date when electropencils were in common use .

[Junk Yard Dog]

They did however stamp that X, what it means we do not know.

[Darryl]

Jim,

They didn't always have the X stamped on them. I have seen many without. They are sort of like the Ukraine refurbish mark on Mosins. Every so often they just didn't do it. My brother has what is clearly a RC Mauser he got for $300 a few years back from AIM with no X. So that is not always an indicator. What is more clear is the bluing. That dark black is clearly Russian if you have it on your rifle. Nothing like the Mausers had. The other thing is the shellac stock. That red shellac was never on a Mauser either.

Dolk

[Junk Yard Dog]

The wild mix of parts also tells one. This rifle I have almost doesn't have a X either, it's barely half struck. I remember a few of them on the old board turning up without the X, made me wonder if it wasn't some sort of inspection, or selection stamp.

[Darryl]

Here is a photo from I think Empire Arms selling Russian captures. This is a good example of no X. Also has a "weird colored stock, but like Jim says, it has a lot of mixed parts. Nothing matches.

Dolk

[Junk Yard Dog]

Laminated stock in the white, it's possible that it came in like that, it looks exactly like the no shellac stock on one of my M44's, and that one came right from the importer like that.

[Junk Yard Dog]

If you look just to the left of the bnz you can see a dimple in the metal, I bet that should be the X stamp but someone screwed the pooch. How many times have we seen half, or quarter refurb stamps or less on the Mosins?

[Junk Yard Dog]

I bet somebody gonna be paying out some cash for that one, stocks like that always sell well.

[TheSovietSamurai]

What is that mark in the left hand corner of the receiver in the 1st pic of my gallery? Could that be any sort of stamp?

[Junk Yard Dog]

Image 1899? The side profile of the receiver /barrel area? I am not seeing an X there.