Local auction finds

[bocephus]

I found a local auction that does online bidding too. They had quite a selection and a week out the prebids were pretty low. I did a bunch of googling and searching on gunbroker for anything I was interested in and made a list with my max bid, taking the buyers premium into account. I could have saved 10% in buyers premium by going to the auction since it's only an hour from me but I decided sitting around my house and bidding online was worth the 10%, especially if I were to leave empty handed. By the day before the auction most of the prebids exceeded my max bid.

Wondering what you guys think of these prices, let me know if I was a fool for letting any of them go or if I paid too much. There's some Mosins too but I'll just stick them in this thread. Prices below include the buyers premium adjusted for online or in person. We'll just assume good/decent condition unless something stands out that I list otherwise.

I picked up a Romanian contract vz.24, no crest just a 1940 stamp with sling and bayonet for $236. A Yugo M48 with bayonet and nice crest. Bolt, receiver and stock appear to match for $236 and a 1941 non matching Turkish Mauser for $118. I'll post pics when I pick them up later this week.

Here's what I looked at and didn't win.

1899 96/38 $275

1909 Argentinian, crest in real good shape $440
1909 Argentinian Carbine $385

M48 refenished and reblued $236
Mitchells M48 $275
1955 M48 "rusted and pitted in spots" $121

Mitchells Mauser K98 - $405
1942 K98 BYF with Nazi eagles, non matching, stock good+, metal fair $472
1918/1920 Danzig Kar 98 $590
1918 GEW98 with Turkish moon on receiver and bolt $443
1938 Turkish Mauser $118

Enfield #4 MK1, stock looks great, probably restored? The metal had a normal used look. $413
Savage lend lease #4 MK1/3 updgraded to MK2, had a nice used look to it $220
Enfield 4 MKII previously sanded stock $220

M44s $153 on the low side, $248 on the high side. All the M44's were in nice shape.
1925 Izhevsk 91/30 $189
A couple 91/30's around $120

[desdem12]

Judging by auctions i do i would say you never know and they have no idea of what things are worth. It looks to me there might be a couple of bargains there but the onsight bids usually are high for some reason. Don't bid on the mitchell.

[desdem12]

I see you did win some, nice. Not too bad on the 24 and a good deal on the M48 and real good on the Kkale.

[Ban-One]

The two Argentinians sound good if crests and bores are ok. I think you did well with the Turkish Mauser...looking forward to pics.

[Junk Yard Dog]

Impossible to say without more information on the individual rifles, some of the prices sound OK.

[bocephus]

Here's a couple pics from the auction site of the ones I got, should be enough to give you a rough idea.

vz24



Turkish



M48

[desdem12]

[Junk Yard Dog]

k Kale Turk Mauser, All right , The other one looks great also.

[zeebill]

I hate bidding pictures taken on a red backround, that hue will fill absoutely any inperfections in the wood. I do no online auctions anymore, I look at it I hold it, or I don't give a rat's butt what it is I pass on it. Never really been burned but I have been there and had friends get absolutely ripped a new Butt. I learned the easy way if I am interested I am there.

You would have done well on any of the Turk rifles at the prices mentioned because for some reason they have been selling at over $300 most all the time. Far cry from the $59 I bought and sold all the time years ago. M48's are a secret passion of mine I like them and they all seem to shoot well for me. The one you got was a nice buy from the sound of it. They have been in the $300 range of late too. The rusted one would even go for a profit if sold to a reenactor as bunch of the guys I have seen in the field are carrying and shooting them. The VZ24 was a fair buy for a keeper, not for resale because the sporter clan has taken to using their actions for remaking Bubba specials. M44's are running about $225 retail these days so you are close if you are looking for trader fodder. I would say judging by some of the prices that others got rifles for other than you there are a l;ot of newbies in the wings bidding. I think you did well and made good buys at what you got for the prices you got them at. I too refuse to even admit anything made by Mitchell exists period and end of subject! Congrats! Bill

[Junk Yard Dog]

With a Turk Mauser small wood imperfections are a forgone conclusion I have been getting them for under $200-$225 like the last one a few weeks ago, the K Kales with their 1898 actions bring a little bit more, but they are still the sleepers of the Mauser collecting world.

[bocephus]

I'll post a few new pics when I pick them on Wednesday. None of mine are for resale purposes unless I feel like I need to make room or convince the wife I should buy a new one by selling one I already have. We'll see how I feel when I see them but I thought the auction company presented them pretty well. A good bit of pictures, real short descriptions but they'd say if something was broken or rusty. For some reason they didn't do any receiver pics on the M44s.

I won't get anything Mitchells but it was interesting to see how well they sell, not too surprising Iguess as they are quite presentable.

VZ24 has been on the top of my list lately so I think I'll be happy with that one. They seem to be in the $275-350 range and a lot of those are from companies so you have no idea what your getting. The AIM ones for example, they're down to about 100 and I think they started with 600. Even if I paid the "hand pick" fee I'd still be getting bottom of the barrel at this point. When AIM was selling the 1940 vz24s they were $310.

I don't know a ton about the M48s but when I did my pre bid research they seemed to be $300+, especially if it's matching like this one appears to be.

Aside from a K Kale on my local armslist asking $375 I didn't seem to see them going for much at all at this point. That 1938 Turk that sold for the same price I got mine had a really beat up stock. The 1918 Gew98 that sold for over $400 was pretty cool, had the tall sloping rear sight and real good Oberndorf stamp on it, the Turkish moon was pretty faint.

[Junk Yard Dog]

Mitchells.....yea.....some people just want a rifle that looks "nice" they don't understand that history is not "nice", and never looks that way in real life. History shows it's age as it is supposed to.

[bocephus]

Okay, picked them up today. Haven't done anything with them yet. Here's some pics







counter bored, rifling looks good





















Stock seems decent for a Turkish Mauser

[bunkysdad]

Hey now! These look good. Man look at that little sight on the K Kale. I would have a little bit more trouble seeing good perhaps, but dang, you got some fair deals. You had a great day. I remember a couple years ago when AIM Surplus had the spam cans of 8mm ammo for 99.00 & free shipping. I would like to find that again.

[Junk Yard Dog]

Great looking Mauser's both of them

[Junk Yard Dog]

Remember to headspace check that Turk before firing it, very important with these rifles as most have mismatched bolts and have seen two lifetimes worth of hot ammo. Headspace gauges for 8mm Mauser can be found at Brownells, you have two Mauser's now, you had might as well invest in a No/Go gauge for them, but any gunsmith worth his salt should have the gauge for this caliber.

[bocephus]

What's the deal with the different angles on the Mauser headspace gauges? I've got the Czech 98/22, the vz24 a M48 and the Kkale.

[Junk Yard Dog]

The gauge is not built for the rifle, it's built for the cartridge. An 8mm Mauser headspace gauge will work to check headspace in any rifle regardless of type that chambers 8mm Mauser. For instance I use the same 8mm Mauser gauge to check headspace in German, Czech, Turkish, Yugoslavian, and Persian Mauser's as well as an Egyptian Hakim, and a SAFN-49, all of these rifles chamber the 8mm Mauser round.