Help Identifying this Rifle

hivoltagefx4 · March 5, 2014, 02:27 PM

Hello all,

I recently picked this up from a friend that bought this a long time ago. He said he bought it new, but never fired it. Looks to be a K98? It's in really great shape all the way around. Bore, barrel, etc... all look great. What is something like this worth? I got it on the cheap since he's had it just sitting around forever. Any help with what this rifle is and what it's worth sure would be appreciated!

Hope the pics are decent enough!

hivoltagefx4 · March 5, 2014, 04:27 PM

One more thing, I don't see any import markings, so not sure what difference that makes. Also, when I said that he bought it new, I meant that he bought it from a dealer years ago as a at that time I newly imported rifle. Have I confused you all yet cause I've confused myself for sure!

sfwusc · March 5, 2014, 05:47 PM

Looks like a k98 to me too

Jim Watson · March 5, 2014, 06:18 PM

It is a Czech Mauser made at Brno under German control.
A VZ24 tweaked to K98k specifications.
Good catch.

hivoltagefx4 · March 5, 2014, 07:02 PM

Quote:

It is a Czech Mauser made at Brno under German control.
A VZ24 tweaked to K98k specifications.
Good catch.

Since it's not an actual K98, what is something like this worth? Does it help that the markings have not been peened?? Thanks again!

tahunua001 · March 5, 2014, 07:03 PM

$400, maybe...

Jim Watson · March 5, 2014, 07:43 PM

I don't know about the dollar value, but there is nothing wrong with Czech quality.
And it is in all respects a K98 except not made by Mauser. As with a lot of other German weapons because a dinky little European kingdom did not have enough manufacturing capacity to rule the world.

James K · March 5, 2014, 07:57 PM

It is a K.98k. The VZ24 is also on a 98 Mauser action, but it is really a different rifle.

After the Germans took over Czechoslovakia, they had the Brno (Brünn) factory continue making the VZ24. By 1943, the tooling had been changed over and the factory (code "dot") was producing the true K.98k. The barrel markings indicate the barrel contractor (though I now forget what they mean).

Jim

Darren007 · March 5, 2014, 08:53 PM

The barrel markings "24 40 RD" in that order indicate the lot number, the year of manufacture, and the maker. It is accepted by most that "RD" stands for "Radom, Poland (Fabryka Broni).

It has been speculated that it could mean "Rheinmetall, Dusseldorf". However, the evidence is most consistent with it identifying the Polish factory in Radom.

In this case, your barrel was made from Lot #24, in 1940 at Fabryka Broni in Radom, Poland.

Germany attempted to set standards for how barrels were to be marked (maker, year, lot or blank #), however few manufacturers followed it to the letter and some disregarded it entirely, which is why you'll often see inconsistent barrel markings between various manufacturers.

hivoltagefx4 · March 6, 2014, 07:42 PM

Thank you all! You all are great for sharing this info.!!! It's nice to know a little history behind this rifle

**44 AMP** · March 7, 2014, 11:45 AM

A lack of import marks means the gun was brought into the US before the GCA 68 was in effect.

People sometimes think a lack of import marks means a war time capture or bring back, but without any other supporting information, all one can conclusively say is that the gun came in before 1968.

mapsjanhere · March 7, 2014, 05:23 PM

Value wise, if all the numbers are matching and there's no evidence of refinishing, at least $700. Good condition k98 are getting hard to find.
But, there seems to be a Russian X capture mark on it, so most likely it is refinished and force matched number wise.

hivoltagefx4 · March 7, 2014, 09:20 PM

If this were a Russian capture, wouldn't the German markings be preened or scratched? Just curious? Thanks again to all for the replies.

mapsjanhere · March 7, 2014, 09:26 PM

Yes, and that opens a whole other can of worms - that you can buy a full set of stamps at ebay for less than what it adds in value to a single gun. Time to take the gun out of the stock and post some good pictures of all marks, especially WAA marks (those are location specific but most fakers don't go into that much detail; if you have a mark known at the Mauserwerke on a Bruenn gun you have a problem).

Darren007 · March 7, 2014, 09:33 PM

Quote:

If this were a Russian capture, wouldn't the German markings be preened or scratched? Just curious? Thanks again to all for the replies.

Not all of the time. In fact, most RCs have them intact. In any case, the "X" stamped on the side of the receiver above the serial number is the dead-giveaway of it being a Russian capture.

James K · March 7, 2014, 09:42 PM

Code dot 43 & 44 should have a 63 WaA mark on major parts. They might also have WaA 135 on parts obtained from Mauser/Oberndorf.

Jim

March 5, 2014, 02:27 PM	#1
hivoltagefx4 Senior Member Join Date: January 6, 2010 Location: Fairfax, Va. Home of the NRA Posts: 130	Help Identifying this Rifle Hello all, I recently picked this up from a friend that bought this a long time ago. He said he bought it new, but never fired it. Looks to be a K98? It's in really great shape all the way around. Bore, barrel, etc... all look great. What is something like this worth? I got it on the cheap since he's had it just sitting around forever. Any help with what this rifle is and what it's worth sure would be appreciated! Hope the pics are decent enough! __________________ "When I die, I want to go peacefully like my Grandfather did, in his sleep -- not screaming, like the passengers in his car."

March 5, 2014, 07:03 PM	#6
tahunua001 Senior Member Join Date: July 21, 2011 Location: Idaho Posts: 7,839	$400, maybe... __________________ ignore my complete lack of capitalization. I still have no problem correcting your grammar. I never said half the stuff people said I did-Albert Einstein You can't believe everything you read on the internet-Benjamin Franklin

March 6, 2014, 07:42 PM	#10
hivoltagefx4 Senior Member Join Date: January 6, 2010 Location: Fairfax, Va. Home of the NRA Posts: 130	Thank you all! You all are great for sharing this info.!!! It's nice to know a little history behind this rifle __________________ "When I die, I want to go peacefully like my Grandfather did, in his sleep -- not screaming, like the passengers in his car."

March 7, 2014, 11:45 AM	#11
44 AMP Staff Join Date: March 11, 2006 Location: Upper US Posts: 28,839	A lack of import marks means the gun was brought into the US before the GCA 68 was in effect. People sometimes think a lack of import marks means a war time capture or bring back, but without any other supporting information, all one can conclusively say is that the gun came in before 1968. __________________ All else being equal (and it almost never is) bigger bullets tend to work better.

March 7, 2014, 05:23 PM	#12
mapsjanhere Senior Member Join Date: August 6, 2009 Location: Albuquerque Posts: 2,832	Value wise, if all the numbers are matching and there's no evidence of refinishing, at least $700. Good condition k98 are getting hard to find. But, there seems to be a Russian X capture mark on it, so most likely it is refinished and force matched number wise. __________________ I used to love being able to hit hard at 1000 yards. As I get older I find hitting a mini ram at 200 yards with the 22 oddly more satisfying.

March 5, 2014, 04:27 PM	#2
hivoltagefx4 Senior Member Join Date: January 6, 2010 Location: Fairfax, Va. Home of the NRA Posts: 130	One more thing, I don't see any import markings, so not sure what difference that makes. Also, when I said that he bought it new, I meant that he bought it from a dealer years ago as a at that time I newly imported rifle. Have I confused you all yet cause I've confused myself for sure! __________________ "When I die, I want to go peacefully like my Grandfather did, in his sleep -- not screaming, like the passengers in his car."

March 5, 2014, 05:47 PM	#3
sfwusc Senior Member Join Date: July 14, 2013 Posts: 231	Looks like a k98 to me too

March 5, 2014, 06:18 PM	#4
Jim Watson Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2001 Location: Alabama Posts: 18,543	It is a Czech Mauser made at Brno under German control. A VZ24 tweaked to K98k specifications. Good catch.

March 5, 2014, 07:43 PM	#7
Jim Watson Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2001 Location: Alabama Posts: 18,543	I don't know about the dollar value, but there is nothing wrong with Czech quality. And it is in all respects a K98 except not made by Mauser. As with a lot of other German weapons because a dinky little European kingdom did not have enough manufacturing capacity to rule the world.

March 5, 2014, 07:57 PM	#8
James K Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 17, 1999 Posts: 24,383	It is a K.98k. The VZ24 is also on a 98 Mauser action, but it is really a different rifle. After the Germans took over Czechoslovakia, they had the Brno (Brünn) factory continue making the VZ24. By 1943, the tooling had been changed over and the factory (code "dot") was producing the true K.98k. The barrel markings indicate the barrel contractor (though I now forget what they mean). Jim

March 5, 2014, 08:53 PM	#9
Darren007 Senior Member Join Date: November 18, 2007 Location: Colorado Posts: 1,053	The barrel markings "24 40 RD" in that order indicate the lot number, the year of manufacture, and the maker. It is accepted by most that "RD" stands for "Radom, Poland (Fabryka Broni). It has been speculated that it could mean "Rheinmetall, Dusseldorf". However, the evidence is most consistent with it identifying the Polish factory in Radom. In this case, your barrel was made from Lot #24, in 1940 at Fabryka Broni in Radom, Poland. Germany attempted to set standards for how barrels were to be marked (maker, year, lot or blank #), however few manufacturers followed it to the letter and some disregarded it entirely, which is why you'll often see inconsistent barrel markings between various manufacturers.

March 7, 2014, 09:20 PM	#13
hivoltagefx4 Senior Member Join Date: January 6, 2010 Location: Fairfax, Va. Home of the NRA Posts: 130	If this were a Russian capture, wouldn't the German markings be preened or scratched? Just curious? Thanks again to all for the replies. __________________ "When I die, I want to go peacefully like my Grandfather did, in his sleep -- not screaming, like the passengers in his car."

March 7, 2014, 09:26 PM	#14
mapsjanhere Senior Member Join Date: August 6, 2009 Location: Albuquerque Posts: 2,832	Yes, and that opens a whole other can of worms - that you can buy a full set of stamps at ebay for less than what it adds in value to a single gun. Time to take the gun out of the stock and post some good pictures of all marks, especially WAA marks (those are location specific but most fakers don't go into that much detail; if you have a mark known at the Mauserwerke on a Bruenn gun you have a problem). __________________ I used to love being able to hit hard at 1000 yards. As I get older I find hitting a mini ram at 200 yards with the 22 oddly more satisfying.

March 7, 2014, 09:42 PM	#16
James K Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 17, 1999 Posts: 24,383	Code dot 43 & 44 should have a 63 WaA mark on major parts. They might also have WaA 135 on parts obtained from Mauser/Oberndorf. Jim