Mitchell's Mausers

hogdogs · October 5, 2009, 09:01 AM

Are their items as nice looking once purchased as they are in the advertisements?
Brent

SigP6Carry · October 5, 2009, 01:31 PM

I've not ordered from them, but from what I've read about them (when I was considering getting a Mauser) was that they overcharge for their guns and restamp their receivers. I'm sure their guns are great and look great, but they are really knocked down from being collector grade by what they do to make them more appealing. You're better off ordering a Mauser or Mauser style gun from a place like AIM, J&G, SOG and Simpson's than Mitchell's, just because you pay less for a more original piece.

tater134 · October 5, 2009, 02:40 PM

If youre looking for a pretty mauser Im sure theyre fine but from a collectors point of view theyre worthless.The rifles they sell are refinished and pimp shined and Ive heard that they restamp many of their parts.If youre looking for an original k98 to collect you can get one much cheaper elsewhere.If youre just looking for a shiny shooter then the mitchells should fit the bill.

gunney 67 · October 5, 2009, 03:03 PM

Plus they are some of the rudest people I've talked to in this industry. I won't be buying anything from them.

mp25ds4 · October 5, 2009, 04:33 PM

they look as nice in real life as they do in the pictures but you better off looking for a gun on gunbroker.com because you'll be able to find one for a better price. and im pretty sure they refurbish the guns, so if your not worried about collector value then all you have to worry about is price

CGSteve8718 · October 5, 2009, 05:37 PM

Yes they do look that pretty, if that is what you want. Collector value isn't knocked down, it is completely devoid. Read about Mitchell's over at surplusrifleforum.

I will never buy from them because I actually like history, and they are a travesty to collectors of historical rifles. I have no idea how they are in the BBB with their dishonest ads and why they are advertised on the HC when they do little to preserve it.

Sabot · October 5, 2009, 06:48 PM

I wanted to buy one because they look so nice in the picture instead of the beaters that I see for sale on web-sites. Since I live in CA they won't sell directly to a C&R licence holder in-state, so I found one on Gunbroker. The gun looks absolutely beautiful. I don't care about being a purist, i'm very satisfied with my "brand new looking" Mitchell's Mauser.

Tom2 · October 5, 2009, 07:43 PM

I know of one guy that said he bought one a few years ago from them, it had a problem, he sent it back and was at wits end trying to get it fixed and returned. He did not like the dealings he had and disposed of it when received. They just seem too good to be true to me just from looking at the ads. If you want to overspend for superficial redone cosmetics, go for it. You might be able to get a surplus Yugo cheaper and fix it up yourself to look ultra pristine if it does not already, and save alot of cash.

**Shane Tuttle** · October 5, 2009, 09:39 PM

Bought a Yugo M48 from them a few years ago. The rifle itself is in nice condition. Another friend ordered one at the same time I did and the barrel on the inside was pitted/corroded so bad the borelight couldn't make it halfway through. Mitchell's told him it would "clean up after firing a couple dozen rounds through it". I was embarrassed I recommended them to him after that debacle.

Quote:

You're better off ordering a Mauser or Mauser style gun from a place like AIM, J&G, SOG and Simpson's than Mitchell's, just because you pay less for a more original piece.

I agree with every suggestion sans Simpson's. Their store is just south of where I live. The customer service (or lack thereof), attitude, abuse they put their guns through, and price are utterly disgusting. I'd rather eat dirt as supper for a week and buy from Mitchell's than deal with Simpson's Limited.

SigP6Carry · October 6, 2009, 12:48 AM

really? I never heard bad things about simpsons, I simply assumed, given how credible they seem, that they're decent. I believe right now they've got a Vz. 24 for around 150-200. Don't know the condition, but I e-mailed them about it was told to call. Still never got around to it. I'll be sure to stop recommending them till I get some first hand.

Homer2 · October 6, 2009, 08:02 AM

Mitchells will make you feel better by giving you $400 worth of accessories for FREE!!!!11!

What they don't tell you is that those same accessories come free from the importer. For the rifles that they don't refinish and force match, they just mark up the price by a few hundred dollars. They won't admit that they refinish or force match these, but there are no 'original matching' Soviet capture k98 rifles. They will give you a certificate that says it is, though.

Shop around and you can find dealers that will offer hand pick rifles for a lot less.

gyvel · October 6, 2009, 10:17 AM

And the saddest part is that Mitchell's is doing it to Luger pistols now. Oh, and since they are a regular advertiser in both The American Rifleman and Shotgun News, you'll never see a bad word about them in those publications.

bigjack59 · October 6, 2009, 10:56 AM

I was wondering about their Lugers. Just don't know about buying a firearm from someone that would restamp a rifle and sell it with a "certificate". Is anyone out there sure Mitchells has done this? I am looking at this Luger, thinking it is too good to be true. Hmmm....

johnwilliamson062 · October 6, 2009, 11:57 AM

I liked the look of their "tankers." A little expensive considering all the mil surplus options, but I would like to have one. Sorry to hear they have problems.

Drachenstein · October 7, 2009, 07:41 AM

If you want a nice Luger go to Checkpoint Charlie's or the Luger Forums sale section. Mitchell's? No thanks.

madcratebuilder · October 7, 2009, 09:27 AM

Quote:

And the saddest part is that Mitchell's is doing it to Luger pistols now. Oh, and since they are a regular advertiser in both The American Rifleman and Shotgun News, you'll never see a bad word about them in those publications.

One of the reasons I'm not renewing my Shotgun News subscription. Another sign of greed and corruption.

jsmaye · October 7, 2009, 09:55 AM

Give them a break - in this age of declining paper magazine revenue, it's hard to turn down a client who springs for a full-page four-color ad. But I suppose some people would rather they go out of business while standing on someone else's principles.

bigjack59 · October 8, 2009, 10:17 AM

Thanks for the Luger tips! Mitchell's just doesn't look right to me.

Tom2 · October 11, 2009, 08:20 PM

All their ads read like they are targeting the uninformed, the senile, the vast masses that do not know a Mauser from a Marlin. Their tales remind me of some stuff I hear at gunshows from dirty dealers.

James K · October 11, 2009, 08:35 PM

Their ads for the M48's were masterpieces of "not quite" lies. Anyone who wants to know how to deceive the public without actually making fraudulent statements should study those ads.

Jim

Erfurter1937 · October 11, 2009, 08:49 PM

I did not expect much from my $300.00 Mitchells Kar 98 K service select grade and was very happy with the gun. It shoots great. I did not like the polished bolt so I cold blued. GunBroker and GunsAmerica have some nice ones on as well and they are going up in price for a not so great Russian Capture.....Spend some time searching and you will be surprised at what you can find. A vet bring back is going to cost a lot of $$$$$...

Wulfmann · October 15, 2009, 03:44 PM

Mitchell's does not restamp the receiver. They weld over all the numbers on all the other parts, grind them down and stamp the serial number of the receiver on those parts.
They are forgeries pure and simple.

You think you like your clean Mitchell's???? Know that anyone and everyone that knows anything about Mausers considers a Mitchell's buyer and ignorant easily deceived person. Show up at the range and we will be polite but don't expect your opinion to be worth a nickel on gun knowledge.

However, they are safe to shoot and pretty even if wrongly finished.

I have seen people innocently advertising them as all matching all original on GB auctions. Most don't sell but when they do I know someone who is clueless about K98ks has just been hoodwinked and someone else is relieved to have dumped a fake.

Mitchell's makes you believe you don't have to do some research, learn a little something about this important rifle's history because you can trust them.
Bottom line, you can not trust them they sell forgeries for a living.

Wulfmann

zombieslayer · October 23, 2009, 07:07 PM

I think G&A just had an article praising them. A friend has a C&R and everyone I know says stay away from Mitchell's. Just heresay, but the concensus around these parts is just buy one somewhere else. You thinkin of huntin hogs with a Mauser??

gyvel · October 24, 2009, 03:34 AM

And I'd bet my bottom dollar they advertise in G&A, too.

medalguy · November 2, 2009, 10:20 PM

Knowing all about Mitchell's, my son wanted a Mauser he could take out with his friends and shoot at tin cans. I didn't want him to use my nice 98 so I bought him a Mitchell's. We inspected it on receipt and it's everything said here-- refinished, restamped, welded and remarked, etc., but it's clean and headspaced correctly and he wasn't going to destroy my nice Mauser if he dropped it on the rocks.

Well it does shoot well and it's accurate. That's about all I can say good about it.

October 5, 2009, 09:01 AM	#1
hogdogs Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 31, 2007 Location: Western Florida panhandle Posts: 11,069	Mitchell's Mausers Are their items as nice looking once purchased as they are in the advertisements? Brent

October 5, 2009, 01:31 PM	#2
SigP6Carry Senior Member Join Date: August 27, 2009 Posts: 1,086	I've not ordered from them, but from what I've read about them (when I was considering getting a Mauser) was that they overcharge for their guns and restamp their receivers. I'm sure their guns are great and look great, but they are really knocked down from being collector grade by what they do to make them more appealing. You're better off ordering a Mauser or Mauser style gun from a place like AIM, J&G, SOG and Simpson's than Mitchell's, just because you pay less for a more original piece. __________________ -liberal gun nut = exception to the rule- -1.24274238 miles, because Russians don't need scopes- -Gun control was the Klan's favorite law, how can you advocate a set of laws designed to allow the denigration of a people?-

October 5, 2009, 03:03 PM	#4
gunney 67 Member Join Date: July 21, 2008 Location: boise idaho Posts: 77	Mitchell's Mausers Plus they are some of the rudest people I've talked to in this industry. I won't be buying anything from them.

October 5, 2009, 04:33 PM	#5
mp25ds4 Senior Member Join Date: March 6, 2009 Posts: 392	they look as nice in real life as they do in the pictures but you better off looking for a gun on gunbroker.com because you'll be able to find one for a better price. and im pretty sure they refurbish the guns, so if your not worried about collector value then all you have to worry about is price __________________ Liberal Newscaster Katie Couric, while interviewing a Marine sniper, asked: 'What do you feel.....when you shoot a Terrorist?' The Marine shrugged and replied, "A Slight Recoil."

October 5, 2009, 05:37 PM	#6
CGSteve8718 Senior Member Join Date: May 14, 2007 Posts: 798	Yes they do look that pretty, if that is what you want. Collector value isn't knocked down, it is completely devoid. Read about Mitchell's over at surplusrifleforum. I will never buy from them because I actually like history, and they are a travesty to collectors of historical rifles. I have no idea how they are in the BBB with their dishonest ads and why they are advertised on the HC when they do little to preserve it. __________________ "You are fighting for what you can never obtain, and we defending what we mean never to part with." Thomas Paine

October 5, 2009, 02:40 PM	#3
tater134 Senior Member Join Date: August 22, 2009 Location: NE,PA Posts: 390	If youre looking for a pretty mauser Im sure theyre fine but from a collectors point of view theyre worthless.The rifles they sell are refinished and pimp shined and Ive heard that they restamp many of their parts.If youre looking for an original k98 to collect you can get one much cheaper elsewhere.If youre just looking for a shiny shooter then the mitchells should fit the bill.

October 5, 2009, 06:48 PM	#7
Sabot Member Join Date: October 23, 2008 Location: Simi Valley, CA Posts: 34	I wanted to buy one because they look so nice in the picture instead of the beaters that I see for sale on web-sites. Since I live in CA they won't sell directly to a C&R licence holder in-state, so I found one on Gunbroker. The gun looks absolutely beautiful. I don't care about being a purist, i'm very satisfied with my "brand new looking" Mitchell's Mauser.

October 5, 2009, 07:43 PM	#8
Tom2 Senior Member Join Date: June 23, 2004 Location: Ohio Posts: 5,676	I know of one guy that said he bought one a few years ago from them, it had a problem, he sent it back and was at wits end trying to get it fixed and returned. He did not like the dealings he had and disposed of it when received. They just seem too good to be true to me just from looking at the ads. If you want to overspend for superficial redone cosmetics, go for it. You might be able to get a surplus Yugo cheaper and fix it up yourself to look ultra pristine if it does not already, and save alot of cash. __________________ Your gun is like your nose, it is just wrong for someone else to pick it for you!

October 6, 2009, 12:48 AM	#10
SigP6Carry Senior Member Join Date: August 27, 2009 Posts: 1,086	really? I never heard bad things about simpsons, I simply assumed, given how credible they seem, that they're decent. I believe right now they've got a Vz. 24 for around 150-200. Don't know the condition, but I e-mailed them about it was told to call. Still never got around to it. I'll be sure to stop recommending them till I get some first hand. __________________ -liberal gun nut = exception to the rule- -1.24274238 miles, because Russians don't need scopes- -Gun control was the Klan's favorite law, how can you advocate a set of laws designed to allow the denigration of a people?-

October 6, 2009, 08:02 AM	#11
Homer2 Junior Member Join Date: December 8, 2008 Posts: 11	Mitchells will make you feel better by giving you $400 worth of accessories for FREE!!!!11! What they don't tell you is that those same accessories come free from the importer. For the rifles that they don't refinish and force match, they just mark up the price by a few hundred dollars. They won't admit that they refinish or force match these, but there are no 'original matching' Soviet capture k98 rifles. They will give you a certificate that says it is, though. Shop around and you can find dealers that will offer hand pick rifles for a lot less.

October 6, 2009, 10:17 AM	#12
gyvel Senior Member Join Date: August 30, 2009 Location: Northern AZ Posts: 7,172	And the saddest part is that Mitchell's is doing it to Luger pistols now. Oh, and since they are a regular advertiser in both The American Rifleman and Shotgun News, you'll never see a bad word about them in those publications.

October 6, 2009, 10:56 AM	#13
bigjack59 Senior Member Join Date: June 19, 2008 Location: greenville sc Posts: 221	I was wondering about their Lugers. Just don't know about buying a firearm from someone that would restamp a rifle and sell it with a "certificate". Is anyone out there sure Mitchells has done this? I am looking at this Luger, thinking it is too good to be true. Hmmm.... __________________ ALWAYS BRING ENOUGH GUN

October 6, 2009, 11:57 AM	#14
johnwilliamson062 Junior member Join Date: May 16, 2008 Posts: 9,995	I liked the look of their "tankers." A little expensive considering all the mil surplus options, but I would like to have one. Sorry to hear they have problems.

October 7, 2009, 07:41 AM	#15
Drachenstein Senior Member Join Date: November 1, 2008 Location: Elizabethtown, KY Posts: 224	If you want a nice Luger go to Checkpoint Charlie's or the Luger Forums sale section. Mitchell's? No thanks.

October 7, 2009, 09:55 AM	#17
jsmaye Senior Member Join Date: July 18, 2008 Location: Amarillo, Tx Posts: 616	Give them a break - in this age of declining paper magazine revenue, it's hard to turn down a client who springs for a full-page four-color ad. But I suppose some people would rather they go out of business while standing on someone else's principles. __________________ No matter how big and tough you are, when a two-year-old hands you a toy phone you'll answer it.

October 8, 2009, 10:17 AM	#18
bigjack59 Senior Member Join Date: June 19, 2008 Location: greenville sc Posts: 221	Thanks for the Luger tips! Mitchell's just doesn't look right to me. __________________ ALWAYS BRING ENOUGH GUN

October 11, 2009, 08:20 PM	#19
Tom2 Senior Member Join Date: June 23, 2004 Location: Ohio Posts: 5,676	All their ads read like they are targeting the uninformed, the senile, the vast masses that do not know a Mauser from a Marlin. Their tales remind me of some stuff I hear at gunshows from dirty dealers. __________________ Your gun is like your nose, it is just wrong for someone else to pick it for you!

October 11, 2009, 08:35 PM	#20
James K Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 17, 1999 Posts: 24,383	Their ads for the M48's were masterpieces of "not quite" lies. Anyone who wants to know how to deceive the public without actually making fraudulent statements should study those ads. Jim

October 11, 2009, 08:49 PM	#21
Erfurter1937 Junior Member Join Date: September 3, 2009 Location: PA Posts: 10	MM I did not expect much from my $300.00 Mitchells Kar 98 K service select grade and was very happy with the gun. It shoots great. I did not like the polished bolt so I cold blued. GunBroker and GunsAmerica have some nice ones on as well and they are going up in price for a not so great Russian Capture.....Spend some time searching and you will be surprised at what you can find. A vet bring back is going to cost a lot of $$$$$...

October 15, 2009, 03:44 PM	#22
Wulfmann Senior Member Join Date: November 15, 2007 Location: Central Florida Posts: 188	Mitchell's does not restamp the receiver. They weld over all the numbers on all the other parts, grind them down and stamp the serial number of the receiver on those parts. They are forgeries pure and simple. You think you like your clean Mitchell's???? Know that anyone and everyone that knows anything about Mausers considers a Mitchell's buyer and ignorant easily deceived person. Show up at the range and we will be polite but don't expect your opinion to be worth a nickel on gun knowledge. However, they are safe to shoot and pretty even if wrongly finished. I have seen people innocently advertising them as all matching all original on GB auctions. Most don't sell but when they do I know someone who is clueless about K98ks has just been hoodwinked and someone else is relieved to have dumped a fake. Mitchell's makes you believe you don't have to do some research, learn a little something about this important rifle's history because you can trust them. Bottom line, you can not trust them they sell forgeries for a living. Wulfmann __________________ "The right to bear arms should not be infringed upon if only to prevent tyranny in government". Thomas Jefferson, Constitutional debates

October 23, 2009, 07:07 PM	#23
zombieslayer Senior Member Join Date: September 11, 2009 Location: Florida Posts: 3,198	I think G&A just had an article praising them. A friend has a C&R and everyone I know says stay away from Mitchell's. Just heresay, but the concensus around these parts is just buy one somewhere else. You thinkin of huntin hogs with a Mauser??

October 24, 2009, 03:34 AM	#24
gyvel Senior Member Join Date: August 30, 2009 Location: Northern AZ Posts: 7,172	And I'd bet my bottom dollar they advertise in G&A, too.

November 2, 2009, 10:20 PM	#25
medalguy Senior Member Join Date: August 31, 2009 Location: New Mexico Posts: 1,033	Knowing all about Mitchell's, my son wanted a Mauser he could take out with his friends and shoot at tin cans. I didn't want him to use my nice 98 so I bought him a Mitchell's. We inspected it on receipt and it's everything said here-- refinished, restamped, welded and remarked, etc., but it's clean and headspaced correctly and he wasn't going to destroy my nice Mauser if he dropped it on the rocks. Well it does shoot well and it's accurate. That's about all I can say good about it.