[mline5]

A friend of mine recently received a Mauser 98K from his grandfather. There are some interesting markings on the rifle but it does not say what caliber it is. Can anyone help with caliber and general idea of its worth?

Markings are;LEFT SIDE Mod 98. Also there is what appears to be a German eagle stamped in front of the serial #9481 as well as on the barrell itself. ON TOP there is a large CE and a 43 below it. ON THE RIGHT SIDE appears to have a 280 or a 200 extremely small. Can't quite make it out. Rifle seems to be in great shape. Barrel is clean with no rust. Very interested in some basic history and approximate value.

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[stalkingbear]

98k

IF it's original caliber and has NOT been rebarreled or rechambered it's a 8 mm mauser(7.92x57mm). 98k rifles are usually worth 100-175 depending on condition,manufacturer,and exact model. If yours is a special model it may be worth more.

 

[MrRemmy]

Hello mline5,

The rifle your friend has, was manufactured by J.P. Sauer & Sohn Suhl in 1943. It should have a cupped buttplate, although i have seen k98ks that year and later, with the early style flat buttplates. If you can, try to read some of the WaA markings, as these will tell you who did the final checks and proofing of the rifle. You can find these markings on most of the metal and wooden parts, and they are a very small Nazi eagle with WaA and a number. If the 280 on the side of it is a WaA marking, which i'd say it is, then it was test proofed and checked by J.P Sauer. 326,535 of these particular rifles were produced, so it is not one of the rarer examples, but if it has its original sling, cleaning rod and matching numbers, i have seen them up around the $600 mark. Hope this helps

 

[marysdad]

mrRemmy has it right. An all-matching, original finish Kar 98k should bring at least $600. These WW II bring back rifles are far scarcer and more sought after than the recent Russian-capture Kar 98k's, which bring either side of $250.

 

[c3shooter]

As the guys said- unless rechambered, should be in 8mm Mauser- but prudent to have a gunsmith check it- many GI "bringbacks" DID get rechambered- which puts collector values in the toilet. For more info on your rifle, go over to www.surplusrifle.com, and hunt up Mauser 98. Very nice rifles. BTW, good site for info on a LOT of milsurp firearms.

 

[sdthom4]

KaR 98 Information

I'm also looking for some help and information on a KaR 98 and hope that someone can tell me a little about the rifle.

We have a WWII Model 98 in original condition brought back by my fathers Uncle in 1945. Family lore has it that he shipped several home in the bottom of his footlocker. They have been in our family's possession for over 50 years and I first handled them in the 1970's when my father received them (so I can attest that these are not recent aquistions or something that was captured at Stalingrad)

The rifle is in working condition (its been fired) with original finish and as far as I can tell original stamped parts. My dad thought that the rifles where of Czech manufacture late in the war. Which fits the story because at the end of the war my fathers Uncle was near Pilzen. But it could have come from anywhere.

Stamped on the Upper Receiver is MOD 98
SWP 45 with Wermacht Eagle and Swastika
Serial Number is 81606a not sure about any WaA numbers.

Sorry my mother gave me the numbers over the phone (she is over 70 and doesn't know where to find all the data).

Appreciate any info on the firearm

Thank you in advance

 

[12point]

I.D mauser help

I have a mauser . It has M16 308w spain on the barrel. can anyone tell me what type of gun it is . what ammo to use. I just joined this forum cause you guys sound like you know what your talking about.

 

[Gene L]

I have a mauser . It has M16 308w spain on the barrel. can anyone tell me what type of gun it is . what ammo to use. I just joined this forum cause you guys sound like you know what your talking about.

Sounds like a 1916 Spainsh Mauser. They were converted to 7.62 in the 60s.

 

[12point]

mauser

Sounds like a 1916 Spainsh Mauser. They were converted to 7.62 in the 60s.

can I use store bought 308 loads in it.

 

[Gene L]

Well, a lot of them were marked.308, but that civilian ammo is quite a bit hotter than 7.62 NATO, although they're identical dimension-wise, or near about. I wouldn't shoot .308 ammo at all.

It's basically a 1893 action made for the 7mm Mauser, and upgraded in 1916. I think the modification that year was basically installing a recoil lug in the stock. You'll hear it said that it was chambered for the 7.62 CETME round, a lower-power version of the 7.62 NATO round, but I've never seen any of that ammo.

Google 1916 Mauser and there is lots of info on it. Some shoot the 7.62 NATO, when you could find it, some do not. No one I know shoots .308 from the rifles.

Mine is in very good shape...paid $125 for it just after Christmas. But I got a deal. It's marked in very small letters near the muzzle ".308" but that's a mark that was made by the importer, not by the Spanish government. I advise against .308s strongly.

Another tid-bit: these rifles are generally known as "Guardia Civil" rifles, and some are marked that way. When they were converted to 7.62, Spain was not a member of NATO, so the ammo didn't have to comply with NATO standards. Now they are, of course, but they don't use them any more.

The 93 action is a two-lug action without the safety lug of the 98, and they were tested to 7mm Mauser levels, about 45,000 CUP or PSI, whatever they used to measure pressure back then. NATO pressures are around 49K and .308 pressure is around 53K, if I remember. The one I have has a healthy gas escape hole in the action on the left side in case of failure of the case head.

 

[stalkingbear]

He could use the factory "reduced recoil" loads put out by Remington & Federal in .308 with no problemo.

 

[Gene L]

I didn't even think about that possibility! I almost never buy factory, and reload my own stuff (except for Mil surp ammo.)

I load for mine with a 150 gr. bullet at about .300 Savage levels or below. At about 2400 fps. I mostly shoot paper with mine.

It's about a foot or more high at 100 yards. Needs a taller front sight.