98k GI bringback 1944 dot

[FabMan]

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I just bought this from an estate and they stated it was brought back from the war and has
been with the family as long as they can remember. Supposedly the laminated stock was cut to make
it easier to bring it home. There are no import stamps and all of the metal parts look original.
Has a great bore and is mechanically good. Bolt doesn't match other serial numbers.
My son said I should leave it alone(war trophy) but it is funky looking.
Should I try to restore it or leave it the way it is?

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Strictly your call. Do you want to restore it to as-issued military condition, or use it as a sporting/hunting rifle? The rifle isn't too rare, and parts aren't too hard to come by. If you want to restore it you'll need a new front band with bayonet lug, middle band with provision for a sling, and a top hand guard, and a new stock. As long as the barrel hasn't been cut a restoration remains an option. Mismatched numbers rule it out as a prime collectable, but collectable nonetheless. These are great cast boolit shooters and great hunting rifles.

[bob208]

they were called duffle cut. the stock was cut under the band so it would fit in a duffle bag. I put more then one back together.it is easy if you have all the parts.

[FabMan]

Thanks for the comments. I don't need a sporter and would like it original.
However a stock and parts seem expensive. I would like to keep the original stock
with it and possibly splice a chunk of laminated wood to it. I doubt I could match it up that good tho.

[Multigunner]

With a mismatched bolt I'd as soon leave it as a minimal sporter. Its a conversation piece as is and would be a good loaner or bad weather gun.
If you ran across a good stock set later on at a reasonable price you could always change your mind.
I've occasionally run across badly busted milsurp stocks broken at the wrist that could be donors for a fore end.

A friend kept one much like this in his outhouse, just in case. Black bear occasionally came down to try to kill his calves and one killed a large stray dog there ripping it in half.
After that he kept a couple of cheap milsurps loaded in truck , tool shed and outhouse to be within easy reach.

[FabMan]

I'm torn between respecting it as it is(a soldier picking this up in Germany and going thru the effort to bring this back)
and restoring it original like I would want. If I could keep the stock original, add a chunk of wood and buy the appropriate
parts that would be a nice middle ground.

[LAGS]

I would venture to say, that very few rifles were picked up from the actual Battle field, and then lugged around by some GI then brought home.
From the stories my fathers friends told, they would pick up a rifle , Bayonet or helmet when they knew they were being pulled off the line.
They would take those back to base camp, and trade it to the guys that were stuck in the Rear with the Gear.
So they never actually brought back the rifle they pried out of some dead soldiers hands.
Then when it was time to ship the troops back home, they said there were piles of rifles and other german stuff piled up for them to pick thru and take home and the rifles came with capture papers.
But I respect the things that the troops brought back, but the best thing is the stories of what they actually went thru to make it home.
Them holding their War Thropy, made the story all that much better.

[Hardcast416taylor]

I still kick myself 20 years later for not paying the `ransom` like cost of a friend for his Grand Dads bring back Ariska with all accessories (small nippon flag, bayonet, sling, ammo carriers and ammo) for $400. The neat thing about the rear sight was the fold out pieces to aid the shooter is `leading` his shooting at aircraft. The claim was that it hadn`t been either shot or handled since bringing it home.Robert

[Adam Helmer]

FabMan,

In Spring 1945 many German soldiers came running down the road EAGER to surrender to Americans in preference to the nearby Soviets, according to my Uncle in Patton's Third Army in Czechoslovakia. The GI's routinely disarmed the Krauts, tossed the rifle in the left roadside ditch and the bolts in the other ditch. Hence, you have MANY mismatched 98ks.

Adam

[bouncer50]

I would venture to say, that very few rifles were picked up from the actual Battle field, and then lugged around by some GI then brought home.
From the stories my fathers friends told, they would pick up a rifle , Bayonet or helmet when they knew they were being pulled off the line.
They would take those back to base camp, and trade it to the guys that were stuck in the Rear with the Gear.
So they never actually brought back the rifle they pried out of some dead soldiers hands.
Then when it was time to ship the troops back home, they said there were piles of rifles and other german stuff piled up for them to pick thru and take home and the rifles came with capture papers.
But I respect the things that the troops brought back, but the best thing is the stories of what they actually went thru to make it home.
Them holding their War Thropy, made the story all that much better. My dad told me about the Japs weapon after the battle on a island. The pile up the Rifles if you wanted one take one. My dad said the prize weapon was the sword. Because the GI were told the rifles were junk. He said they took the bolt out of the rifle on the ship no live ammo either. No live Grenades either they toss them over board. The ship was about safety. He also told me about the Japs tap Grenade how many duds they seen. He said you walk a long path around them.

[Texas by God]

Last year a friend brought a type 99 Arisaka over for me to inspect &bless for shooting. He showed me the capture papers with his stepfather's name on them. It got oiled and put up, never fired on US soil. I scolded him for buying "Hotshot" ammo for $40 a box but he fell for the gun show sellers grift. Anyway, after checking headspace and running a brush thru the bore, I sighted thru the barrel mount peep at a 1/2" targ dot at 40 yds- and hit it dead center! I handed him the rifle back-and 2 dollars!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[Der Gebirgsjager]

FabMan-- whether or not you can "stretch" the stock by piecing in a piece of wood from a donor stock is going to depend on exactly at what point the stock was cut. You'll have to compare it to an un-cut stock to make the determination. The joint should be beneath the middle band to be invisible when the rifle is assembled. If it was cut right at the very rear edge of the band you might also be able to make it work, but it would be better if it was centered beneath the band. I've restored several Krag rifles that way, a couple using just a piece of walnut, inletting it and shaping the outside to look right, and a couple of others using a pre-made piece. Sometimes I've drilled matching holes in the mating ends of both pieces and used a dowel and Accraglas gel, other times I've used Brownell's stock repair pins, usually 3 in a triangular configuration, again making corresponding holes in the ends of the wood pieces and using Accraglas gel. It's a good repair, invisible when the rifle is assembled, and even hard to see with the band removed, but easier to see with the barrel removed. You are correct that the most difficult part might be in matching up laminated wood, but you might get lucky on this, and it's funny but the band kind of distracts the eye from noticing a difference in grain. My honest opinion though is that you'd do better just finding a replacement stock. They're around. Try Gun Parts Corp. and SARCO for starters. I have two K98k rifles in my collection and the stocks aren't numbered on either one.

[LAGS]

I have added a piece of forend back on a couple of mil surps.
I drilled out the cleaning rod hole on both the stock, and the doaner section.
Inserted a piece of tubing that had an inside diameter that fit the cleaning rod, and the tube made a hollow dowel to support the added piece.
Like what was said before, if you can make the splice under one of the barrel bands, then all you have to worry about is the grain and color being somewhat close

[FabMan]

Thanks again for the advice, much appreciated.
I ordered a stock with the hardware from Classic arms.
Wish me luck with that! I ordered it before they were sold out as
others had the same stocks and they are out.
I'm still going to try and repair this stock and buy the hardware.
This new stock will be used if all else fails.

[Hardcast416taylor]

My brother said at wars end in Europe that many small streams were literally dammed up from rifles and other gear thrown from cross bridges or from the banks into the waters. Also was the large amount of SS clothing and quite a few naked dead peasants next to them.Robert

[rmark]

My father in law had the same experience in the Pacific, just told to pick out a rifle from the pile. However he picked out a bolt action sporting shotgun to bring home.

[keyhole]

I would venture to say, that very few rifles were picked up from the actual Battle field, and then lugged around by some GI then brought home.
From the stories my fathers friends told, they would pick up a rifle , Bayonet or helmet when they knew they were being pulled off the line.
They would take those back to base camp, and trade it to the guys that were stuck in the Rear with the Gear.
So they never actually brought back the rifle they pried out of some dead soldiers hands.
Then when it was time to ship the troops back home, they said there were piles of rifles and other german stuff piled up for them to pick thru and take home and the rifles came with capture papers.
But I respect the things that the troops brought back, but the best thing is the stories of what they actually went thru to make it home.
Them holding their War Thropy, made the story all that much better.
----------------
just to support what you are saying...
I have a Luger pistol and holster my dad bought during the war in Europe from a U.S Army Sgt. My dad said this Sgt had a whole foot locker full of German pistols. When he and my mom were married in London in early 1945 he gave it to her as a wedding present. There were no consumer goods available, so the Luger was the best thing he could come up with. Even into her 90's my mom never got over how she received a gun from her new husband as a wedding gift.
The point here is that my dad certainly did not take the pistol and holster off a dead German. It was bought behind the lines from another American soldier.

[FabMan]

My 98K stock arrived today from Classic Arms. A laminated stock in good condition. Metal part are good but have no markings on them. Stock and handguard have 4 digit numbers stamped on them. Lots of grease and dirt that needs to come off. The stock that came with it was cut an inch shy of the sling band. Too short to hide a splice. I have my doubts its a German stock, but it's a Czech "dot" Mauser and should look decent when its done and should be a good cast shooter as the bore is good.

[LAGS]

The Numbers can be raised on the stock and then sanded out and restamped using steam or an Iron and wet towel.
So there is a chance you can have something that LOOKS Original, but just Re- Armored.which many of the rifles were at the end of the war.

[Plate plinker]

leave it alone. If you need a spotter just by a new gun.

[FabMan]

The numbers are half an inch in size and by the butt plate on the left side. They look deep and the wood fibers look crushed/cut. Not sure they will steam out. I heard the Russians stamped these, however there is no shellac on it? We took it to the range today and after making sure it was safe I let my 16 year old try it at 50 yards. Shoots 4 inches high and 4 right, but his group was around three inches with Turkish ball ammo. Those sights are for the young!

[1Hawkeye]

Don't worry about the bolt number matching as long as the head space is good. It was common practice later in the war for the germans to ship the rifles on one train and bolts on another in case of resistance or partisan activity. That way they weren't arming them instead of there own troops.