I figured I would ask here since these are the original darkside rifles...I just picked up a nice non0importmarked K98...

Colt, the current batch of Russian captures are total junk.  I crawled through 18 crates of them at AIM just to find two that I could rebuild into a good rifle.

The condition of the barrels and metal have mostly been good on all that I have seen, but the mis-matched parts, etchings on damn near every part that will need to come off, mis-matched serial numbers etc make them not worth the price. I got mine at dealer cost, and by time I am done reworking them, I will have at least another $150 each into them. [/rant mode off]

Also, stay away from the SS marked rifles.  They were all faked last year in Austria (Damn Austrians .)

Also, the "Concentration camp" marked rifles are also fakes.

If you have a non-import, you have a good buy if in decent shape.

What type of info are you looking for? Makers marks? Waffen Amts? Where they were built, etc?I can guide you to what you need a little better if I know what type of info you are looking for.

BTW, it is German Mauser, not NAZI.

Rot....er.....creep.....er....Jeep - last one of those I saw had a little piece of paper tied to the trigger with $850 written on it!

Yeah, I'm jealous.

Obe

 It's a byf 41 with eagle and swaztikas all over all numbers match except the trigger gaurd, its has a laminated stock in good shape the metal has the gray patinia and it doesnt have an inmport stamp on it anywere..

there are also eagle with a number under it stamps

and some eagles with what looks like "WaA855" stamped on some parts..

i paid $250 out the door, bay be high but i wanted a Nazi K98 especially one with out the electro pencil numbers all over it..I'm happy..

Ok jeep, just rub it in.  Bring it to bulletfest next year so I can bring it home and inspect it for a few years. At least until you are too old and senile to remember that I have it.

Colt, you have a 1941 Mauser production rifle.  It should be of very high quality. They were not loosing  or getting bombed day and night yet.  The laminated stock is standard. In fact, it is much stronger than the Yugo hardwood stocks. I have one with a Walnut stock, but they made only 300 of those that year. They found that when you butt-stroke someone hard enough, walnut does not hold up as well as laminated wood.

The WaA855, and the "eagles with numbers under them" are Waffen Amts. They are inspectors marks for lack of a better translation. The earlier the rifle, the more marks they usually have, but not always.

If it had an import mark, it would be on the exposed part of the barrel close to the front sight.  It wouldn't be hard to see.

I wouldn't worry about the trigger guard not matching. If you really want, you can just replace it with the same type with no number. Just be sure to take note if the edges are beveled or "plain", and replace with the same type.

You got a good deal.  Heck, the lousy Russian rebuilds go for more than that.  Due to the market being flooded with the Russian rifles (that the dealers are now finding to be hard to sell), the price is a little down.  In a few years, it should go up in value quite a bit. In good condition, I wouldn't haggle too much if I had seen that price. In no way did you pay to much.

Hope this helps a little.

Ober, would you say the Russian capture rifles are crappy because of the Russians rebuilding them, or because they are rough late war production?

From what I've seen of German WW2 arms, practically everything made from 1944 onward was pretty rough.  

My dad had a 1944 Spreewerke P.38, and it had tool marks all over, although it was nice overall.  

I had a 1940 Styer manufactered K.98K, but I sold it.  It had all matching numbers except the bolt.  My dad bought it for me at a gunshow after I begged him (I was like 12 years old at the time)for about $100.

No, I am saying they are juk because they were reblued by a drunk monkey, parts were put on at random, not matching the year it was made, and the damn etching is everywhere.
On the two I picked out (the best I could find) head space was so far off, I could have ben injured if I had shot them. The Rusians are capable of FAR better work than this.  The two I picked out were 1935 manufacture, just very poorly ebuilt by some drunk monkey.

Spreework is generaly poor in quality because they started rodction late in the war, and produced almost as many weapons as the other makers who had been building them since the 1930's. Mass production, but little quality. little collecotr value now.

My favorite Mausers are the BYF 44 marked rifles.  They are made so loose, you can shoot anything (not that I would) in them.

I dunno, I haven't seen the Spreewerkes go that mutch lower then the others.  My collector book suggests that many are willing to pay pretty well for them in order to have representative guns, not just nicely made ones.  

You know, I'm surprised you don't have a Gew/Kar 43.  You should get one.  

My "shooter" P-38 is a Spreework. Many people I know  use them for shooters or for blank adapting as well.  Many collectors have them just to have one from that factory, but overall, quality is quite poor. I have seen several that could not be made to work no matter what when there was nothing obviously wrong. I have never seen one go for more than $350 for a nice one.

As for the G-43, and other German weapons, you would be surprised.  I do have a pair of seqeuntially numbered Walther mader G-43's in the very low three didget range. My paper work just cleared on a Barretta MP-38A, I am in the process of picking up a ZB-26, and have other more rare Axis weapons siting nicely in a safe.
G-43's do not hold up all that well for what I use them for, and the price increase in them recently makes then safe queens anyway.

All-in-all, I like my Mauser K98.