What in the world has happened with these things? Going through GunBroker I was seeing non matching Russian captures going for as much or more than non matching GI bring backs. What has spurred this nonsense?

Supply, demand...

How do you define non-matching GI Bringbacks?

Bolt mismatches are hitting $1k often now...

98k's have gone through the roof...and the sheer numbers of humped guns out there because of it is astonishing...

I was going off the descriptions on GunBroker to define them. I saw a couple that were listed as mismatched with no import marks, so I am assuming that they were GI bring backs, that went for $600-700. Then there were Russian captures for $850+ and a Mitchell's Mauser that went for over $1000.

Well , they have gone through the roof with supply and demand and have been steadily creeping up over the last 10 years or more. I don't get the Mitchel Mauser deal, other than people with more money then sense , but that would be similar to any auction house.

If I was just looking for a Kar98k to fill a void ,I would look at a Yugo rework as they seem to be more reasonable than the Russian refurbs these days.

And , there would be noway a serious collector would pay more for a Russian Refurb than an original bring back unless for some reason that refurb is a rare example.

For me I stopped buying some years ago when a number of "dicked with " stuff kept popping up all over the place and it became harder to recognize some of the fakes. I'm good with what I got and have slowly let go of a number of items over the last several years.

Good luck

Mines is an AR 1941 made RC.

Hell I'd trade mines for a M1 Garand.

The Yugo reworks are certainly the most reasonably priced of the various K98ks on the market.  Postwar Czech K98ks are a bit more, but still relatively reasonably priced on the secondary market.

I had a bunch of rc's and sold all but one . Easily got $650 or more for rare marked ones like BSW and even had a MO marked one that was super rare. They were a good investment.

Agreed, I have one RC and it's fantastic as a shooter and neat piece to look at/research. I love Mauser K98K's, one was my first center fire rifle and such a cool legacy. My lgs has a clean yugo, should have picked it up but I have a good rifle and barely the time to shoot it. Shew

I just bought this one today for $500. I think I got a good deal. Its unfired since coming into the US.

F138C2E2-71A4-4036-8846-1A0348105823 by Austin Scott, on Flickr

4D497A2E-0B37-43C6-850C-4417D80AF700 by Austin Scott, on Flickr

Looks solid, you going to shoot it I hope? :)

Yep I wouldn’t pay high dollars for any now.   Might be tempted if I stumbled into a “been in my deceased husbands closet since before we were married in the fifties”

Totally will. I shoot everything I own, at least a little.

Excellent, same here!

I paid equivalent of $650 for my RC with a early bayonet. $300 plus a yugo m48.

Worth it to me because the bore was mint with everything fit together nice.   A lot of k98s are pretty rough.