A sneak peak at my latest project...BCD 4 K98k.

I've still got several hours of work left to go, so this will only be a quick peek at my current project. I picked up this BCD 4 code rifle last week. Unfortunately it had been neglected and left in what was likely an attic or garage. There were cobwebs, dead insects, egg sacs, and varying degrees of rust throughout the entire rifle, the worst being on the buttplate and triggerguard. The stock band spring, bayonet lug pin, cleaning rod, and front sight hood were all missing as well. On the positive side the rifle was all matching with the exception of the front band which has been replaced with an earlier version...I'm hoping to find a more correct unnumbered band and other missing parts this weekend at the Tulsa show. The laminated stock and handguard are both serial matching, but unfortunately the stock has a couple delamination cracks at the tang and in the interior trigger area that will require repair (no cracks or set-back at recoil lug area thankfully) and the handguard was likely loose and has been bedded to the barrel with clear expoxy. That being said, the price was only $150 and some change after tax which is a drop in the bucket for a K98 that hasn't been reworked by a non-German country. Everything is cleaning up well and the rifle should be a nice piece in the end...it even looks to have a nice barrel with minimal wear. This is only my second Mauser and my first K98 so there is an overwhelming amount of information to try to learn about these rifles. The K98k variant is something that I have always wanted but shied away from due to the high prices and the minefield of fakes that come along with those values.

Here are a few before photos from my cell phone showing the rust on the triggerguard and buttplate as well as some after photos. I have soaked the parts in Kroil and then used Balistol, a brass bristled brush, and a Big 45 frontier metal cleaning pad (bluing safe) to remove the rust.


Triggerguard before:









Triggerguard after:









Buttplate before:





Buttplate after:







More pics and updates to come...

 

Thanks guys...it's just extremely slow going with the cleaning process. It's a decently sought after rifle and I don't want to do anything to hurt the value any more than it already has been. I have the barreled receiver basically finished as well. Thankfully there was no pitting, just some minor discoloration to the blued finish in the areas that the rust was present. I just need to plug the barrel and let it soak in Hoppes for a little while. There's no rust in the bore so hopefully it will be a little easier cleaning from here on out. I have the rest of the rifle disassembled and soaking in oil...not much rust on those parts either so she should look respectable again soon. I just hope that I'm able to find the needed parts tomorrow in Tulsa.

Not sure what I'm going to do with the rifle yet. Although I like the K98k's, Mauser's typically aren't typically my cup of tea so it may end up getting sold or traded for a U.S. service rifle at some point in the future.

 

Local pawn shop here in OKC. The Tulsa show was a bust for parts so the search continues.

 

Yes, I believe that I've found a correct band spring that matches there. The later front bands seem to be a little harder to come by than the earlier milled H bands. In all honesty I will probably just leave the missing cleaning rod and sight cover alone...seems that they are frequently missing and it's tough to find anything other than repros offered for sale. I haven't checked Gunbroker in a few days, so I need to look there again as well.

 

Thanks for the heads up. If those are original German hoods, the price is a steal...about 1/3rd or 1/4th the going rate if you can find 'em.