Mauser 98 with Nazi Proof Markings WWII ??

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dw

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Any Mauser guys on Here? I think what i have is a WWII Nazi "dot" 1944 Code 98K Bolt Action Rifle. late war, 98K rifle as manufactured by the Waffenwerke Brunn A.G. in BRNO. The top of the receiver is marked with "dot" the wartime code for Waffenwerke Brunn A.G. in BRNO, over an "eagle 63" Waffenamt, over "1944". The left side of the barrel and receiver have the Nazi Eagle firing proof with the serial number and "eagle/63" on the rear of the barrel only, and the side wall has the "Mod 98" markings. Now the stock has been cut so i know that hurts the value just trying to get an idea on price. Thanks in advance







 
There are some on gun brokers.com that may help. Generally, the nazi marked ones are worth the most, especially without import markings. Unfortunately, the cut stock makes it anyone's guess. I'm pretty new here and to Mausers as well, so there are definitely far more knowledgeable ones on this forum. The above however, is what I've concluded from trying to determine the value of mine.
 
Condition heavily weights the value. Next is all matching serial numbers. Then rarity of maker.

DOT, BRNO, is pretty common.
It's missing it's front barrel band and bayonet lug... no longer matching (even if the rest of the parts match, it's incomplete).
Although the overall condition looks good from the photos, it appears to have suffered some neglect in storage and has developed scattered rust.
And the stock...

If the rifle were all matching, all together in the condition the photos appear to relay, it would be valued somewhere between $700-850.

In it's present condition I would estimate the value to be about 50% of that.

Finding a replacement stock and the missing metal is not that difficult. However, the investment in parts can't be fully recovered as you'd be hard pressed to get more than $600 for a mismatch, restored.
 
And since it's dated 1944, check the headspace. Anything built after 1942/1943 sometimes had deliberate faults built in by the slave labor in the factories.
 
There's also a problem of typical war time manufacturing in Germany of those days . Mine is an Oberndorf '43 all matching numbers . I sporterized it and used it for years as my deer rifle.:)
 
In 30+ years of buying, selling and collecting German small arms 1900-1945 I have yet to see one example first hand of sabotage by forced labor. I have also yet to speak with any reputable advanced collector that has seen an example of sabotage.

To my knowledge no example of sabotage by labor in the German small arms factories has ever been verified or documented and the few stories that have been traced back to 'first hand accounts' have remained unsubstantiated.

Right up until the last few days of the war, arms and munitions manufacture in the Third Reich underwent rigorous inspections along every step of the manufacturing process by the Heereswaffenamt (HWA), German Army Weapons Agency, with representatives in each factory witnessing the manufacture and attesting their thorough inspection and acceptance of parts, sub-assemblies and final assemblies with the application of their individual WaA 'Waffenamt' acceptance stamp.

I've come to the conclusion, as have many, that the stories of the sabotage by forced labor are just that... stories. Either propagated in allied propaganda or by the former slaves themselves as a way of justifying their labor.

The Reichswerke Hermann Göring, as the BRNO facility was known from 1938 to 1945 had been producing Mauser rifles for Germany since 1924 when a substantial portion of the Mauser factory technicians and machinery from Mauser Oberndorf am Neckar were relocated there as a result of the Versailles Treaty.

Granted, as the war progressed materials and skilled labor became scarce, machine tools wore out, efficiencies in the processes were instituted and the quality of the arms deteriorated, but at Reichswerke Hermann Goring, except for the occasional air raids, it was pretty much business as usual.

The Brno facility never ceased production. After liberation on April 26, 1945 they continued to produce and refurbish Mauser rifles for years to come. They continue to manufacture weaponry today.
 
not sure, but the barrel looks a little short, anyway like was said earlier ,once the stock was cut you're committed as far as not having a matching number rifle that's done with . I love the complete custom ones ,glossy exotic hardwood with custom polish job Aka a safe queen . A good action like that is worth about $300. Anything that you could get for the cut stock or a" maybe cut" barrel would just be extra. You do have the makings of a really great custom rifle capable of lasting a lifetime with amazing accuracy. Good Luck ............LOUD
 
In 30+ years of buying, selling and collecting German small arms 1900-1945 I have yet to see one example first hand of sabotage by forced labor. I have also yet to speak with any reputable advanced collector that has seen an example of sabotage.

To my knowledge no example of sabotage by labor in the German small arms factories has ever been verified or documented and the few stories that have been traced back to 'first hand accounts' have remained unsubstantiated.

Right up until the last few days of the war, arms and munitions manufacture in the Third Reich underwent rigorous inspections along every step of the manufacturing process by the Heereswaffenamt (HWA), German Army Weapons Agency, with representatives in each factory witnessing the manufacture and attesting their thorough inspection and acceptance of parts, sub-assemblies and final assemblies with the application of their individual WaA 'Waffenamt' acceptance stamp.
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While not familiar with Nazi German inspection practices i've met more than a few people that seem to think that the slave labor rifles were more stringently inspected due to sabotage concerns.
People like to talk all tough but when they shoot a fellow prisoner for sabotage because they are thoroughly inspecting parts, more than a few people will pursue courses of action that will minimize their risk of getting shot in the head.
 
As far as the alleged sabotage, I rely on articles from the 1945-1950-ish period. My father also commented on some of the potential bring-backs which were pretty junky looking. (His weren't. :)) Odds are that modern collectors have never had an opportunity to see junk; it all went away long ago.

Not knocking collectors, but knowing variants and factories and such doesn't necessarily mean a strong knowledge of metallurgy and machining.
 
Not knocking collectors, but knowing variants and factories and such doesn't necessarily mean a strong knowledge of metallurgy and machining.
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That is a good point. A lot of the stories I've heard of sabotage were things that would get by inspection. Things like mixing the concrete wrong while building the bunkers in Normandy or canted sights on otherwise functional rifles.
 
Go back and look at the very first photo. I've seen many 98s which had a much finer finish, without the obvious tooling marks or rough surface.

My uncle was a gunsmith. Post-war, he did numerous re-barrelings of 98s. His personal pet was a 98 action with a Gebby Varminter barrel.
 
I worked the sporting goods section of my local dept. store in high school. I remember selling the nazi marked 98 for $40-$50 and we even had some nazi eagle stamped ammo, maybe a buck fifty for 20 rnds loaded on stripped clips, IIRC.

I only remember selling two. We didn't sell many guns anyway, and what we did sell was mostly shotguns. If i had known they would be worth something, I might have bought a few....
 
looks like a fine specimen for restoration, the barrel appears standard from that photo, the Mosin above it has a 29" barrel making the Mauser look cut down,
but I don't think it is. Sporter is always an option, but the supply of German war relics has diminished tremendously in the last 20-30 years. My vote is for restoration!:cool:
 
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