Value of K98

[ndking1126]

I have a coworker who is offering a K98 for sale. He couldn't tell me much about it because he won it in a raffle drawing. He says it's in really good condition looks brand new, and he's never fired it.

Assuming its not-numbers matching, not a WWII original or anything else special, what would be a fair price?

Sorry for being very vague, but going out to see it would be a time-consuming process, I'm looking for a little baseline information.

 

[emcon5]

Anywhere from $250 to $20,000.

Russian captures in decent condition seem to be going for around $300. A GI bring-back, depending on the condition, codes and whatnot could be several times that.

 

[44 AMP]

you can't put a valid price on what you don't know

And the 98 Mauser is probably the most produced bolt action rifle on the planet. The Kar 98k is a specific variant, and your friend may not be identifying it correctly. 98k is a rather generic term, applied to a lot of "short" 98 rifles. And "short" is also relative, but in this case it refers to shorter than the Gewehr 98 infantry rifle, with its 29" barrel.

The markings on the gun are important to identifying it, and the condition is important to judging the market value. An ultra rare variant, in thrashed condition may be worth more to a collector than a pristine example of a common rifle. And vice versa to someone who is only interested in how it looks and shoots.

Get more info and we can be of more help. Sorry, but thats reality.

Guns that went through the Nazi administration will be marked with Nazi proofs. They may have been made much earlier, or made during the Nazi era. Guns that were made earlier and did not go through Nazi hands will have different markings. And be aware that sometimes, the markings are fakes.

You can get a new made 98k from Yugoslavia, made on "german machinery", virtually identical to the WWII rifle, mechanically. Not worth the same as an actual historical artifact.