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...
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...
