K98 rifle bring back from Nam.

[WWIIBuff1945]

I have a deal in the works for this cool K98 rifle brought home by Major Donald E. McQuinn from Vietnam. The sling is being held together by fishing line and there still is mud in the butt plate. Major McQuinn served in the Marines and retired in 1971 after serving for 20 years. His post-military career was a author and he has written a number of fiction books. There are the only pics I have right now. I'm not sure if I'm going to leave the taped bring back papers on the stock or take them off to preserve them. I really hate to remove them as they have been there for 50 years but they are starting to get brittle.

IMG_0614.heic

[gwb123]

Perhaps photograph the document in place, and then remove. 

[manayunkman]

Do you know any details like the maker, year, matching number etc?

 

When was the document taped on? 
 

Very cool piece and good luck with the negotiations.

[WWIIBuff1945]

21 minutes ago, gwb123 said:

Perhaps photograph the document in place, and then remove. 

I thinking about that! Thanks!

[Bodes]

13 minutes ago, manayunkman said:

Do you know any details like the maker, year, matching number etc?

 

When was the document taped on? 
 

Very cool piece and good luck with the negotiations.

Bandspring is missing and the "H" band is on wrong....Better pictures are needed but the triggerguard looks to be stamped while the rest of the parts machined....This would indicate put together or a weapon that had replacement parts added to it...Bodes

[WWIIBuff1945]

IMG_0618.heic   Not matching. I'm having trouble with some additional pics.

[WWIIBuff1945]

3 minutes ago, Bodes said:

Bandspring is missing and the "H" band is on wrong....Better pictures are needed but the triggerguard looks to be stamped while the rest of the parts look machined....This would indicate put together or a weapon that had replacement parts added to it...Bodes

Thanks Bodes! Your description certainly describes a VC weapon.

[WWIIBuff1945]

Its a bfy 42. I'm having trouble loading some additional pics I received.

[dave peifer]

i'd leave the document in place.................dave

[USCapturephotos]

There was just an original color slide on Ebay of a captured VC weapons cache that included some German k-98s. I was the under bidder sadly. I used to collect k-98s years ago and it was not unusual to see machine parts mixed with stamped parts on some late war rifles. Also if it made it to the VC it might have come from the Soviets or East Germans.

Paul

[Bodes]

2 minutes ago, WWIIBuff1945 said:

Thanks Bodes! Your description certainly describes a VC weapon.

Describes a Russian capture at least and the 'X' on the receiver certainly indicates this....Interesting the swastika on the receiver doesn't look pinged out....Bodes

[Bodes]

6 minutes ago, USCapturephotos said:

There was just an original color slide on Ebay of a captured VC weapons cache that included some German k-98s. I was the under bidder sadly. I used to collect k-98s years ago and it was not unusual to see machine parts mixed with stamped parts on some late war rifles. Also if it made it to the VC it might have come from the Soviets or East Germans.

Paul

"H' bands in general are early and would be odd to be found on a late war rifle....Bodes

[agate hunter]

Great bring back, seems a lot of bring back Vietnam rifles all have that salty jungle look to them.

[USCapturephotos]

38 minutes ago, Bodes said:

"H' bands in general are early and would be odd to be found on a late war rifle....Bodes

Odd but I don’t think impossible.

[doyler]

4 hours ago, dave peifer said:

i'd leave the document in place.................dave

 

agree... seen a French MAS locally I should have bought but seller was playing games. Had the documents attached to the stock the same.

[doyler]

Great looking rifle. I passed on a bring back rK98 35 years ago for 4100 and regret doing so. 

 

The band being "wrong" is really irrelevant especially in this case. The finish matches or blends with the rest of the rifles condition and looks to have been part of the riffle for its service life after WW2.  K98s have been seen in VN  When the French were there post WW2.  "If" this was a Russian capture from WW2 then funneled into Vietnam to the North who knows how many thing were changed or replaced at some point for what ever reason. The value here lies in what it is as a historically captured rifle with papers and not as correct or incorrect  matching rifle. 

[Cap Camouflage Pattern I]

12 hours ago, manayunkman said:

Do you know any details like the maker, year, matching number etc?

 

When was the document taped on? 
 

Very cool piece and good luck with the negotiations.

The paper was taped on when the soldier was taking it home from Vietnam, that was one of the approved/suggested methods.

[Bodes]

9 hours ago, doyler said:

Great looking rifle. I passed on a bring back rK98 35 years ago for 4100 and regret doing so. 

 

The band being "wrong" is really irrelevant especially in this case. The finish matches or blends with the rest of the rifles condition and looks to have been part of the riffle for its service life after WW2.  K98s have been seen in VN  When the French were there post WW2.  "If" this was a Russian capture from WW2 then funneled into Vietnam to the North who knows how many thing were changed or replaced at some point for what ever reason. The value here lies in what it is as a historically captured rifle with papers and not as correct or incorrect  matching rifle. 

I was referring to it's relevance only as a wartime (WW2) item....Forum member manayunkman was curious as to whether/not the weapon was all matching....To the anal collectors of WW2 weapons, factory originality means a big difference when it comes to value and interest involved....When a weapon has post WW2 ties, the sliding scale will often adjust for this....However, it can also open up a Pandora's box when it comes to fakery....Bodes

[Bodes]

14 hours ago, USCapturephotos said:

Odd but I don’t think impossible.

K98k bands are one of the items whose evolution grew from pre-war to late war production....Starting with the machined 'H' band....Than the machined front band minus the 'U' shaped cuts....Than the raw, unmachined front band also minus the cuts....Than lastly the sheet metal ones....The trigger guards and floorplates also went from being machined to sheet metal stampings....These are often found interchanged between stamped guards and machined floorplates....But not on an original factory 1942 dated rifle as the one shown here....Bodes

[USCapturephotos]

Yeah bodes I’m familiar with all of those types. Also the various “snow” trigger guards etc.

Paul

[BryanJ]

Nice rifle!  My vote is to leave the capture papers right where they are.  The papers are probably more secure on the rifle, rather than trying to get them off and running the potential of damaging them further.  Also, if the rifle was mine, I’d never shoot it, so what difference would it make if the papers stayed on the stock.  Also, if that’s they way it was brought back, it’s only going to be in that state once, and I believe taking the papers off would reduce the value.  

[Cap Camouflage Pattern I]

2 hours ago, BryanJ said:

Nice rifle!  My vote is to leave the capture papers right where they are.  The papers are probably more secure on the rifle, rather than trying to get them off and running the potential of damaging them further.  Also, if the rifle was mine, I’d never shoot it, so what difference would it make if the papers stayed on the stock.  Also, if that’s they way it was brought back, it’s only going to be in that state once, and I believe taking the papers off would reduce the value.  

I agree entirely 

[iron bender]

This rifle should be kept 100% as is. It's a bring back as is. WW2 history has nothing to do with this rifle at this point, other than being built in the 40's in Germany. Leave the papers in place. This is a once in a lifetime find.

[WWIIBuff1945]

I'm leaving it as is!

[WWIIBuff1945]

Received the rifle yesterday and here are some additional pics.