I have, what I think is a German Mauser 98K. It has 1940 stamped on top of it along with 337…whatever that means. The number 3746 stamped every where along with the Nazi bird stamped in several places.
It appears to be in awesome shape and working order for being 66 years old but I’d like to find out more about it but I don’t know what questions to ask. Does anyone know anything about Mausers that can help me?
Your rifle was made by Gustloff Werke in Weimar.
I’d really like to take a look at that thing.
I’d suggest Law’s “Backbone of hte Wehrmacht” from Collector Grade publications.
http://www.collectorgrade.com/bookshelf1.html
www.gunboards.com is one of the places to go for C&R stuff.
http://www.gunboards.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=118159
You might also try the C&R section of AKForums.
You’ll probably have people try to take it off your hands…
I’ll try and get some decent photos posted this weekend. If you want to see it in person we’ll try and arrange something like coming up and shooting one Saturday.
I realized I don’t have the cleaning rod but this thing looks like it’s ready to go; run a patch down the bore and hit the range.
BTW, what caliber is this thing?
Should be 7.92x57mm (8mm Mauser), unless someone rebarrelled it.
Stay away from Turkish surplus, but Yugoslavian and Romanian surplus is fine.
It’s all corrosive though.
If you don’t want corrosive ammo, pony up and pay the money for the Sellier & Bellot 198 gr. FMJ, it’s beautiful stuff.
So I guess you’re suggesting that I shoot this thing? 
The serial numbers on the barrel match those on the receiver and everywhere else so I doubt it’s been re-barrelled. I have to tell you that the thought of cleaning this thing up is intriguing.
I’d check the headspace and shoot the hell out of it, yeah.
What’s the story on this thing?
I don’t know yet and I wasn’t planning on asking until I figured out how much it’s worth
It was my FILs and somehow it ended up here at my house. They (BIL & MIL) dumped a pile of crap on me after he passed away and we started clearing out the house to get ready to sell. There’s a bunch of shotguns and stuff and I found this in there.
While I can’t say for sure yet I’m wondering if the MIL’s Uncle could have brought it back from WWII with him. We have his original issue Colt 1911 that he wore while serving as an officer in the Army so I’m wondering if this was his as well.
I have to be careful the BIL doesn’t try and claim it.
Two words.
Hide.
It.
Don’t let the BIL get his hands on it!
No doubt! I’ll hide it or sell it and buy a new Glock before he gets it 
Honestly, I don’t think the MIL would let him take it any way. His wife is WAY out in left field…but that could be a thread under its own topic.
I’m going off fuzzy memory here but I believe 8mm mausers used two different bore dimensions. There was a .323 bore and maybe a .319, but again, I’m fuzzy on the details. The thing to watch out for is to make sure you don’t launch the larger diametr bullets down the tighter bore, that would be bad juju.
Something about a “J” designator perhaps? Is this ringing anyone’s bells?
Pre WWI 98’s were .318/.319 and were the “J” rounds. The rifles were rebarreled to .321 andthat’s the “JS”.
Anything produced WWI-> is going to be the “new” diameter round.
I cannot wait to see this baby.
I’ve been thinking about buying a 98K for years. I have even bid on a few over on Gunbroker.
Sorry, I can’t show it to you. 
I think these run about 99. new, don’t they---------
I am far from an expert on Mausers but own one that my great uncle brought back from WWII. It has been my family’s behind the seat meat gun since the 40’s!
They are excellant rifles!
Get the headspace checked by a smith, buy a cleaning kit and take it to town. Finding one these days is getting harder and harder especially with matching numbers. The yugo’s are good rifles as well but rumors abound about the Serbs messing with them when they were manufacturing them for the Krauts back in WWII.
Im not sure if they still carry it or not but PMC used to have a 196?grain soft point that was Minute of Mule Deer to 300 meters.
Get some pics up brother!
Damnit!
The MIL knows about it and the other one that is here in the pile. :mad:
She mentioned that her sisters husband wants one of the guns that are here but she’s not sure which one. There’s a sweet little Winchester 9422 here as well that I’d like to keep for the son and a few very nice shotguns that I could use for shooting clay at Lafayette but…
I’ll have to see how it works out but the 98K has now been marked 
It would be a shame if it got temporarily misplaced. :eek: