I guess this deserves a story.

Probably 4 years ago I had to work a weekend shift and the wife and the kids went out of state to visit family. I got off work that Saturday around noon and figured what other good time to visit the local pawn shops. I know what you're thinking and you're wrong.

I went to the common ones and was driving down a very busy road and a strip shopping mall I saw WE BUY GOLD and then GUNS. I almost kept going but something told me to turn around. I went inside and saw a 12 long gun rack and what looked like a Mauser sticking out from the other AR15s and shotguns. "Can I see that?" I first immediately looked at the price. $250 "Nice!" and I look over the gun. It's a original condition 1914 K98a 100% matching except the bolt. But the bolt was a K98a bolt and it matched itself. "Ok stay calm" I thought and then I asked "What's the best you'd do on this?" the owner told me "$200 out the door". It went home with me...

Fast forward 2 years later a friend off a gun forum of mine text me asking if I wanted a S&W revolver. His friend's dad was selling one. I asked for pics and he sent me some which looked new. I asked what he wanted and my friend said his friend's dad said "Make me an offer". I declined to play the game and said if he could think of a price to please let me know. Several weeks went by and I all but forgot about it. My friend text me asking if I still had the K98a. I said yea and he asked if I'd do a straight trade. So for $200 here is what I got.

Thats a wonderful gun for that price. I would have done that trade too, the 3 inch barrel is a very hot commodity these days. How does it shoot? Enjoy

Never shot it. Previous owner let go of it due to the recoil. Made it half way through a box and put it down apparently. lol

Wow. Very nice trade!

TTHAT WAS A GREAT TRADE, CONGRATULATIONS ! ! !

M629s--ESPECIALLY SNUBS--ARE OFTEN FOUND FOR SALE, WITH A PARTIAL BOX OF THE ORIGINAL AMMO THAT ACCOMPANIED IT OTD, ON THE DATE OF ITS PREVIOUS SALE......

I WOULD SAY THAT YOU QUADRUPLED YOUR MONEY.......

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'Nam 1968-69.DAV,VFW,NRA Inst.

Sooo, how hard was it to hide that grin on your face when you made that deal???? That's an amazing revolver and unheard of deal. Congrats!

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Don't You Ever Wash That Thing

Wow, what a great trade!

As long as the other guy is happy, I say well done!

WOW! Thats some deal!
Jim

Well u have done very well...i love the k98 and really love n frame 3" guns....that should be a keeper for sure....my favorite carry gun is a 3" n frame

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Well, I'm going to take the other side of the story and say OMG what a bad deal.

The 629 is an "ordinary" gun that is still in production, and it has a lock besides. The K98a is one of the rarest of rare Mausers and its over a 100 years old!

My very first gun was a K98a, duffle cut and all. It will be the last gun I ever sell. I only paid $20, but that was a looong time ago. I estimate its current value at about $800.

I dunno what the Smith is worth, probably more than $800, so from a dollars and cents proposition, you made out well. But, it'll be a long time before you could ever replace the Mauser.

The best gun deal is when both parties walk away with a smile on their face(thinking they got over on the other guy.).

I bet your revolver will be a sweet shooter with .44 Specials.

Just picked up the same gun. Nobody noticed it’s a fixed sight gun. Nice find.


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Here are my 629 fixed sight guns.

I wouldn't say it was a bad deal, but in any case the TRADE was not a great deal. The great deal was BUYING the Mauser for $200 in the first place. The actual trade was somewhere in the ballpark of fair value. So you can't say he "quadrupled his money" on the trade, but he did quadruple his money overall. I'd probably trade one of my better NEW guns for a nice Mauser. Still bitter about my mom selling my dads Mauser and P-38 when he passed away, as well as all the Remington pumps he used for everything.

Yep, that whole experience goes in the "win" pile.

As an investment, it was a terrible deal, as the Mauser would obviously appreciate in value more.
However, in terms of current market value between the two, you got the better end of the deal in the short-term.

Personally, as somebody with no interest in holding onto a firearm for decades until it is worth any substantial amount only to go through the headache of attempting to find a buyer who will actually be willing to pay the going rate rather than trying to rip me off, I would have made the same trade with no regrets whatsoever.
I'd rather have a high quality firearm today that I can actually shoot than hold onto an antique firearm which I would be uncomfortable shooting for decades in hopes that it will appreciate in value substantially and that I can actually find a buyer for it when/if that time ever comes.

Congratulations! How can you go wrong with a deal like that? Bob

98k, 😴. This is the S&W forum. Yes the 98k will be worth more in the future. 3” Fixed eight 44s don’t grow on trees and are cool and can be useful. I’d make that trade in a heartbeat. Glad the other guy is happy too

WOW and again WOW!
I don't think I could have kept from shaking doing that trade. Like they say....as long as both parties are happy then it is a good deal. That's all that says you didn't steal the gun. LOL Kudos on the trade.

Lets just put it this way. I didn't believe it was true until I had a FedEx tracking number from him.

A factory ported 629 with fixed rear sight over a K98? I'd do that trade again and again.

Yes, that's what I meant. Not a bad deal, just not a great deal.

Personally, I don't collect guns as an investment. So if they appreciate or not is of no concern. They will all go to my kids, who appreciate them as much as I do. If they sell them for cheap, I won't be here to care.

I have many high quality Smiths that I DO also shoot. It's fun. But my Mauser Kar 98 is also a hoot to shoot. Even after all these years it can still put a hole in the bullseye. Its all matching and the headspace is fine. No safety issues here. The steel is also of high quality. The fact that a WWII soldier actually brought it back after retrieving it after a battle makes the gun priceless. IMHO.

I would have creamed myself for that deal OP... 98K's are smooth and great and all for sure. But I personally don't have a real use for one other than the cool/collector factor. I wouldn't hunt with one as there are better single action modern hunting rifles to do that with... and I favor 7mmMag for that. That short barreled .44mag you can carry as a woods gun, concealed, without scaring the sheeple to death... And you can stoke it with loads against 2 legged dirtbags or 4 legged fury thugs... and it will certainly leave both aforementioned, tits-up! That .44 would bring between $1100-$1200 on GB for what it's worth!