Finished up the duffel cut repair on my K98 Mauser

[David LaPell]

I finally for the Acraglas in this week to finish up my 1944 dot K98. Yesterday morning I took the finished parts as they were ready to go and got the Acrasglas on it. I put three coats of the release agent on the barrel, locked the action in place and taped it together to hold it all in place.

This morning the barreled action separated from the now one piece stock like it was supposed to. I trimmed off the excess very carefully with a very sharp chisel and it came out as good as I expected. I got the gun together, the barrel bands on and a handguard I had, it's not a correct dot handguard, but I want to shoot the gun first to make sure everything stays in place before I go any further. It's not perfect, but it at least looks like a k98 again, it was an interesting experience for my first time at repairing a duffel cut.

How it all began when I got it.

The stock after the Acraglas hardened but before cleanup of the excess.

After the excess was cleaned up and trimmed off.

The gun back together minus the sight hood.

 

[sheepdawg]

One thing about a duffel cut K98k, it's almost a slam dunk surefire sign of a legit bringback if the stock's numbers match the receiver.

 

[Llance]

??? Did you put any dowels in the stock before returning it to original?

I have repaired several guns with a cut down butt stock and i always add a couple of dowels between the parts to stabilize the parts.

 

[David LaPell]

??? Did you put any dowels in the stock before returning it to original?

I have repaired several guns with a cut down butt stock and i always add a couple of dowels between the parts to stabilize the parts.

I used a large metal roll pin that I JB Welded to the main stock along with two smaller pins to keep it from flexing left or right.

 

[Llance]

Good on ya lad

 

[Ruger 13]

How's it shoot?

 

[Glashaus]

I have a 100% matching 1943 BYF 98k that is a duffle bag cut bring back. I bought it back in the late 80's for $395. It was cut in the same spot, had a repair that had failed. It sat in a rack in my gun room for many years. A few years ago , after relocating to Texas, I decided to make new repairs to it, pretty much along the lines that the OP did, turned out real nice. People are faking duffle cut bring backs these days along with fake, "refreshed" Waffenampts, any thing for a buck I suppose

 

[David LaPell]

How's it shoot?

I'm hoping to learn that tomorrow morning.

 

[Bozz10mm]

My Dad brought back a K98K with the duffle bag cut. It is a BYF 45. The stock had absolutely no finish, it was pure white wood. After he passed in 1975, I kinda messed it up by Epoxying the forearm and finishing the stock with Tung oil. The bolt does not have matching serial numbers anyway, so that puts a hit on the value. Not that I would ever sell it anyway.

Dad never fired that rifle. Claimed it might be dangerous due to some rifles being sabotaged late in the war by the slave prisoner labor used to manufacture them. I however, took it to the range a couple years ago. Had to get special permission from the range owner to shoot it because he has a rule of nothing larger than .308.

The thing kicks like a mule from a bench rest. Not so bad from standing off hand tho. Even with the rear sight in it's lowest setting and drawing a fine bead, it shot high. Really high. Like 6 inches high at 50 yards. Windage was dead on tho.

 

[Bozz10mm]

I'm hoping to learn that tomorrow morning.

Looking forward to the range report.

 

[SF VET]

BOZZ. my '44 BYF '98 shoots high too. I recall someone saying they were sighted to just that for some reason. Maybe experience had shown that stressed soldiers did tend to sight low or something. I reload for mine. And that big 8mm does kick hard. I put slip-on butt pads on my vitange rifles that kick hard. I repaired my "duffle-cut" too, with two small brass rods. Fortunately, whomever did the cut used a very thin kern blade. Mine also has a non-matching bolt. SF VET

 

[Bozz10mm]

BOZZ. my '44 BYF '98 shoots high too. I recall someone saying they were sighted to just that for some reason. Maybe experience had shown that stressed soldiers did tend to sight low or something. I reload for mine. And that big 8mm does kick hard. I put slip-on butt pads on my vitange rifles that kick hard. I repaired my "duffle-cut" too, with two small brass rods. Fortunately, whomever did the cut used a very thin kern blade. Mine also has a non-matching bolt. SF VET

I heard that same theory too. That the Germans were trained to aim at the belt buckle. Don't know how true it is. I read somewhere that when the allies captured the many Mausers, that they would disable them by removing the bolts. The bolts were just thrown in a pile, so when a GI decided he wanted a war souvenir, he grabbed a rifle and any bolt off the pile.

 

[AJ]

Most if not all military rifles shoot high at 100 or less. See at where the elevation markings start on your rifle. That should be the "Zero" for the rifle.

 

[sheepdawg]

I've always favored the heavy 196 gr. Yugo surplus The lighter stuff shoots much higher out of my shooter this 37 Sauer & Sohn.

 

[moosedog]

Most WWII milsurps were regulated for 200 meters, so they usually do shoot high at lesser distances.