Left Handed K98k Replica

Leadslinger585

Left handed K98k build on a Yugo M70 Mauser-type receiver by Mark Lammers of LOSOK Custom Arms http://www.losokcustomarms.com/

8mm Mauser
New Lothar-Walther barrel
Unertl 4x Hawk Scope on Leupold mount & rings
.5 MOA (supposed - I requested .5 MOA accuracy when I commissioned the build, I'm skeptical that it would shoot that well.)
Reddish stain (applied by my father) with boiled linseed oil finish





HUGE shot of the bore. This was the best picture I could get of the rifling, sorry it isn't better:
http://i.imgur.com/GOHPFmP.jpg?1

What's your opinion on value? It's fun to shoot but heavy and hard on the shoulder. I'm debating "sporterizing" it, otherwise I'd sell as-is.

Opinions?

Thanks!
Jay

rufe-snow

I would try to sell it "as is", on the auction. It's a shame that all the money that was put into customising it, can never be recuperated though.

Rather than taking the big financial hit on what was spent on customisation. Shoot it with either reduced power, loaded down, 8mm Mauser ammo. Or use a slip on recoil pad, to make it more pleasant to shoot.

In the military type configuration it's in now. It's at least 2+ lbs to heavy for any type of sporting use. If you think it kicks hard now. Sporterising it would realy make it ugly, IMHO.

Leadslinger585

What price do you think it'd sell for? Or rather, if you were to put a "buy it now" option on the listing, what would be reasonable?

rufe-snow

quote:Originally posted by Leadslinger585
What price do you think it'd sell for? Or rather, if you were to put a "buy it now" option on the listing, what would be reasonable?


Like I said before, your likely to lose a mint unloading it. Even with the Unertl. I don't see you getting more than $400, out of it.

Leadslinger585

quote:Originally posted by rufe-snowI don't see you getting more than $400, out of it.


Hmm. Hope not. Before the economy went to poop I was offered $600 for the action alone.

Thinking I might just make it a sporter with a thick rubber buttpad since I got about 1k rounds of the M75 ammo.

Biggest issue for me would be taking out that hood that holds the rear of the top handguard on. Dremel tool?

rufe-snow

quote:Originally posted by Leadslinger585
quote:Originally posted by rufe-snowI don't see you getting more than $400, out of it.


Hmm. Hope not. Before the economy went to poop I was offered $600 for the action alone.

Thinking I might just make it a sporter with a thick rubber buttpad since I got about 1k rounds of the M75 ammo.

Biggest issue for me would be taking out that hood that holds the rear of the top handguard on. Dremel tool?



Believe the hood your referring to is part of the rear sight. After removing the tangent and it's spring. Use a propane torch to melt soft solder. Drive rear sight forward using brass drifts. If you can't get it past front sight. Carefully use abrasive fiber cutting saw in Dremel. To remove it.

Leadslinger585

Think it might be worthwhile to pull the rifle apart and sell the parts, keep the receiver and build something else?

beantownshootah

This makes me want to cry. You didn't try firing a right handed Mauser before commissioning this thing to get some idea what the recoil was going to be like?

You spent so much to do the build, and its such a nice looking piece IMO it would be "crazy" to try and sporterize it. I'm with Rufe. If you find the recoil too harsh, then either put on a slip on recoil pad, or load up some reduce power loads. That fixes the problem and keeps your nice rifle.

Selling? Very tough to put a value on something like this, because demand is going to be pretty low. I think to the RIGHT buyer you could get $600 or even more, especially if the thing actually is as accurate as was claimed. Match quality barrel has to be worth something, I think, and if you have paper proof of good grouping, that can't hurt!

Put it this way, I certainly wouldn't take LESS for this than decent quality Russian capture K98s that are going for $400-$500 now.

Yeah, you could part it out, but do you really want to? If you can find another lefty who likes it, straight up trading it for something else might be a reasonable alternative to outright selling it.

charliemeyer007

I think it's a nice rifle. Any sub MOA rifle ought to be worth more than $500 to a shooter.

I would expect it to have a good chamber and as such would work well with a Lyman 310 tool and their cast bullet 323470. Almost zero recoil and in some rifles tack driver results.

sandwarrior

Don't sell it, don't trash it, and don't think it's a collectors piece. I don't know where you got the idea a left-handed Mauser is going to be a collector piece.

FWIW, the Mark X action is a very nice action, but not a collectors piece either. It never has been. They are Post WWII civilian manufactured. Again, very nice, but not collectable. So, stop worrying about "collectability".

It's one thing if you genuinely have something historic and consider it collectable. It seems like the "collector" mentality has hit every kind of firearm ever made. I've had to do a physical hydraulic lock on myself to keep from rolling my eyes out of my head when I heard someone say once, "Don't modify that Remington 700..."

Put a limbsaver/pachmyr recoil slip on pad on it and shoot the M75 Yugo stuff. You'll love this thing. It's going to be a great shooter for you.

spec.4

Try a custom fit brake. the one slip on the barrel and lock in the bayonet lock.

or do what the Swedish Mauser 96B has on them. You can get cap that goes over the threads.

Just another thought.
As a lefty, I would offer $600 for it. but I am tape out on cash right now because of the projects that is going on.

Spec.4