The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

Not the old purist view on reproductions , "How many more times "
Many shooters enjoy military rifles and especially snipers ( when your eyes start going)
I definitely agree in the purporting of reproductions as authentic is wrong, but there is also a definite requirement for reproductions or else only the very few could enjoy the aspect of sniper shooting. There are many Mosin Nagant / Enfield / Springfield / P14 reproductions out there also
Where do Pedersoli and Italian Pistol reproductions come into the argument.
I like others assume that they are all reproductions and would not pay the silly money that is asked, but in any event I would prefer a good shooting reproduction to a clapped out original I am a shooter not a collector and shoot my rifles for what they are, and enjoy them.
On another note I have just seen somebody selling an all matching K98 that had obviously been receiver scrubbed and re-stamped in the most crude way. ( probable old Yugo ) Caveat Emptor as they say and take a knowledgeable friend with you when buying.............

The eternal prob is that a shooter's conversion to a sniper version "destroys" a good original matching K98 from a collector point of view... can't have a cake and eat it
I am currently sitting on a splendid TGF K98 1950 (post war Czechoslovak made) et a period Pecar scope . I originaly got both with the very idea to have a "sniper" made but the collecteur in me is still reluctant to even play with that post war rifle ... I know, I am silly ...

froggy wrote: I know, I am silly ...

Not in this particular instance.

Granted - if one has a nice rifle with matching numbers and even "sought after" stamps - then it makes sense to keep it original.

In the "wrong" calibre and no matching numbers etc - it gets a rifle back onto the firing point and being used !

Indeed - IMO only not matching donnor should be considered for that type of conversion without loosing any sleep , but that is only my very personal view. I bought my Finnish M39 already wrongly postwar scoped with a PU and it had "arsenal/post-war" new wood. I love it as a "shooter", but I would have never done it myself...

Good to see a common sense approach to the question of sniper conversions now being advocated on the forum.
With the cost of decent K98s now rising exponentially the cost of getting a decent one let alone the further costs of conversion
make it out of the range for the majority of most shooters.
I can remember in the not too distant past when very presentable Russian capture rifles were £170 and a decent Yugoslavian
German scrubbed K98 was £125. Perhaps I should be on the grumpy old mans forum "ho hum"

Mauserbill wrote:I can remember in the not too distant past when very presentable Russian capture rifles were £170 and a decent Yugoslavian
German scrubbed K98 was £125. Perhaps I should be on the grumpy old mans forum "ho hum"

I can remember further back still going on holiday to Dumfries & Galloway and dropping off in Adams (??) Punt Guns in Annan to buy some suprlus 7.92X57mm Portuguese ball - a few hundred rounds worth.

"You know ..." said the proprietor ..."Only a couple of years ago, we'd have given you a free KAR98k with that amount of ammo." I was gobsmacked. "A free rifle?" "Yes .... but I didn't say anything about rifling being included in the deal!"

Mauserbill wrote:Good to see a common sense approach to the question of sniper conversions now being advocated on the forum.
With the cost of decent K98s now rising exponentially the cost of getting a decent one let alone the further costs of conversion
make it out of the range for the majority of most shooters.
I can remember in the not too distant past when very presentable Russian capture rifles were £170 and a decent Yugoslavian
German scrubbed K98 was £125. Perhaps I should be on the grumpy old mans forum "ho hum"

I've just missed out on a decent 1937 K98.

80+ year old club member who I got on well with, decided not to renew his soon to expire FAC (after almost 50 years holding one) but didn't say anything to the general membership in terms of selling his stuff off - just announced it had all gone the following month
He had a lovely '37 dated K98, all matching which he'd owned since the mid 1970's, and which he paid £30 for.....

Mauserbill wrote: Will require reproof ! on completion.
Mauserbill

Only if you sell it.

So - if one was putting bases on a modern 30.06 rifle, how many screws per base would be deemed enough to cope with recoil ( steel rings and smallis aluminium scope )

And what size screws ?

On the repro mounts m3.5 is used as similar to original. But not enough without solder apparently.