1939 98K All Matching Rifle

[dramos]

Don't worry, I will probably just sell this salty bayo and put it towards a nice matching 39 dated one.

You are right about the rifle, I am happy to own it! Many thanks to you and your knowledge!

[tailor marc]

Are the bayo's numbers ment to match the rifles numbers?

[mauser9]

Nope never heard of matching bayo's to individual 98s. Thanks for the added pics

[Larboard]

No such thing, but it should match the scabbard, although I've seen vet bringbacks that didn't.

[ziomanno]

Are the bayo's numbers ment to match the rifles numbers?

I saw just once a bayonet matching the rifle, but it was a 1941 Portoguese contract K98, so it could be just an exception, specifically made for this specific production.

[dramos]

A rifle made with a matching bayo/sheath set, now THAT would be a find!

[Larboard]

Portuguese contract is a very interesting thing indeed, for the Germans to have provided weapons to another country at this time is unusual when you think about it... they also had Portuguese contract "Black Widow" P.08 Lugers (made by Mauser Obendorf) in 1941 or '42, that being the last year they ever made Lugers for the German army, unless you count Krieghoff Lugers from Suhl (Luftwaffe contract) but that is a totally different animal than Mauser's wartime production pieces.

[ziomanno]

At that time the Portuguese Government was a Third Reich's partner, if not friend, and provided strategical raw materials (tungsten) to the German war machine. One of the "quid pro quo" was the supply of weapons, as you stated. You're right it sounds strange, considering that in '41 Germans were deeply involved in the invasion of USSR; and, actually, it is documented that some Portuguese contract K98's were diverted to the Wehrmacht and ended to the Eastern front: years ago surfaced, from the bunch of RC rifles, some K98's, bearing the Portuguese crest ("F" and early "G" block, if I remember correctly).

[mauser9]

Yes interesting indeed ziomanno. Collecting these 98ks seems like a science. There is much to know and the novice can get burned bad especially with all the fakers out there. These rifles sure are commanding large sum of cash these days depending on condition and matching parts. Even R/Cs seem to be drying up in many areas.

[Larboard]

The real money is the snipers of course, and that's where the real fakery exists... I don't hang out on the 98k forums like I use to, but a guy can post a 100% legit looking sniper version just to have it picked apart, like a very good SS cap. You or I can't tell, but the guys that own the real ones can.

Thx for the history lesson Ziomanno. I never knew much of the Portuguesa involvement with the Third Reich, so this opens it up a little bit. I remember the Portuguese contract rifles surfacing as RC, and not too long ago, there was seemed to be a quite a few of the Lugers on the market too. They are interesting because they are exactly like a "Black Widow" Wermacht issue P.08, except that the finish was a dull black, like parkerizing, ultra black in fact, even blacker than the "Black Widow" pistols which had a late war blue (salt?) that was almost black, but still a blued finish.

Here's a link with a brief history, read all the way through for some planned operations in the region that never happened.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portug...g_World_War_II

Another interesting bit of firearm lore from the same region is the Astra 600 pistol shipments to the Reich, and what happened to the last one...