A guide to German K98 captures

[Luftwaffe 1941]

I thought I would create a guide to help other collectors identify the many types of German K98 rifle captures. As we all know a 100% matching 'Vet bring back' K98 rifle can command premium prices in today's market. Because of this, collectors like my self are forced to go down other avenues to get a K98 rifle. The most common alternative is to buy a 'captured' K98 rifle. What is a captured K98?


'captured' is a term given to certain K98 rifles that show evidence of being captured/surrendered at one point in time, and used by a nation other then Germany. These nations acquired their K98s from German forces leaving them behind during WW2, or capturing them during combat with German forces. Almost every nation refurbished, or modified these rifles in their own unique way.

In this guide I will break down each example by nation, and show the key characteristics they exhibit. I will also give all the history behind each example too.

I hope this guide will be of use to other collectors!


I kindly ask that no one comment as im going to be adding to this guide in sections. Once I announce that the guide is finished, comment as you please.

Best regards- Jarret

[Luftwaffe 1941]

Russian capture

Probably the most common, and talked about capture K98 is the Russian capture. After the second world war, or as the Russians refer to as "The great patriotic war" the soviet union ended up with TONS of German WWII weaponry, and equipment. Among the weapon spoils they obtained from Germany were millions of K98 rifles. These were all acquired from the vast operations, and battles on the eastern front. These rifles sat in storage for at least ten years after the war untouched, and it wasn't until the height of the cold war when they would be pulled out. Obviously not every rifle captured from the war would be in functioning condition. So instead of repairing each broken rifle, a total refurbishment process was ordered for every rifle. Rifles were broken down in batches to their basic components, and inspected for functionality. The broken parts were separated from the functioning ones, and I assume the broken parts were most likely scrapped. Every functioning metal part was re blued a dark almost paint like finish, and the stock/hand guard was crudely brushed with red shellac. The waffen nampt eagles that retained a swastika were almost always defaced. For some reason the capture screws, cleaning rod, and sight hood were disregarded. Most likely these parts were scrapped too. After this process the rifles were reassembled with no regard to matching numbers, and tested for functionality. If the rifle functioned with no issues, it was then forced matched. This was done by crudely scribbling the rifles serial number from the receiver on various parts with an electro pencil. The serial number was also stamped into the rear section of the stock. The final addition added to the rifle was an (X) stamped into the receiver. This shows it passed inspection, and it is now soviet property.


It is believed these K98 rifles, along with the rest of the captured WWII weapons were refurbished in an effort to arm civilians within the soviet union for a possible war. Obviously this war never happened, and the refurbished weapons were packed back into storage. As Russian weapons development progressed, the soviet union didn't have much use for these aged guns. So the captured weapons were sent to other communist nations as a form of aid. The most notable of these nations to receive this aid was North Vietnam. Once again these WWII era firearms would see action, and once again U.S. forces would face off with them in battle. Although many of these captured weapons were sent off as aid, a good amount still remained in storages in Russia. These remaining weapons were pulled out of storage after the soviet union fell, and imported into the U.S. to be sold. This included the K98 rifle.

Initially the Russian capture K98 wasn't viewed as a collectors item in the U.S. Especially when compared to the all matching 'Vet bring back' examples. I believe the last batch of surplus RC K98s arrived into the U.S. around 2011-2012, and they were selling for around $250-$300. Today in 2018 if you want to buy a RC K98, you will have to buy it from a private seller. The going rate for an average RC K98 today is around $650-$800. As with anything surplus, once the supply dries up; the price greatly increases. The price of a RC K98 greatly depends on the manufacturer, and if the swastikas are intact. More collectors are starting to realize these are indeed collectible rifles, and they are buying them as an alternative to the more expensive 'Vet bring back' rifles.


A typical Russian capture


Note the distinctive RC finish, and capture mark (X)


K98s captured once again in Vietnam

[mauser9]

Good info and enjoyed the read Luftwaffe. Had one BYF 44 myself that was a total mix-matcher but swastikas remained unpeened. Could have been Romanian capture. Found it at an LGS when the imports were flooding over in the late 90s. Imported by C.A.I on underside of barrel at top. Again thanks for the post.

[lithgow]

Part of the reason for retaining the various German weapons in store was that the calibres they used weren't Soviet standard types but were quite common in most other parts of the world-7.92 x 57mm and 9mm parabellum meant that if you supplied the weapons to guerilla clients such as the VC, they would be able to use captured supplies of ammo, a common tactic-similarly, weapons stockpiled in the Soviet Union were also intended to be used by the behind the frontline Partisans in the same way that had proved effective for them in WW2. able to use captured supplies. In any case, both World Wars had shown the Soviets/Russians the fact that you could never have too many arms available in an emergency!

[Luftwaffe 1941]

Part of the reason for retaining the various German weapons in store was that the calibres they used weren't Soviet standard types but were quite common in most other parts of the world-7.92 x 57mm and 9mm parabellum meant that if you supplied the weapons to guerilla clients such as the VC, they would be able to use captured supplies of ammo, a common tactic-similarly, weapons stockpiled in the Soviet Union were also intended to be used by the behind the frontline Partisans in the same way that had proved effective for them in WW2. able to use captured supplies. In any case, both World Wars had shown the Soviets/Russians the fact that you could never have too many arms available in an emergency!

Thanks for adding that very helpful info!

I apologize for not adding any new additions to this guide yet. Kind of waiting for the issues with the forum to be resolved first. I'm planing to add Yugoslavian captures next.

[Luftwaffe 1941]

Yugoslavian capture


Soon after WW2 Yugoslavia was desperately trying rearm its military forces in fear of a possible cold war era conflict. The Yugoslavian government was faced with a lack of funds, and turned to a temporary solution for rearming the nation. Many German K98 rifles were left behind in Yugoslavia after WW2, and a good amount were also captured by Yugoslavian partisans during the war. These captured rifles were refurbished in the late 40s, and reissued to the Yugoslavian military. The Yugos were VERY thorough with the refurbishment process of these rifles. Each K98 was completely scrubbed of its Nazi era markings. Unlike other nations that just removed the Waffenamt marks that retained a swastika, Yugoslavia removed every German marking except for the rifles designation of 'Mod98' The Yugoslavian crest was stamped on top of the receiver, and replaced the German manufactures code. On the left side of the receiver 'PREDUZECE 44' was also stamped. If the rifles barrel was too worn out for service, a new one was manufactured. The stocks were sanded, and refinished. If the stock was damaged, a new one was manufactured. On some examples the stocks will be shortened about 1/2". It is a bit of a mystery why these stock were shortened. After the refurbishment process, the rifle was tested for functionality. If it preformed without any issues it was then given a new serial number, and forced matched. This was done by stamping the new serial number on various parts including the bolt, and stock. These captured rifles saw limited service before being replaced by the Yugoslavian manufactured M48. It is believed some of these captured K98 rifles were used along side the M48 during the Balkan crisis of the 1990s in a sniper set up.

The Yugo captured rifles were among the last German K98s to be imported into the U.S. I believe the last time they were on the surplus market was back in 2014. In my opinion these are the least desirable German K98s. Although they were originally manufactured by Germany during WW2, these rifles lost most of their value due to the extensive refurbishment process they underwent. Some Yugo capture K98 owners have reported after disassembly they were able to find a few waffenamt markings that were missed during the refurbishment process. Some even claim to see faint evidence of the original manufacturing codes when held in the sunlight.

I would recommend getting a Yugo capture K98 if you want a decent shooter, and you are not worried about the collector value. If you have a Yugo K98, You have the joy of firing a German WW2 K98 without putting the miles on a more collectable rifle.