I got my K98k back and the gunsmith said it has the best head spacing on a Mauser he has ever seen. So I feel a lot better about putting some rounds down range. On Nov 11th me and my wife are going shooting for her birthday so I bought 80 rounds that I will send downrange.
If anyone needs more pictures or would like more pictures lets me know.
Need? We WANT! more pics of your rifle...
Anyone have any advice on polishing my K98? The butt plate is in desperate need and I may take off the blue from the bolt and bolt handle.
I also want to lightly sand the stock to get rid of some minor scratches. After I do that what should I finish it with?
Polishing? No, as the Mauser only shined in performance, not in appearance. By that I mean, they were clean, but not "pretty" Clean with mineral spirits (metals and wood), and oil down the action with an oil of your choice.
Thank you for your suggestions!
Please understand I have no intentions of ruining the history of this gun. I just want to make it shine like it once did. I want to leave the dark spots on the stock that was put their by the sweat of whoever was carrying it. I just want to give the gun respect and give it the respect it deserves. The metal butt stock cover needs to be cleaned and I want to bring a little more shine to it. Also someone re-blued the bolt after it was captured and then re-stamped by Yugoslavia. So I am trying to bring as much of the originality out as I possible can.
Thank you for your suggestions on refinishing the stock! I am doing everything I can to get rid of the cosmoline out of the stock. I am using mineral spirits and wiping it on liberally and then rubbing it off. Then I will let it sit in the sun for a few days and go back to the mineral spirits.
Today I took it apart and checked the clearance of the barrel. All but one step of the barrel is free floating, the step nearest the bayonet lug is in contact with the wood. However, after researching free floating a Mauser it is highly recommended to keep that step in contact with the wood. So I am really happy with that!
In 10 days I will be taking the gun to the range with 80 rounds and see what it can do. I am most worried about the barrel, so we will see how she does.
Note here, that anything you do to change the current appearance of the rifle will change and or remove the history of the rifle. If you are okay with that, then here is what I do to some of my older rifles:
All metal is cleaned with mineral spirits, and oiled down with Rem Oil. The stock is also cleaned with mineral spirits. In your case we will need more images to better give advice on how to re-finish the stock... is yours a laminate stock? If so, clean it well with the mineral spirits, and the oil with boiled linseed oil or something similar. Laminates are pretty good about supplying their own color and character, and oiling them will help to preserve it. There are many different ways to oil a stock, here is what I do, which may not be the norm:
Apply oil by hand and rub into stock. Let oil sit for 30-minutes and then wipe the excess off. Wait a minimum of 24-hours before applying the second coat... repeat as needed or until the stock takes on no more oil (does not look dry). Note here, if go with any linseed oil, you MUST! remove any excess, otherwise the stock surface will get "gummy" from the excess oil and that is yucky... If this happens, wipe down with mineral spirits and start over.
My one and only K98 had an awesome stock. I cleaned it and oiled the stock once...
The metal I just cleaned and oiled as desribed... the finish was 0% and looked awesome...
As I mentioned before, I felt the rifle was haunted, so I sold it...