Description

Only 29,712 known to have been made!

If you’re wanting a 1945 or just a late war Kar98k for your collection, this could be it.

Having arrived as part of our latest import from the US & in mint but not all matching condition we have a scarce late war Nazi ‘Semi-Kriegsmodell’ K98k manufactured in the Waffen Werke Bystrica factory in early 1945 as indicated by the dou.45 on the receiver ring. Our description of this rifle as a ‘Semi-Kriegsmodell’ is supported by numerous indicators including the inclusion of the takedown washer on the butt, retention of the bayonet lug deleted, welded barrel band, reduced numbering of minor parts, stamped components & overall finish. Full Kriegsmodell variants lacked the bayonet lug & takedown disc but whatever parts were available at that desperate time were used.

These are referenced on page 254 of the Kar98k bible, “Backbone of the Wehrmacht’ by Richard Law, a well known & highly respected researcher of Kar98k’s & author (see photos).

As Germany was losing ground in Czechoslovakia, Allied bombing targeted strategic railroad interchanges & road junctions near Brno & Povazska Bystrica. As a result, Brunn 2 in Povazska Bystrica was cut off from Brno & most of the supply chain. This would greatly affect Brunn 2 output, as they depended on Brno for finished bolt for K98k production. As a result, a good amount of finished rifles & unfinished barrels & receivers were stuck in Brunn 2 as the Germans evacuated Czechoslovakia.

With just 29,712 of these guns known to have been produced in total representing less than 1% (just .212%) of total Kar98k production, this particular rifle is also remarkably collectable due to the excellent condition of the rifle & the fact that most dou.45 rifles were captured by the Russians as they advanced into Czechoslovakia. This rifle displays no observable indication it was a RC & it came from the family of a US WW2 veteran who took it home as a war trophy.

Judging by the low S/N, we believe this to have a January 1945 production.

Correctly, there is a mix of stamped & milled parts with just the floor plate being milled (not uncommon). The overall rough finish is correct for the late war Kriegsmodell configuration.  The bore is excellent as is the rest of the rifle as can be seen in the photos. The rifle appears to have been issued & seen service as there is evidence of this on the stock although the finish on the metal is excellent (see photos) & the correct WaA80 proof mark is clearly visible on the receiver ring above the Mod. 98 stamp which correctly is displayed on the ring instead of the side as with all other Mod.98’s.

In collector circles, these dou.45 coded rifles are highly sought after due to the very limited number produced & the attrition rate plus, many ended up as RC’s. Ask any collector & you will hear the same response…even if it was an RC, any dou.45 is a highly collectable Kar98k & would make a great end cap to any serious 98k Mauser collection.

There are many things about this rifle which make it an excellent acquisition for any collector but if you are a serious Kar98 collector, you will jump at this because you know this is an extremely rare sub variant of an collectable rifle.

We are offering this rifle as a collectable piece of military history & acknowledge the grievous atrocities committed by the Nazi regime & some of its military, particularly toward the peoples of occupied territory & the Jewish population in Europe. In no way do we condone or glorify the Nazi regime which must be remembered for the vile stain on human history that it was.

We think we have described it accurately & correctly but do not claim to be infallible so if we have got anything wrong, it is unintentional & are happy for feedback from people who know more than we do.

Whilst we check these out for serviceability, the warranty has expired & this is sold on an ‘as is’ basis. As with all used guns, we recommend you have this checked by a suitably qualified person prior to shooting.

We have a pretty unique refund policy on our collectable guns whereby we will refund your money if it is not as described when you receive it. Just let us know before you decide to send it back.

Standard cost for shipping is $55 & all guns are sent via StarTrack.