From the August, 2001, issue, pages 205 - 207.

By Marion Mericle

The two 98k's I am talking about are both dot 1945s serial # 521 and 6555a. Rifle #521 is one that I purchased at the Cobb County, Jim Miller Park, gun show, on 12/02100 from a customer -Mr. Kercher. He saw the gun at the Cobb civic center military show, a few weeks before on 12/02/00. A retired military friend from Dothan, Alabama, brought it to the military show to sell and did not sell it. Mr. Kercher told me about it and said he was going down to Dothan to hunt birds with his friend that had the rifle. He said he would bring it back to title Jim Miller Park gun show, if I was interested. Of course I was and he brought it to the show. I looked at the rifle and although I had never heard of a Croatian marked 98k, I have read (heard) of Croatian marked P-38's or Lugers. From the person that brought it to me, the man he got it from, and the story, I had a good feeling about the rifle. Mr. Kercher said the retired military friend said that he travels to -Europe a lot and the rifle is extremely rare. I talked and showed the rifle to several people knowledgeable on military rifles at the gun show and, although they too had never heard of a Croatian 98k, they had a good feeling about the rifle also. The rifle had a $475.00 tag on it and I ended up giving $400.00 and a 98k sight hood for it. About a hour later a collector came to my table to pick up a 98k I had saved for him and I mentioned the Croatian 98k to him. He said he had one and described it to a "'T" before I got it out of the case to show him and also said it was extremely rare. Now to the second rifle, #6555a: I had decided to sell my other dot 1945 I had in my collection, so, when I got home Saturday, I looked for it to bring it back Sunday to sell. Rifle #521 was a new, all matching, mint rifle and #6555a was a mismatch import. When I looked at the rifle it was a Croatian 98k also. With this import 98k, it proves beyond doubt the Croatian 98k is not a fake. The third world countries that last owned the rifles didn't care what marks were on the rifles; they only cared that the rifles would shoot. The importers don't care how they are marked either as they sell them out of a pile at a modest price. When I examined this rifle before I put it in my collection, I noticed one strange thing about it: It had a lower case "a" not a capital "A" as the articles say should be on dot 1945 98k's. The articles also say a Czech standing lion firing proof should be on the barrel and ring, not-Nazi eagle firing proofs and all dot 1945 rifles are post war assembled. I thought the Nazi firing proofs had been blanked out, like the Romanian import rifles. I wrote rifle #6555a up in "The Military Rifle Journal" 6/1998 issue, page 139, and in the "Karabiner Collector's Network" 7 & 8 1998 issue.

Now to describe the rifle. #521 is an almost new rifle, all matching. The stock has the no takedown washer, with a hole in cupped buttplate, with the upper stock standard with band spring, bayonet bar and cleaning rod. A lot of post war Czech stocks are like this but wartime stocks were like this also and two are in Law's "Backbone," page 220 and 240, picture's # 4 and 5. The man Mr. Kercher got it from and the collector that purchased the 98k band from me described the rifle as a Croatian overstamp. If you look on the independent Croatian flag today you will see a checkered shield in the middle of the flag. This is what is overstamped on the gun. It looks like something round was stamped first (originally?) on the rifle and then the Croatian checkered shield was stamped over it where the firing proofs are normally stamped on the receiver, barrel, and back of the bolt handle root. (The round and Crotian shield are not stamped as clear on the bolt, but are there.) The rifle has all type 1945 parts with upper band, lower band, floorplate, and extractor gray phosphate with the rest blued except that the butplate is in the white. The rear sight and bolt stop spring are purple straw colored. The parts are marked - receiver and bolt - 521 in the exact same number style. The magazine is marked SVW eagle 135; the floorplate is marked byf; bolt stop top is marked eagle (can't make out.), and extractor-. I at, back end. The right side of the receiver is marked eagle 63. The left side of the receiver -. between the firing proof and the serial #, has a sparkling star similar to the ones on Argentine Mausers. This sparkling star is seen on Luger magazines, and can be seen in "German Small Arms Markings" by Goetz and Bryans on page 133, both pictures, and page 106 only pictures. On the left side of the barrel, in front of the receiver ring to the left of the firing proof, is another sparkling star and to the left of that is a small eagle with no # below it. The rear sight elevating ramp has an eagle 16 or 18; rear sight slider bolt on back, eagle 1, and the right side of barrel, in front of the receiver ring has dot barrel shield, part under stock and in front of it eagle (can't make out #.) This is all that is marked on rifle #521 that is not under the wood, as I have not yet removed the wood. Both rifles have the late war bolt with no guide rib and round gas escape holes. And the stamped magazine has no locking screws.

Rifle #6555a, that I sold at the next show at the North Atlanta trade center on 12/09/00, is in all ways the same as the new rifle #521 with the following small differences. The stock and metal is import style with little blue and beat up wood. The floorplate was a wrong number forged one so I replaced it with an unnumbered stamped one and the correct round gas escape hole bolt is a mismatch. I was told by a collector the rifle s were made (stamped) wartime for the Crotian Legion but due to the end of the war, the Czechs sold (assembled) them post war. I have not found these rifles in any book or article so this could be true or not. This was rather long as it goes but other members may know something about these rifles. Thanks in advance.