[8x57mauser]

Got this in a trade from plymouthmauser back in 2012. Rifle is a restored RC older RGuns import. I had always liked it and when the opportunity came up to own it i took it. Basically restored with a Mario stock and bands, all parts have been replaced with either e/77 or e/623 parts with the exception of the trigger guard which is rune marked and still shows it original russian EPed serial. self matching Steyr bolt. Rifle appears to have be built on an Astrawerke armorers receiver. Bore is decent though not mint. This is exactly how I received the rifle. I use this rifle for reenacting, or at least I did before I became an officer. Have been on the fence about turning this into a single claw sniper repro at some point, just havent been able to bring myself to do it yet.

just an interesting piece I thought I'd share. Now everybody knows where my avatar came from

 

[hansellhd2]

Nice rifle, I would pick another RC to convert into a Sniper. I think you would lower the value turning it into a sniper.

HDH.

 

[Spaxspore]

Stunning.. that rifle is a looker.

 

[8x57mauser]

Nice rifle, I would pick another RC to convert into a Sniper. I think you would lower the value turning it into a sniper.

HDH.

while I do see where you are coming from, any real value this rifle had left when it was removed from its Russian capture configuration. I don't put too much value in stamps so to me its nothing really more than a parts rifle.

 

[the4thhorseman]

yeah but its worth something to someone else.

 

[8x57mauser]

yeah but its worth something to someone else.

True but really what kind of value is in a Russian captured import marked barreled receiver with an importer added serial? I wouldn't pay more than $150 for that. I mean, there is the value of the Mario stock and bands maybe $325 maybe $150 for the bolt. Plus a few other parts added to it. Would you pay $650-700 for a parts gun?

 

[hansellhd2]

while I do see where you are coming from, any real value this rifle had left when it was removed from its Russian capture configuration. I don't put too much value in stamps so to me its nothing really more than a parts rifle.

I value your rifle around 1K as is, you may not value stamps but I can assure you others do. Bringing the rifle back to (almost) Factory config. only increases what you have, not the other way around.

In the end it's your Gun, do with it what you will.

HDH.

 

[Nirvana]

If I owned it, I wouldn't drill it and tap it, as its a pretty scarce gun. It would probably still be in RC configuration, but that's a personal choice, one that you made. I like the gun no matter, its interesting to me that it ended up in Russia with a rune marked mag housing. What are the odds of that?

 

[8x57mauser]

I value your rifle around 1K as is, you may not value stamps but I can assure you others do. Bringing the rifle back to (almost) Factory config. only increases what you have, not the other way around.

In the end it's your Gun, do with it what you will.

HDH.

Im not sure I'd pay that kind of money for it, in the end it's a parts gun, not even still in its original Russian capture form. I'd personably pay more for it as an RC than as it is now. But at $1,000 now we are getting into high end bolt m/m rifles. As for finding another rifle for the build it's not exactly that easy, I'm doing a single claw repro which for my build I want two things on particular, those being a bnz rifle, and that rifle being sszza4 marked. I picked up two others in RC form both sszza4 marked and under $450, seller knew what he had. The bores on those are a bit on the rough side and not worth it for a build so they just reside in my collection as RC.

i do appreciate your opinion though, I just have a hard time seeing that kind of money for a parts rifle regardless of the markings.

 

[8x57mauser]

If I owned it, I wouldn't drill it and tap it, as its a pretty scarce gun. It would probably still be in RC configuration, but that's a personal choice, one that you made. I like the gun no matter, its interesting to me that it ended up in Russia with a rune marked mag housing. What are the odds of that?

Personally I'd prefer that it were still in RC configuration, but this is how I received the rifle. Had it been in RC condition it would still be.

as for drilling and tapping, the single claw setup doesn't use any drill and tap for the front base and only one on the rear base which in my experimenting can be omitted. Instead of soldering the bases on I have been experimenting with using a 2 part epoxy with the same mounts on a sporter and they have held tight now for over 500 rounds, I also omitted the screw for the rear base on that rifle. So basically I would t be doing anything reversible to the rifle.

 

[Banner]

Seriously??? I prefer it the way it is now! So would anybody that would pay a buck-and-a-half to buy the barreled receiver because that's exactly the thing I would expect for THEM to do with it!
To me, a RC rifle is no more a 'historic collectable' than a mint '71 Caddy pimp-mobile decked-out in white pearl paint, leopard-print naugahide seats and fuzzy white headliner and shag carpeting is a 'classic car'. The common denominator here is that it will cost more in time and $$$ to convert either back correctly into 'what it once was' than what it would be worth afterwards.
At best, RC's are a teaching tool, a source of parts to restore 'real' K98k's, and for shooting, nothing more. I consider them the 'abstract art' of a bunch of savages that had no appreciation of what they were actually 'undoing' or they wouldn't have done it, nothing more...

 

[8x57mauser]

Seriously??? I prefer it the way it is now! So would anybody that would pay a buck-and-a-half to buy the barreled receiver because that's exactly the thing I would expect for THEM to do with it!
To me, a RC rifle is no more a 'historic collectable' than a mint '71 Caddy pimp-mobile decked-out in white pearl paint, leopard-print naugahide seats and fuzzy white headliner and shag carpeting is a 'classic car'. The common denominator here is that it will cost more in time and $$$ to convert either back correctly into 'what it once was' than what it would be worth afterwards.
At best, RC's are a teaching tool, a source of parts to restore 'real' K98k's, and for shooting, nothing more. I consider them the 'abstract art' of a bunch of savages that had no appreciation of what they were actually 'undoing' or they wouldn't have done it, nothing more...

im with you on this, personally Ido feel that RC rifles do have a certain level of collectibility, for me though, that collectibility is gone once you start changing out the bolt, the stock and who knows what else. Then in my eyes it's a parts rifle, which in my case becomes my range guns leaving the matching rifles at home. This particular rifle has served me well in reenacting and has like seen more battle in my hands the it did from 1943-1945, kind of an interesting way to think about it.

 

[Banner]

I hate to say it, and I respect your opinion, but I disagree. If it actually killed "1" enemy human-being between '43 and '45 then I think you'll agree it has accomplished something far more significant than all the 're-enacting' you may have ever done with it since then, whether the rifle did it as a former RC, bolt mismatched, or full-matching rifle, no?
How do we 'not remember' that many (or most?) RC's have taken a life (or lives) in their past, or had their own soldat's life taken in the process?

 

[hansellhd2]

Empire Arms were selling these SSZZA4 (RC) stamped rifles 5 or 6 years ago for $900.00 all sold out in a matter of days. The only way to truly find out what your rifle is worth would be to put it on Gun Broker. With good photos and write up it would go for over 1K easy. Iv'e been selling regular (cleaned up) RC's for $600.-$700. with no problem. Of course these rifles had nice stocks and VG bores.

HDH.

 

[cukimik]

At best, RC's are a teaching tool, a source of parts to restore 'real' K98k's, and for shooting, nothing more. I consider them the 'abstract art' of a bunch of savages that had no appreciation of what they were actually 'undoing' or they wouldn't have done it, nothing more...

Actually a lot of shooters and collectors can enjoy a real German WWII K98k today thanks to the RC´s. Or have several rifles instead of just one valuable bringback.
Of course the soviet arsenals didn´t bother about matching numbers or collectors of the future, they had a huge amount of work to do. I think they did a good job saving all these RC´s that otherwise could have been converted into tank chains or truck engines...

 

[Fuhrer]

older thread i know. I bought 1 of the ones empire had for $900.I configured it correctly with bnz wood,original sling,cleaning rod,And rough finish bnz sight hood.Shoots nice to with a nice combat used bore.I wouldn't let it go for less than 1300.Pricey for a RC but a nice original example i bet would be around 6 grand.I call it my poor mans SS rifle

 

[armenjs]

You're not new to this, you know what you have. Do as you wish. What ever happen to the matching sszza4 from dealer three month ago.

I refer to OP.

 

[Fuhrer]

Oh not trying to sell it. Wish i saw the rifle your talking about.Would be interesting to see what they want for it.Or what it sold for