Russian Capture, had to have it

[huntingsocal]

Got into a bit of a bidding war on this one but it is mine now.

I sold off a place holder so my "net" into it now is about where it should be

A typical RC 98k

[huntingsocal]

Where it go interesting for me and the piece that hooked me in was the stock.

According to http://www.latewar.com/html/dou45.htm (emphasis in bold is mine)

"Waffen Werke Bystrica (dou)was the sister factory to WaffenWerke Brunn (dot/swp). Rifles manufactured by this factory were marked dou. 45, with a period after the code to keep it from accidently being read upside down. The factory was located in the Slovak region, and made 98k rifles from 1942-1945. The unique aspect of dou.45 rifles is that most were captured by the Russians, with very few being found in the hands of US Army soldiers. This was due to the fact that there was little fighting between the US forces and the German forces in Czechoslovakia."

Seller had a blurb in the description "Dazbog Flower on the Stock"

According to my Google-Fu Dazbog is a god of the sun from medieval Slavic religion/mythology. I've also seen the symbol referred to as "Sign of Perun" or "solar Slavic symbol."


So I imagine some guy got bored one day at the factory and decided to mess around with one of the stocks, figuring it wasn't going to be issued anyway and then it somehow missed being sanded off by the Russians after being captured.

They say "buy the rifle not the story." Well my friends, that is my story and I'm sticking to it

[Sutcliffe]

You are happy, right?

My buddy got a beautiful wartime capture that was in really good shape. Dated 1939 if I recall. The nicest milsurp in his collection.

[81turbota]

Very interesting stock marking. I would have bought it too. Thanks for sharing!

[ltong29]

I posted on Gunboards, but I'll post it here also:
Most likely post-war. Highly unlikely that it was applied by the original user. The stock is probably from an either a pre-war or early war rifle. While forged flat butt plates show up from time to time on mid/late war rifles, they were largely phased out by 1942 in favor of the easier to produce (or for superior door busting and skull crushing according to Sweaty Ben) cupped butt plate. After the rifle was captured and refurbished, the Soviet Union gave these rifles to newly formed satellite states in order to arm the newly formed Communist governments. It was likely applied there, as most of the Balkan countries had Communist regimes installed after the war.

[huntingsocal]

Thanks ltong

While my "story" is definitely younger in cheek I appreciate the accurate info

This is only my second k98 and I don't even know what I don't know about them

[massguy]

Thanks ltong

While my "story" is definitely younger in cheek I appreciate the accurate info

This is only my second k98 and I don't even know what I don't know about them

If your interested in just the late war models you should pick up the Kriegsmodel book referenced in late war.com by one of the authors.

http://www.thirdpartypress.com

I wanted the Kriegsmodell volume 3 but wound up buying one of the 3 volume numbers and signed sets. Well worth it.

RCs are fun but a 1945 dou would have been a nice Krieg with an original chatter finish. RCs have a jumbled mix of parts and are refinished. Your stock with the flat butt plate is from an early war rifle.

I have an '39 RC and the last owner removed the red Russian shellac off the stock using the duct method and know all of the original Eagle an H markings are seen clearly - very nice 👍

[Bobby Ricigliano]

There are arguments for and against stripping shellack from an RC stock. It almost always improves the look and reveals cartouches, but some say it violates the history of the weapon’s history and journey to the buyer’s hands. I say to each his own.

[Bobby Ricigliano]

That appreciation for K98’s is a dangerous gateway drug that leads into dark quests for all matching rifles, P38’s, Lugers and the like. Before long, original helmets, iron crosses, and badges start showing up. It is a collector’s tightrope, with financial ruin on one side, and tons of fakes, frauds, and scams on the other.

Beware!

[Bobby Ricigliano]

I have a RC DOU 45. The shellack was already removed when I got it:


If you colorfill the markings, the receiver really pops.

[KOOLKERRY]

Very nice collectors additions on both parts gentleman. Ill bet when you shoot them they still have that fine hard Russian / English accent as the bullet travels down range : )

[huntingsocal]

Yeah it is the tons of fakes and frauds that caused me to start out with a simple RC. I figure there are a lot less RCs being faked (at least the ones that still look like RCs)

Of course Mitchells and now, apparently Classic sells/sold humped RCs but those are easy to spot for my untrained eyes.

This one will be staying as it came to me.

I've also heard of people removing the black Russian bluing to reveal phosphate finish on some receivers.

For me though, once I've gained a little more knowledge and know what to look for I'll probably start out with a k98 with mismatched bolt as those seem to be the next step up in pay grade from a RC

[Grendl]

I got a $89 Mosin from Big-5 a few years ago and removed the black refurb "paint" with, if I recall, not much more than my fingernail. Underneath was a beautiful blued finish.

[ltong29]

In my opinion, the bolt m/m is a great value over the RC, especially with RC prices creeping into the $5/600 range. This year, I bought 4 bolt m/m guns, paying $850 (1937 S/42), $450 (1942 BNZ), $650 (1940 147), and $800 (1938 147). I personally think the $2-300 price difference is worth it considering the rifle is more or less in it's original condition (hasn't been refurbished, markings intact, etc). But I agree, a RC is a great starting point!

[SVT-40]

Neat stock marking! Never seen that one before!!