• Please make sure you are familiar with the forum rules. You can find them here: https://forums.tripwireinteractive.com/index.php?threads/forum-rules.2334636/

Getting a K98

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Sort by date Sort by votes
LukeFF

LukeFF

Grizzled Veteran
Jan 12, 2006
706
0
Riverside, California, USA
#1
So yes, the time has finally come for me to start my firearms collection and what better way to do so than with a K98. :D I wasn't even planning on getting one right off the bat, but I saw aimsurplus.com got a shipment of them in, and so I couldn't resist.

Anyways, while I'm waiting for it to get here, what type of cleaning equipment (rods, brushes, etc.) should I purchase for it? Is the military standard CLP (Cleaning, Lubricant, and Preservative) safe for it?

Man, I can't wait for it to get here. :D
 
#2
LukeFF said:
So yes, the time has finally come for me to start my firearms collection and what better way to do so than with a K98. :D I wasn't even planning on getting one right off the bat, but I saw aimsurplus.com got a shipment of them in, and so I couldn't resist.

Anyways, while I'm waiting for it to get here, what type of cleaning equipment (rods, brushes, etc.) should I purchase for it? Is the military standard CLP (Cleaning, Lubricant, and Preservative) safe for it?

Man, I can't wait for it to get here. :D
Click to expand...



Congrats! I've got 2 K98's, and tehy're both wonderful. As far as cleaning supplies go, there's nothing special that you need, although I'd recommend getting a boresnake to use at the range if you're using corrosive stuff. Run that through a couple times, then when you get home do a more thorough job with patches, etc. Any kind of standard cleaning / lube stuff will be fine for it.

Also, a one-piece cleaning rod is never a bad thing to have laying around. They're expensive, but they're also a lot sturdier than the cheesy screw-together ones.
 
Upvote 0
#3
OH.

While we're on the subject of K98's.

Do not, repeat NOT, use the 1950's-vintage Yugoslavian 8mm ammo. EVER.

The brass is very, VERY brittle on it, and many people have reported having - best case - broken case heads and split brass. When I used it I got about 5 split cases out of every 10 rounds. Some people have had permanent damage to their rifles, too.
 
Upvote 0
#4
Not all 50's Yugo is bad. I've heard of some 1953 lots being bad, but I've shot thousands of 50's Yugo out of my Mausers with no trouble. I had some '52 Yugo with a couple of rounds having blow by on the primers but thats it. I still have a few cases of '55, '53(a good batch), and '52. I'm currently going through the '52. Once I shoot all that up, which will take a LONG time. I'll move onto my 70's Romanian, followed by 70's Yugo.

Due to the excellent gas escape system on the M98 action I see no problem with a few case splits every now and again. However if you shoot a pre-98. I strongly recommend only using 70's Romanian, or commercial. Those actions are actually stronger than a Springfield action, but the gas escape system leaves a lot to be desired. A split case in those will blow the gas strait into your face. I learned that the hard way. I'm glad I wear safety glasses.
 
Upvote 0
#5
no problems here with 50s yugo... and i know many people who fire it with no problems other than sore shoulders because yugo surplus loads are generally hotter in all calibers

split necks are only a major concern if it goes past the shoulder... as old military brass is commonly brittle especially in the case neck

as for cleaning... if you shoot corrosive you will want some form of water based solvent including the following
just water
water/dish soap
water/windex
just windex
water/ammonia
water/ballistol
black powder solvent
USGI bore cleaner (the WW2 era stuff.. just don't sniff the stuff)

at the range i keep a 3 piece rod in my range box which i use for the the initial cleaning with USGI bore cleaner (one wet patch followed by one dry patch) then i run the bore snake through and spray some clp down the bore before packing the rifle up

for the at home cleaning hoppes and a few patches.. for rifles with a little pitting in the bore i'll use blue wonder gun cleaner for my sewer pipes i keep some foaming cleaner (the bore foam gets used on all rifles after 4 range trips)
 
Upvote 0
#7
aim wouldn't send a rusted rifle if it's advertised in very good condition and definately not in VG+

and if it's a tennessee guns import (i think that's who imported aim's k98s) the import mark will be small and on the underside of the barrel (hell even the century mark on their recent K98s is small and on the barrel)
 
Upvote 0
#8
sharpshooterklj said:
Did you pay the extra 20 bucks to get a hand picked one? It'd suck if you got a rusty and scratched rifle.
Click to expand...

I didn't, but I don't think that's going to be an issue, like what necropimp said.

Thanks all for the tips on cleaning. I'm no stranger to cleaning firearms, having been in the Army the past 4+ years, but I just wanted to make sure I was using the right stuff, with it being an old rifle and all. It should be here in a day or two!
 
Upvote 0
#10
LukeFF said:
So, in anticipation of the rifle coming in this next week (damn UPS no-shipping on Saturdays!), I located some 8mm ammo here in SoCal today. It's November 1952 Soviet-made, all on stripper clips. I went ahead and picked up 120 rounds of it. Is it good/safe ammo to use?
Click to expand...




What're the headstamp markings? That'll let us tell you a lot more about it.

In general, actual Russian / Soviet ammunition is quite good quality, although it's nearly always going to be corrosive, so make sure you clean the ever loving **** out of the gun AS SOON AS YOU'RE DONE SHOOTING.
 
Upvote 0
#13
necropimp said:
at least yours came on clips... i bought a bunch from a site that said "may or may not have stripper clips" i fell into "may not"
Click to expand...

:D

Will be interesting to see how it shoots. I put in an order for a hundred rounds of Wolf Gold from MidwayUSA, so I might be done with the corrosive stuff after this batch of Yugo ammo. I'm not exactly fond of cleaning metal-eating gunk out of my weapon after every time I shoot it.
 
Upvote 0
#14
I myself have 8 K98s, 7 of which are russain captures that I bought from interordinence and 1 is a all matching sporter that ive restored.

If youre just getting into k98s, a russain capture is a perfect place to start. Thats where i started. I thought id be happy with 1 or 2, then it gradually progressed to 3-4-5-6-7 and so on haha.

The definately reccomend Shooting 70s yugo (if you can find it) but if you cant, 50s yugo is fine. It is corrosive so be sure to heavily clean the bore, chaimber and bolt after shooting.

I reccomend using hoppes no.9 bore solvent. a Teflon coated cleaning rod (non coated with scratch and f**k up your bore), bore brushes with BRONZE bristles and BRASS stems. and hoppes no.9 lubricating gun oil.

The first thing you wana do when you get your russain capture is competely take it apart and get all the grease/cosoline off of the metal. you can do this with just about any degreaser. I myself use acetone and/or denaturated alcohol. if theyres any black paint on the metal you can choose to remove that with acetone. Make sure to completely strip and degrease the bolt too. After youre done degreasing, lube everythign and anything with oil, paying attention to the bolt. Then go ahead and clean the bore.

A good book, that should go along with every k98 owner is a book called 'backbone of the whermacht the k98k rifle by richard law. Itll tell you about your rifle and every k98 made from 34-45.

If you got any questions about anything, just pm and ill help ya


if anybodys curious this is what i have

CE 1944 R/C
BCD 1943 R/C IO Replica sniper.
AR 1942 R/C
BNZ 1941 R/C
27 1940 all matching
147 1939 R/C
42 1938 R/C
S/27 1937 R/C
 
Upvote 0
#16
Thanks. Are degreasers typically sold in automotive shops? If so, then it's an easy deal to pick up a bottle of one.

Can I assume, that, since it's a Russian capture, the parts will be non-matching? Not a big deal if is, but I just want to know.

Thanks for the book recommendation. In the meanwhile, I placed an order for a translated copy of the "Denckler Der Karabiner Operator's Manual" from germanmanuals.com (http://www.germanmanuals.com/manuals.html). It looks to be a pretty thorough manual:

98k-0.jpg
:
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0
#18
LukeFF said:
So yes, the time has finally come for me to start my firearms collection and what better way to do so than with a K98. :D I wasn't even planning on getting one right off the bat, but I saw aimsurplus.com got a shipment of them in, and so I couldn't resist.

Anyways, while I'm waiting for it to get here, what type of cleaning equipment (rods, brushes, etc.) should I purchase for it? Is the military standard CLP (Cleaning, Lubricant, and Preservative) safe for it?

Man, I can't wait for it to get here. :D
Click to expand...

Personally, I prefer looking on gunbroker and buying firearms that I am happy with their appearance and manufacturer. I know what I am getting when I bid on it (for the most part) as opposed to getting a frankenstein variation from a vendor that does the picking for me.

Cleaning equipment required is the same for any gun. I recommend Hoppes #9 for basic cleaning, and Breakfree CLP for removing gunk that does not want to come out. Do not get anything such as a cleaning rod or bore brush that is made of steel; you will scratch your barrel.

I also recommend a barrel foam cleaner; spray this in the barrel immediately after a range session and let it soak in until it dissipates into a liquid. It is great for removing a ton of old gunk from the barrel and makes cleaning that much easier. Also, when you clean your K98's barrel, be sure to put at least three patches soaked in water through to dissolve the salt left over from the corrosive surplus you will probably be firing.
 
Upvote 0
#20
Well, I took some pictures of it tonight, but they didn't come out too well. :rolleyes: I guess I'll have to try again tomorrow.

Anyways, it's in pretty good condition, with just a few little dings and nicks in the stock. Bore looks really good, and the bolt is nice and smooth. It's a 1940 Mauser - Borsigwalde "243." Did a cleaning over on the bore, receiver and bolt, and I plan to take it out to the range on Saturday.

Two questions: what can I use to clean off the lacquer/shellac off the buttplate and other areas, and what can I use to clean up/polish the metal finish? I've heard car wax is good, but I'd like to get a second opinion.
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply
Jump to latest Follow Reply
Community News
Forums
Merch
Menu