k98 bolt question

[Embalmer]

I was looking into getting my bolt blued, and have run accross 6 dif topics that are all pretty much saying the same thing....

"Before you do anything, learn the facts on the K98k. Bottom line: You bolt is not faded, it came that way.

The German K98k Mauser used a steel alloy (a stainless inox) that was never blued as issued in WWII. If you want your rifle to be authentic, you will keep the bolt "in the white".

The resons the Mausers issued most of the guns in their history with white bolts are several. First off, in the early days there was no blue process that would work with the stainles alloy metal. The rest of the gun is made from carbon steel which takes blue well, but the alloy steel did not. Another reason is the wear. A blued bolt would get ugly very quickly due to the action cycling. Finally and most important likely, as the bolt was sort of a stainless steel, it really didn't need the protection that the carbon steel did, the white steel was much more rust and corrosion resistant, although not rust proof.

Now, before you start calling me a whacko because you have seen blued bolts on many K98ks read on....

After WWII, the Soviet Union and many of their allied Communist states collected and preserved every German rifle they had. They cleaned the guns, took them apart and blued every metal piece. The Russians used a newer method of blue that was a much darker color than original, almost black, and it did in fact work on the bolts. They were not concerned with originality, they just wanted a couple of million rifle to issue to civilians in case the West invaded them once again.

Most of the K98ks we see for sale today are what we collectors call "RC" for "Russian Captured". Although rarely matching rifles and some with new Russian wood, many of us collectors are actually removing the blue from the bolts so the guns at leastlook close to how they were used by the Germans.

I advise you forget about blue (as it is almost impossible to get the commercial blue products we have anyway) and just polish the bolt a bit with some metal polish. "


Was also reading a book weapons of the world or what ever, and mentions k98 bolts in the white.

anyone know the story?

[leftyo]

K98 bolts were ALL blued. they are not stainless.

[dave]

Who ever wrote that, some sales man from Mitchells? It is pure BS. WW1 Gew bolts were in the white as the rec. and many other parts were. Kar 98 (WW1) were blued and all rebuilds by the Weimer Republic also had the bolts blued and new rifles made in the '30s by the and for Germany were blued. However if you have a collectable rifle I would hesitate to have the bolt blued, even if 'faded', due to de-valueing the rifle. This does not mean RC's. I only own about 20 K98k's that are original bring backs but none have un-blued bolts!

[Embalmer]

Thats what I was hoping. looks silly with a silver bolt (though agree with the bolt looking ugly after cycling a bit). Rilfe was a MM, so only collectable real parts are the byf 43 receiver and the mint barrel. rest is mix of proper WWII parts, and a needlessly force matched bolt and trgger guard. Well those are the answers I seeked, now off to blue the bolt. and maybe buttplate.
ty

[Garden Valley]

Don't blue the buttplate. 98k buttplates were originally in the white.

[pzjgr]

Completely wrong, it does sound like a bogus sales pitch for Mitchells...ALL 98k bolts were either blued or phosphated. Some of the phosphate used little or no tint, so they might look unfinished, but they are.

Gew 98 bolts in WWI were in the white (so were the receivers)....but NO 98k bolt was left in the white from the factory. And Garden Valley is correct, the buttplates were also left in the white, as were the takedown lugs in the butt.....