For those thinking of buying parts and accessories for the WWII German K98 rifle there are things to be sure to ask the seller. I will get into those in a second.

      You should first of all KNOW your gun. Be SURE it is in Safe Operating Condition. I suggest having a Good Gunsmith check it out and Head Space the bolt to make sure you can safely fire it. Familiarize yourself well with exactly what it is you are looking to get for your rifle, going by a part name alone, or picture if you are not sure it is what you need, or that it WILL FIT will only wind up costing you time and money if what you get you can't use.

      There are litterly TONS of Reproduction Parts now being sold for the K98.

      Ask your seller IF the part you are looking to buy is indeed a Repro, many dealers will list parts as such, others not knowing themselves what they have might list it as orginal or state that the orginality is not know.

      If you are just trying to make your 98 look nice and a Repro Part fills the bill for you you can't go wrong, Many of the good repro parts are really hard to tell from the orginals, some even having Orginal Looking Waffenmant Markings and numbers.

       If you need Orginal Parts be sure thats what you ask of your buyer in the very begining.

       The sudden influx of Russian Captured K98's hitting the market now are in need of some parts the russians in thier rush have left off figuring that they were not necessary to the working of the rifle, ie: the lack of the Cleaning Rod and there are 2, a 10 inch for the early guns and a 12 inch one for the later version.

       Easy way to tell what you really need is take a .22 cal, cleaning rod, placing the end with the threads into the gun the measure to about the Mid Point of the front site ring, make a pencil mark on the cleaning rod, take it out and measure it with a ruler, it will get you as close as you need to knowing if you need a 10 or 12 inch cleaning rod. 

        The Sight Hood for those equiped with one. The early K98's did NOT have a sight hood, easy to tell, look at your front sight base if there is a Grove running along each side of it, it needs a Sight Hood, No Groves No Sight Hood.

       What the russians and sellers commonly are calling Capture Screws are Really Locking Screws.

        Sounds like it was Hands UP, Your Captured. They are the two Little screws that, again the russians deemed Unnecessary to the functioning of the rifle, that is until you start shooting it and the main Receiver Screws start working themselves Free and Out. Orginals and Repros both are available, they really are a Necessary Item and you can NOT use just any Screws. Remember these are Foreign Guns, Guns from Europe and they USE the Metric System against our Standard Inch.. I personally am Old School and never mastered the Metric Table.

         Installing the Capture Screws, and that name is Really Correct as they Capture and Keep the larger Receiver Screws from Moving is really quite easy.

        Looking at the larger screws you can see that there are 3, Slots, Grooves around the head evenly spaced at 2, 6 and 10 o'clock. Tighten your screws till they line up with the hole where the Little Capture Srew goes if you tighten it to tight and it doesn't quite reach the Hole DON'T Force it back it off to the next groove, the Main receiver screw just has to Hold the gun to the stock firmly. Insert the Capture screw and screw in down all the way. Once all the way down then take and Back Off on the Main Receiver Screw so that Your Backward, Counter Clockwise Tightening it against the Capture Screw till snug. DONE, The Main screw can not move or loosen now. One Holds the Other, Neither can Move.

         If you are Indeed looking to keep your gun fitted with Orginal Parts, a Note here. All of those Numbers the Germans were so fond of putting on ALL of their War Material DID Serve a Purpose. Suppliers. Suppliers were all issued their own respective numbers to stamp on their parts. Parts were Sub Contracted out and if a Part Didn't work when the gun was finally assembled and the Part with their Number on it was the cause, they Did NOT get Paid.

        If your really going to get into the K98 Rifle like I have then I Suggest that you begin with some Good Books on the subject. When in Doubt, go to the BOOK..There are alot of books out there, Some of the best are The K98 Rifle by Special Intrest Publications BV, Backbone of theWehrmacht the k98K Rifle 1934-1945 by Richard D. Law and offered by Collector Grade Publications.

       You might be thinking of building a Sniper Rifle, 2 very Excelent publications are, and they off not just sniper rifles but years of  manufacture,  Codes and Markings, are Sniper Variations of the K98k Rifle, again the Author is Richard D. Law, a Collector Grade Publication and The German Sniper 1914-1945 By Peter R. Stenich offered by Paladin Press Books.

         You can spend as much or as little as you desire on this gun, remembering that They Truly are a Peice of History and when they are gone there gone forever. I have seen beautiful Fully Matching Numbered Guns that have been stripped of their Military Hardware and Looks in favor of maing somebody a Nice Hunting Rifle.. The Person HAD a Gun with Potentially a High Price Tag and Striped it of Any of its True Value what so ever.

         These Rifles, their Action's Design were Actually Stolen ( the Mauser Bro's Sued and Lost, Imagin that ) and Copied and were  the Basis for our Own Rifles (not mentioning any names) becasue it was So Strong..

         There ARE differences in the German K98 and the Yugoslavian Mod. 48 and 48B's the German K98 Parts will NOT Fit these guns though they are most times advertised as K98's it is an Erroneous Clain, in only that The ACTIONS of the two Rifles are Similar, NOT Idenitical in Size and Fit and if you turn one of the Yugo Mod. 48 Rifles over and look, they did away Completly with the Capture "Locking" Screws. The Yogo Triger Guard while Looking like the K98's will Not Fit a Real K98 Properly at all.

          Reading is Fundemential, the More Knowledge you gain, the more you read the better you wil understand your K98 and the wonderful weapon that the Mauser Brothers did design.

         I am not missing the Fact here that those guns were used in a War and that Both Our Side and Their Side Lost Many a Life. I am just making a Historical Judgement of the Construction and Good Operation and Qualities of a Certain Rifle.

         We have Our Own Guns from America that Collectors and Shooters Rehab, Rebuild and fix up, I have just picked another avenue and venue to travel. I had an Uncle that served in the Army in Europe and Germany during WWII,  could have gone Either way in My Interest...

         I Hope what I have written has been of help in your efforts of finding and installing and Questions to ask about Your Potental Buying Purchases for the K98K German Mauser Rifle.

             Thanks for Your Interest...