Journal · Collector’s Guide K98k Mauser Buyer’s Guide — German, Czech, Yugo & G33/40 The K98k is the rifle of the Wehrmacht — the Mauser 98 action at its peak, chambered in 8mm, the benchmark every other twentieth-century bolt gun is measured against. But “a K98k” runs a wide range: a matching-numbers Mauser Oberndorf, a…

Journal · Collector’s Guide Luger P08 Buyer’s Guide — 9mm, .30 Luger, Artillery & Swiss The Luger is the most recognizable pistol of the twentieth century — that toggle action, the raked grip, the unmistakable silhouette of two world wars. But “a Luger” covers enormous ground: German military 9mm, .30-caliber commercial and export guns, the…

Journal · Collector’s Guide SKS Rifles Buyer’s Guide — Type 56, Soviet & Yugo The SKS is the rifle caught between two legends — chambered in the same 7.62×39 as the AK that replaced it, but built like the Mosin it retired. Semi-automatic, with a fixed ten-round magazine and a folding bayonet, it was produced…

Journal · Collector’s Guide Finnish & Russian Mosin-Nagant Rifles Buyer’s Guide The Mosin-Nagant is the rifle that armed a century — more than 37 million built, which is exactly why most are ordinary and a handful are extraordinary. The difference is almost always who rebuilt it. Finland captured its Mosins from the Russians and re-made…

Journal · Collector’s Guide West German SIG P226 Buyer’s Guide The P226 went toe-to-toe with the Beretta M9 in the U.S. Army’s 1984 XM9 trials and walked away with a reputation it never lost. The early ones — rolled “Made in W. Germany” before reunification — are the pistols collectors hunt now. Here’s how to…