Wartime German production with byf, dot and svw receiver codes, postwar Yugoslav rebuilds, and the scarce G33/40 mountain carbine — every K98 Mauser for sale is photographed and graded individually.
Read the Receiver
Germany hid its factories behind codes — byf for Mauser Oberndorf, dot for Brno, svw for the late-war Oberndorf lines — so decoding the receiver ring tells you where and when each rifle was made. The scarce G33/40 mountain carbine turns up here too.
Wartime originals, Russian captures and Yugoslav rebuilds all come through the shop; each listing states which history it carries and photographs the actual markings.
Common Questions
How does buying a firearm online from Old Steel Arsenal work?
Every firearm ships to a licensed FFL dealer of your choice — pick your dealer at checkout and we handle the transfer paperwork and shipping. See our FFL & Shipping page for the full process.What do the factory codes on a K98k (byf, dot, svw) mean?
Germany coded its factories for wartime secrecy: byf is Mauser Oberndorf, dot is Brno, svw is late-war Oberndorf production. The code and date on the receiver ring identify where and when your rifle was made.Are these original WWII rifles or post-war rebuilds?
Both come through the shop. Each listing states its history — Russian-capture, Yugo-rebuild or original configuration — and the photos show the actual markings.What is a Russian-capture K98k?
A wartime German rifle taken by the Red Army, run through a Soviet refurbishment line and stored — typically re-blued, often force-matched with electropencilled numbers, and sometimes with an X stamped on the receiver. They are complete, sound rifles and the most affordable route into an original wartime K98k. Each listing states plainly whether a rifle is a Russian capture.Are Czech-made K98ks different from German ones?
The Brno works in Czechoslovakia built K98ks for Germany under the code dot, and carried on after the war under its own name. The wartime Brno guns are German-contract rifles in every respect; the postwar ones carry Czech markings instead of German ones. Both turn up here and each listing says which it is.What is a G33/40?
A short mountain carbine built at Brno on the Czech VZ-33 pattern and issued to German mountain troops — lighter and handier than a standard K98k, with a steel plate let into the left side of the butt to protect the stock. Production was small, so they are the scarcest of the German Mauser variants and priced accordingly.Do these K98ks have matching numbers?
It varies rifle by rifle, and it is the single biggest driver of what a K98k is worth. Wartime originals may be all-matching, force-matched during refurbishment, or mismatched; each listing states which and photographs the numbered parts — receiver, bolt, floorplate — so nothing is left to guesswork.What ammunition does a K98k Mauser use?
8mm Mauser, also written 7.92×57 or 8×57 IS/JS — the standard German service cartridge of both world wars. Commercial loadings are still made and sold by the usual manufacturers. It is not interchangeable with .30-06 or with the 8×57 J bore diameter used by earlier rifles.
German K98k 8mm — ‘bnz’ 1941 Steyr$1,189.00
German K98k 8mm — ‘bcd’ 1942, Russian Capture$1,189.00
Yugoslav K98k 8mm — Factory 44, German Parts$989.00
98 8mm Mauser (7.92x57mm / 8×57 IS/JS)$825.00
G33/40 8MM$3,750.00
98 8mm Mauser (7.92x57mm / 8×57 IS/JS)$1,285.00
98 8mm Mauser (7.92x57mm / 8×57 IS/JS)$1,585.00
K98K 8MM$1,249.00