TCI

I want to direct this post to your personal attention, because you have been so helpful, and to renew my thanks and appreciation.

I spent lots of time researching these past days and I found not only a surprising number of gun/shooting/hunting websites but also a surprising number of posts by other owners of the KXA98. Indeed old posts on this website a few years back.

I have seen enough other photos of the receiver stampings to say they are similar to the opening photos here above of the crown and Erfurt with double date stamps. The typeface/font is identical and the crown is also. One little caveat may be that the KAX98 is incorrectly referred to as a "German" Mauser. Here's a link to Prussia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prussia

So the KAX98 is actually a "Prussian" Mauser. And the crown refers to the Prussian Royalty justifiably.

So the pendulum swung the other way and it now looks as though the rifle above is a legitimate Erfurt product. *( Note also that I did find posts by owners who had KAX98's with stampings obliterated and re-stamped ).

I do not now see any connection, or recycling to, or through, Sweden or Turkey although there is evidence of guns being processes by Turkey and apparently returned. There was no shortage of hanky panky.

I had a lengthy and interesting conversation with Mitchell's Mauser's.

http://www.mauser.org/

I commented that all of their M98's were sold out. He said: not only here in the USA but world wide. They're gone. No more. The price has escalated to $2,000. *( Note I posted that Cabela's had two in their gun library and one private owner in Texas ). Further he said his company has commissioned Serbia to produce new M98's.The order is placed and they are waiting shipment. Price isn't yet set but expected to be around $900. He related a story about a young boy who inherited one of these rifles and re-sold it for $500. It was worth 4 times that according the Mitchell's rep.

There is one little caveat that remains open in my mind. The above custom rifle is 6.5 mmm caiber!

From what I gather Prussian/German military rifles were produced in 7mm - 8mm and in between. There is lots of checkered history that is very time consuming to track. The above rifle was chambered in 6.5mm. A new barrel was installed. That left only the bolt/bolt face to consider. I checked Ken Howells book and found the various 6.5, 7, 8mm case heads were not listed as convertibles or interchangeable. Thus I can't discern if the original bolt was altered or replaced. So the remaining open question is - what was the original caliber of this rifle".

The owners opening question was asking to identify the receiver. The place of origin has surely been confirmed by now but the original caliber still remains open.