Volksturm VG-5, aka VK-98

[@jaysbob]

Even as a last ditch the germans have to put serial numbers on things.

[@ihave_noidea]

I mean they numbered Jews which they thought of as worthless so its not that surprising.

[@Swarm509]

+jaysbob The buracracy was still alive right till the end. Hell the fact that they had to submit and review bids is telling, and did not just tell Mauser or someone to go as cheap as possible and get them out the door or else.

[@Riazor1370]

+jaysbob Of course, that would make easier for the purchasing dept. to verify the payment order.

[@Tr4wnet]

+ihave noidea rofl

[@hawks1ish]

yeah gotta have serial numbers you try sending 1 million rifles to thousands of companies each having a specific different number of men and making sure every man gets a rifle, without serial numbers you'd screw it up for sure

[@GiovanniPietro9000]

For some crazy reason this is a rifle I really would love to own. Despite the low quality of the finish, it has its wacky, apocalyptic charm.

[@Clipazine]

+TheSadGuy I can understand that, though personally I think it's not crude enough to look post-apocalyptic. So it just looks shitty, lol.

[@GiovanniPietro9000]

+Clipazine Well, the moment I saw the VG-5 I thought about the Hunting Rifle from Fallout 3 and New Vegas. So thats where the apocalypse part is from.

[@baron8107]

+TheSadGuy It's the fact that it already looks like hell that makes it attractive. You're not worried about scratching the finish, because there is no finish!

[@GiovanniPietro9000]

+Scowler No finish no Cry. Or as the Russians would say in 1940: No finnish no cry.

[@baron8107]

TheSadGuy And that's what makes going on the offensive risky.

[@droopmasterflex2822]

"It may have been a low standard but it was a standard" sounds like my dating history...lol

[@CES-dh4ut]

Haha nice one!

[@robotbjorn4952]

"No respect!"

[@w.w.9047]

😂

[@Tremulousnut]

"Any hole is a goal"

[@samuthgrunch3061]

@@Tremulousnut including a boys hole?

[@anvilmemetrooper]

Japan: *Decreases quality of the Arisaka and removes many part from it to simplify production* Also Japan: *Keeps the bayonet lug*

[@wilsonj4705]

Actually keeping the bayo lug makes sense on a Japanese last ditch weapon when you consider "Banzai" charges were a tactic still being utilized by the Japanese.

[@P7777-u7r]

How do you Banzai! with no bayonet?

[@Lleesstreett]

it actually makes alot of sense the closer japan got to defeat the more likely suicide charges would be

[@alexsoklakov7454]

@@P7777-u7r try to fix kitchen knife to a front of barrel with rope or bandage)

[@sparrisguy6330]

@@wilsonj4705 Banzai charges weren't official tactics used by the Japanese military and known examples are either regular ambushes or last ditch attacks, but I'd still make sense to keep the bayonet considering you might need to fight CQC when the US invades. Also considering how Infantry weren't carrying side arms, a Bayonet might be a very good second option if you run out of ammo or don't have time to reload.

[@keenanmcbreen7073]

"It'll kill ya just as dead as anything else." Ultra true.

[@baron8107]

I'm surprised no one's producing something like these in the U.S. as budget hiking guns.

[@baron8107]

It's subjective. You'll likely have to do some digging to really find out. Sorry. I just don't know of any companies that make truly minimalistic rifles like the VG shown here.

[@minuteman4199]

+Scowler The Ruger "American" range is pretty minimalistic.

[@baron8107]

Minute Man I should take a look.

[@DudeInWalmart]

+Simon Bolthausen Mosin-Nagath rifles only go for 150-200$. Not american made but it must be the cheapest in that caliber.

[@baron8107]

Minute Man Not as minimalistic as this gun, for sure.

[@BenKuyt64]

Reminds me of the Varmint Rifle from Fallout: New Vegas. Notch sights, small gun, cheap, not pretty.

[@MrMortull]

+Ben Kuyt Apart from the calibre I'll bet that there's not a great deal of difference between the two. The Varmint Rifle was also a five-shot blind magazine weapon with no buttplate, if memory serves... and probably was mechanically a Mauser as well.

[@z3r070000]

+Ben Kuyt I normally would say 9mm rifle rounds are pretty big for a varmint, but seeing as all the troublesome wild animals in fallout are super sized i'd say its just right.

[@BenKuyt64]

+Sitting Pyro In the game, the Varmint Rifle shot 5.56x45mm. For the likes of radiated geckos, it works perfect, haha.

[@TitusGargilius]

$4250 Bucks says your wrong about it being pretty =P

[@Trint3e]

Ben Kuyt It was actually originally gonna be in .22LR but they changed it almost at the end of development.

[@KingCorny93]

Todays Nerf guns and softairs are more complicated than this piece of history.

[@notascientist709]

KingCorny93 softairs

[@eobardthawne3333]

An aisoft gun is more complicated than the guns they are based on.

[@sawer]

Airsoft guns (at least the gas powerd ones) are a lot more complicated than their real steel counterparts. I know Eobard Thawne said that too but i wanna make it sound valid :p

[@wisemankugelmemicus1701]

Nerf guns aren't that simple. They're just toys. 🤷‍♂️

[@fernandolk1]

even if Germany was on the verge of defeat,this rifle is still somewhat decent quality wise.

[@Hurricane2k8]

+fernandolk1 At the very least it's safe to fire, and that can't be said about all firearms that went into mass production.

[@DGARedRaven]

There was a certain calculus to that. You cannot convince the people to keep fighting if your everyday equipment literally screams 'no' at you. At the same time, being outnumbered in the way the Germans were, killing one more Red Army soldier due to the rifle being more decent than the Soviet counterpart (which was considered extremely poor due to wartime experience with captured russian weaponry) was probably worth it.

[@venator5]

Quality standarts were always high in german military equipment back then.

[@kaczynskis5721]

@@DGARedRaven Many Volkssturm units were equipped in ways that were a logistical nightmare - for example they might have captured weapons from every part of Europe, with the inevitable problems of finding the right ammunition for them. Some Volkssturm on the Dutch border were trying to hold the Canadians off with Dutch bolt-action rifles captured in 1940. The best-equipped Volkssturm units tended to be given German rifles and receiving this kind of apparently last-ditch thing might actually have been something of a (relative) privilege.

[@teutonic_crusader1175]

@@kaczynskis5721 Dutch rifles from 1940 were actually among the better equipment assigned to Volkssturm Unit. A lot of Volkssturm Soldiers had...nothing. When they recruited Volkssturm-Units for the first time, they calcualted that they would need around 1,2 Million rifles for the Volkssturm- while they had around 20k avaliable. In some cases, even rifles from the 1880s, german and French,were pulled out of the cellar of some arsenal and given to soldiers. Some Volkssturm soldiers even recived crossbows which were pulled out of museums.

[@azmanabdula]

...and we mocked Russia for stockpiling weapons... When in reality, its easier to build before hand than during bombing raids : P

[@angelsy1975]

So simple, a child could use it.

[@jwenting]

+Angelsy1 that was the idea... Volkssturm and Hitler Jugend were issued with things like this. Volkssturm were mostly retirees, HJ were boys too young to join the regular military. Then there was the Bund Deutsche Maedel (BDM, Society of German Girls) as a counter to the HJ for girls which would also get some, though they were mostly given other duties like manning AAA batteries and non-combat duties.

[@angelsy1975]

I know - I was being sarcastic. ;)

[@FarAwayman71]

Could use yeah, but did they stand their recoil...I mean, it was a full sized Mauser 7,92 x 57 ammo with a shorter barrel, which made recoil"kick"more. Of course they stood it, because they had to, but I bet it was no pleasant to shoot at all.

[@grahamlopez6202]

*was meant to

[@paraskaikessa597]

Good job germany

[@richardkluesek4301]

Reintroduce as an economy hunting rifle ?

[@RandomGuy9]

Ranger Of The Order But not the VG-5 as an economic rifle.

[@wetlettuce4768]

To put it simply a rifle this rough around the edges wouldn't sell in the civilian sector, what's this rifle going to retail for once it's on the shelf $250? Well for less then a $100 more you could get yourself a Mossberg Patriot and other similar entry model hunting rifles.

[@Verpal]

Less then a 100 bucks? Are you talking about second hand or damaged? Cheapest I found is around 110.

[@wetlettuce4768]

@@Verpal What I meant was $100 more then $250 so for $350 bucks you can get a brand new Patriot rifle,.

[@Verpal]

@@wetlettuce4768 Eww I should have known, just when I thought there are some super secret gun buying market/show in US......

[@FordGTmaniac]

I like how the recoil lug doubles as a bolt disassembly tool; that's the sort of thing that should've been a feature on all of the Model 98 Mausers. It works, it's cheaper and faster to make, and it's inconspicuous.

[@xl7667]

The VZ24 has the same thing, a divot in the recoil lug for the firing pin. I think the hole in the buttplate of the Kriegsmodell K98ks is probably the best option in terms of cost, manufacture speed and effectiveness.

[@CapnHolic]

This is what I find fascinating about collectors. "it's a piece of crap, but it's rare! How much do you want for it?" Not hating, just a very unusual mindset.

[@keithlarsen7557]

+CapnHolic Its a piece of crap, rare, was part of a big historic event.

[@TurkishRepublicanX]

it's not a piece of crap unless it's a mosin

[@sheilamcdonald3991]

Q

[@dylanwight5764]

@@TurkishRepublicanX The worst Mauser still outmodes the best Mosin... maybe. I've seen some pretty awful surplus Mausers that have been through better better days, and a few bloody amazing custom Mosins. But the Mauser action is superior hands down.

[@TurkishRepublicanX]

@@dylanwight5764 yeah mosin action is a bit too complicated and it doesnt add anything to the rifle. I myself never handled any other rifle than G3 which is originally designed by mauser engineers. It's a bit held back by the 7.62 NATO ammo but it's still a great rifle.

[@mortisCZ]

I can not help myself but compare this to quite common first world problem .. Let me introduce You, non-premium free to play Mauser. :-D

[@mortisCZ]

That was not what I have meant but You are quite correct in Your statement.

[@jwenting]

+Vojtěch “Mortis” Ptáček no in-gun purchases or advertising though...

[@azmanabdula]

Although you may feel screwed by being given the weakest weapon, if you work at it, you will be better than any pay to win player, for you, once you have those well made weapons, will smash those who spent money to not try at all.... They will think you are cheating, but you know better!

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

Well, none of the f2p guys using this will be able to unlock the limited edition Himmler 38H pistol :D

[@germanyball1379]

@Social-Nationalist Meme Network Fun fact: the Term 'first world country' just described NATO Nations and partners. Warzaw Pact members were the second world while all Neutral nations were third world countries.

[@ArfurFaulkesHake]

I don't want to be a grammar nazi. but: Volkssturm is written with a double s.

[@gi70st]

+book5ter epic phrasing

[@williardsmithfield1411]

+gi70st final solution for inferior spelling

[@ArfurFaulkesHake]

***** No mate. Take it from a german it is Volks-sturm and not Volks-turm. And in this case translates to people's assault.

[@ArfurFaulkesHake]

This was a movement to the very end of the war, the point was to get civilians (people) to come over the enemy like a storm. hence people's storm. Thats why the german word "sturm" translates to storm as well as assault. It also is where Star Wars Stormtroopers got there name from. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkssturm

[@ArfurFaulkesHake]

***** There are people out there who would belive that shit, thats why generally counter act it.

[@Ferretfiend18]

This is the ugliest, yet coolest looking gun I've ever seen.

[@g0679]

Dante My most favorite handgun to shoot was also my cheapest and ugliest.

[@m1a1abramstank49]

g0679 Hi-point?

[@g0679]

M1A1 Abrams Tank Chinese Tokarev.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

That looks so crude but at the same time professionally machined. Something rather rare. Usually guns are either finished great or simple garden shed contraptions. This is somewhere inbetween.

[@MadSpectro7]

I read that the VK-98 was a single-shot weapon . My guess is that the author never got a look at an actual one of those. The more I see these videos the more I realize that books are generally full of shit.

[@diktatoralexander88]

+Shoes They are.

[@vguyver2]

+Edward Kiel there are not too many authors who cared to put years of researching (or had access to) archives for info. Even some veterans of the war made mistakes. What I noticed is that many simply cited another author's claims.

[@skyraiderjet]

+James Russells Thats not entirely true.

[@_yellow]

Read books they said. Books are educational they said.

[@jort93z]

Why would anyone make a bolt action single shot rifle? lol. If you wanted to make a single shot rifle, theres easier ways to do that.

[@DevJonny]

I love how ian really cares about the history beyond his firearms

[@JACKSONLEWISOFCANADA]

“You think we might be losing this war?” “What makes you say that Otto?”

[@GordonjSmith1]

The social history that emerges through many of your videos is really wonderful. It really moves these videos on from 'guys n guns' to an informed and informing experience. My thanks.

[@RussellHoughton]

It may be a little crude but I'm sure it would get the job done.

[@theendangeredcatcoon9554]

+Russell Houghton (Russ303) Camaduh,Maper reaf 4ebver m9 :DDD

[@ELW2940]

Everybody know about zip guns made of sections of telescoping auto antennas, shooting .22 short ammunition...crude but effective at close quarters.

[@diehardfan56]

If one of the big FPS video franchises would please get back to WWII games, they should include some of these last-ditch weapons in like a Fall of Berlin-type level. maybe as just stuff being picked up by the player as the invading Red Army, but it might be more interesting to explore the utter despair of that event and force gameplay from the viewpoint of one of the conscripted german civilians resisting the Russians. no morale, barely any supplies/ammo, death being almost a certainty either by fanatical Nazi loyalty enforcers, starvation, or actual combat. using anything available that could even concievably be used as a weapon to try to do nothing more than delay the inevitable. so kinda a "horrors of war" mission in similar fashion to that opening War Story in Battlefield 1 where you eventually die no matter what.

[@azmanabdula]

War games have always been about playing as the winning side, now games are becoming more geared towards punishing players for fuck ups, this would be a great idea, playing as nazis in the final years... You could show the desperation of being part of the losing side...

[@a-cell4564]

Do you mean Call of Duty: World at War

[@michaelagustinsantos3015]

With BFV's Tides of War, there is the slim chance that this gun will be either a useable firearm or a trinket.

[@asator0505]

you can pick up the VG-5 and the VG1-5 (Gustloff) on some late war maps in the Battlefield 2 Mod "Forgotten Hope 2". If you own a copy of BF2 and want to have some more realistic but still somewhat arcady WW2 online multiplayer action, check out FH2. It still has a pretty stable player base and it is amazing how much love and attention to detail went into this mod.

[@the_underdog8151]

Just play hell let loose.

[@archivesofarda986]

Cant help myself. I find it beautiful. Looks like something your father made you for your birthday as a child. I want one

[@cellulanus]

For a simplified cheap last ditch weapon it still looks to be well made.

[@harrynr32dn]

A collector in Germany whom I visited many years ago had a very similar rifle to this, but chambered in 8x33mm. The workmanship was a stark contrast to some of the early war K98s he also owned. I've never seen another bolt action chambered in 8x33.

[@geodkyt]

I was wondering how the front sight tack weld would affect the barrel heat treat at the muzzle, and Ian mentioned the deep counterbore - enlightenment occurred.

[@randolfiserman5201]

Proud soldiers of the Volkssturm, should you survive ten minutes of combat with the battle hardened ,and submachine gun armed ,Soviet infantry you will be allowed to take a better gun off of a dead kamerade to continue the fight until we finalize our terms of surrender.

[@khosrow]

While standing in the way of the actual troops which are ordered by the military while the Volkssturm was commanded by the party.

[@Alopex1]

Seriously, the reality is: You get pulled from your home by SMG-armed party.Ordnungsdienst thugs, get herded to an assembly point where you receive WW1-era uniforms and a last-ditch or captured weapon with a couple of clips, get a one-armed 60-year-old veteran from WW1 as a platoon commander, then you get to march 50 miles to some nameless, meaningless village in the countryside where you spend 3 days digging holes in the ground, a Soviet recon plane spots you, a Soviet artillery observer calls in an artillery strike and dumps the entire division artillery on your platoon. And if you survive that and try to return home, the thugs who pulled you from your home will string you up by some lamppost with a sign around your neck: "Ich war auf der Seite der bolschewistischen Bestien." All the while the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS soldiers you encounter along the way laugh at you.

[@DGARedRaven]

That's why they were called 'Germany's most valuable', aye

[@pteppig]

@@DGARedRaven ya, most valuable, same propaganda like today's "worth more than gold" migrants. Never trust politicians to actually solve problems that they created themselves.

[@LuizAlexPhoenix]

Look, you are going to defend the fatherland. Your superior Aryan genes will stop the Soviets in no tim... WHAT? The Soviets took Berlin and the Fuhrer killed himself? Alright, change of plans, we shall...

[@LifeofCharles]

It's so ugly, it can be a modern art, masterpiece. :)

[@Raygun222]

FMJ

[@Legitcar117]

Charles' Milsurp Firearms “Laurence? Laurence of Arabia?”

[@genghiskhan6809]

That actually could be useful. Probably as cheap ass deer rifle it it was in .308.

[@Nonii-92]

Get your fatass over that obstacle Pyle!

[@dylanwight5764]

Pretty these up a little (better fit & finish, give it a proper metal magazine) and you could have a great entry-level rifle for shooters wishing to graduate from .22LR. It's still a classic Mauser action, so solid retention is guaranteed. The overall shape of the furniture is pleasing and looks comfortable enough. You don't really need adjustable sights if engaging targets at 100-200 yards (you can hold off on your own for those ranges quite easily). I like the idea of a beater sporting Mauser, especially in 8mm Kurtz.

[@Schatten47]

Hey just wanted to say thank you for all the videos you've made i really appreciate it and ive learned a lot from them. Theres nothing i enjoy more than reading about and collecting old historic firearms and preserving history. Keep up the good work!

[@UpToSpeedOnJaguar]

Please do more volksturm weapon videos if you can find any. I am absolutely fascinated by these last ditch weapons.

[@kollegahsterin]

When you play Battlefield on lowest visual settings

[@simonm.1884]

?

[@C.Double.]

Im lucky enough to own one of these, from what I understand the serial puts it in the last 2 months of production, the trigger guard is sheet metal on mine and its missing the front swivel. I was actually blown away by how smooth the action was given its purpose.

[@Durnstaros]

I'm guessing the counter bore is due to the front sight being welded on after the temper process. The hot weld might mess with barrel strength, and someone probably wanted to make sure there was pressure relief at that point.

[@1339LARS]

Haven´t seen this rifle before, nice vid !

[@raymondgill9796]

Last ditch products are fascinating. It makes me wonder how much wasted effort went into earlier models during the war.

[@ManS1ayr]

still looks better made than a lot of new cheap plastic guns we get today

[@fergus247]

Am i the only one who thinks this rifle looks good? There is some beauty in its simplicity but there is still plenty of details for your eyes to catch. I like this weapon for that reason tbh. it seems very unique.

[@martkbanjoboy8853]

That would make a nice handy utility rifle. The Remington engineers working on the 710 project should have examined this weapon!

[@gulfrelay2249]

They probably did

[@mikeallen7830]

my favorite youtube channel

[@tackytrooper]

I see a lot in common between last-ditch German weaponeering and my own approach to building home defense weapons.

[@mickeydee3595]

They had one of these in the Canberra war museum here in Australia. Extremely crude is the best way I can describe this rifle.

[@sighahnyde2215]

at first glance it is easy to see it is a budget weapon. the entire stock is just a slightly rounded piece of wood that looks like it just barely fits the receiver and doesn't look ergonomic at all. This got me thinking about the things we take for granted on well made weapons. However, that is a nifty piece of history there.

[@felixjaeger1635]

Splendid, splendid! I'm anxious to learn more about volksturm armament

[@RiflemanMoore]

Would be fascinated to see you take a look at some last ditch Japanese rifles if you ever get chance!

[@northernu.s.a3995]

Yes!

[@NP6335ACDC]

For some reason I find this rifle to be really aesthetic in a rugged way not a prissy fit'n'finish kind of way, it's got that no fuss feel to it.

[@sniperboom1202]

I love the line "it'll kill ya just as dead as anything else"

[@codymoncrief8478]

The counterbore would be to prevent the welds potentially melting through the rifling.

[@blondknight99]

AH OK, makes sense. I wondered if its purpose was to act as a poor mans flash suppressor.

[@jagamoasta2310]

Nah, mate, it is just tobprotect the bore!

[@rs666sathan666pk]

You should put your patreon link in every description.

[@ForgottenWeapons]

+scheven architect I am, starting now. Had a bunch of videos already in the queue though.

[@Skyliner04s]

+Forgotten Weapons Hey Ian! I wanted to ask what that thing on the left of the receiver is? Is that actually a scope mount?

[@leerathburn5626]

+Skyliner04s Nah thats a catch holding the bolt into the receiver,

[@sidobakul7008]

I always wonder. Where did every rifle in wehrmacht inventory gone before battle of berlin?. I mean there is over 10 million kar98k produce till 1945, when they annexed austria wehrmacht at least capture 1 million M95 rifle, then during occupation of poland the wehrmacht at least capture 500.000 rifle, during occupation of france the wehrmacht capture at least 3 millions Lebel, Berthier and Mas36 rifle and capture at least another 2-3 million mosin nagant during operation barbarossa. Doesn't make any sense, i think it should be enough to equip 4 million volksstrum with capture rifle from austria, polish, france, netherland, denmark and russia.

[@baneofbanes]

They where in the hands of Wermacht soldiers, not party militia.

[@demonprinces17]

Russian steppe

[@ergomedasa1362]

The action on this rifle still looks more well made than my 2013 Remington 700 SPS DM

[@joerobo682]

With a 2x7 scope mounted, looks like a good whitetail deer rifle.

[@dasWombat01]

It's "Volkssturm", doubble S, by the way.

[@SONOFAZOMBIE2025]

+dasWombat01 The ("doubble S") were another unit. ☺ also, only one B in double...

[@dasWombat01]

Son of a Zombie You know that i meant that there are two S in Volkssturm, but there is only one in the title. I was, of course, not talking about the SS. Also, yeah, for some reason I alwas make that mistake.

[@SONOFAZOMBIE2025]

***** ☺ = know what you meant + added a sprinkle of joke.

[@bobabier5394]

@Ken Roberts lol you wish^^. get a fucking culture on your own before opening your shithole of a mouth :D

[@kochaos6129]

Ken Roberts -- I'm afraid those days are all but over, now that the current administration has made it official policy to relinquish the massive influence the US has wielded in central Europe for 70+ years..

[@midimusicforever]

If you were issued one of these, you were either too young to go to war, or old enough to be the grandfather of the guys who were to young to go to war.

[@patanvalle9379]

. Hello ... what an interesting weapon, I did not know it ... I have a Walther CYQ pistol of the last and it is also roughly finished without polishing (it seems cut with the teeth) ... but inside it has all the necessary polishes and it works perfectly ... the rough is on the outside ... I don't want to imagine the recoil that that rifle must have ... Good video. Greetings from Buenos Aires

[@forgottenronin995]

that would make a cool Obrez

[@SirDavid290]

This looks simple, yet charming. I love german guns.

[@thessop9439]

Indeed they were quite good huh?

[@michaelwittmann3602]

And i love usa , you can buy this all things, an we are in germany...😫

[@baddoggie101]

It amazes me that they ever put any effort into tidying up the finish of any weapon. It would be interesting to know what fraction of the resources were spent on finish.

[@raznaak]

"Hey, it vorks."

[@christopherhenry8766]

Unrelated to the video itself (and I know you don't get to pick your ads), but holy shit! I did not expect Dana Loesch's ranting to get *even more* police-statist than it already was, especially on the NRA's dime, but here we are! I was already inclined to view them as overly deferential in their attitude toward local police, but this is something else.

[@wi11i4mchi11]

My cousin found one of these in the woods Now it's a decorativ peace in his garden

[@Panzerkampfpony]

Ian you should leave a link to your Patreon in the video descriptions.

[@OrcActual]

Hey, Could we get an update of how much it sold for?

[@ForgottenWeapons]

+Orc Actual Sure, in a couple weeks after it does sell.

[@GY-bd9bo]

@@ForgottenWeapons how much did it sell for?

[@JesusvonNazaret]

the rough surfaces look pretty charming to me, maybe because it's so different

[@bananapotpie3890]

I love your videos I learn so much from the... I've used a lot of that in my projects with my guns.. :)

[@vincentrees4970]

Mauser: we present one of the best made bolt action rifles on earth. Germany: mm-hmm Ordnance: we bring the first ever assault rifle, now every man is a machine gunner. Germany: go on... Steyr: it ain't much, but it's honest work. Germany: VOLKSTUUUURM! Steyr have some new rifles for you!

[@paulwolf7562]

Looks like a handy, little rifle. They probably used, old Gewher-98 actions and barrels, just added cut down stocks and simplified sights. Would have made a dandy hunting rifle.

[@Ratrazor]

It's actually a nice Sporter style looking rifle.

[@Bayan1905]

I've got a late 44 K98 that you could see the quality of the work starting to go downhill and the gun shop near me has a K98 from 1945 where the quality really was lacking.

[@dbergerac9632]

Slave laborers take little pride in their work.

[@TylerSnyder305]

I actually like this, it makes me think of say a Sears or Western Auto budget hunting rifle.

[@jadetiefline]

The VK-98: *exists* Me, A Fallout Fan: AYO IT DA HUNTING RIFE IN FALLOUT 3!!!

[@Afobatin]

In German, the letter 'v' is pronounced like an 'f', so it is actually pronounced "folkssturm". I really love your videos but it irks me every time you say it wrong.

[@Wurstmensc]

Vase

[@SirDavid290]

Ahhh, good to know !

[@bobabier5394]

Thanks! Every time he says "Volkssturm" it just sounds like Wolkstörm :D

[@finnishwehraboo8377]

Oh folks yea that sounds english

[@lancejackson3524]

It's pronounced more like folksstorm. Just like sturm gewehr is pronounced as storm gewehr.

[@christopherlng753]

For a last ditch bolt action.... this actually looks like a good quality civilian rifle. (Expecting more shoddy construction in last ditch weapons)

[@schizoidboy]

It looks like something that you would hand a kid, the frame looks like it could be held comfortably by an ten to sixteen year old, but that's probably the group within the Volkstrum who got these rifles.

[@Malevolent_Potato]

Doesn't have to be pretty to be effective, the germans were clever it didn't look like they cut any corners with it, great video as always. 👍🏻

[@noblemortarman]

The bolt takedown/recoil lug combo wasn't new for Steyr - I have a 1939 G29o and it has the same thing. It's just how they did them, going back to before the Anschluss.

[@kennebecsmitty]

I love the Julia auctions,I'm from Augusta,in Florida now so I haven't been to one in awhile.

[@NikovK]

Still looks and works better than a Mosin.

[@vroomkaboom108]

Are you by any chance the lead producer of TFB Tv?

[@kilogram064]

NikovK, yeah but mosins are cheaper.

[@HappyBeezerStudios]

Only a russian Mosin. The finish finished those into a nice thing.

[@grahamlopez6202]

Yeah the finish fish fin fi... what?

[@paraskaikessa597]

Finns defended their country against 500k Soviets with Mosins

[@Pprokop87]

it realy is a crude one. well it is a "VK - Volksturm Karbiner", like "Poeples Militia Carbin". the idea was "we have to give guns to the Volksturm, so just make as much as you can, as faft as you can, but they have to hit a target on range of 50m". so they did. you can say, it's a 20 shots gun, Volksturn lived rather short time so....... i didnt think there was one still working out there.

[@GIJeaux1]

Thanks Ian, as always, great video. Did the Germans do away with the bolt guide rib on this model or, were bolts without ribs used on other late production K98s? I noticed that this rifle does not have it. I have a K98 with a "rib-less" bolt but, the serial numbers don't match so, there is no way of telling how or when they ended up together.

[@sergeantbigmac]

+Al Diehl Ya mismatched bolts to rifles is pretty common. The theory is when cleaning, soldiers would have all their guns together and bolts would get mixed or when a firing pin broke a soldier would just replace the bolt not wanting to totally disassemble his rifle or get a new rifle.

[@sergeantbigmac]

***** Headspacing can be an issue, but not as much as on a bolt action and especially a Mauser because they were well made and didnt vary as much between rifles. Ive read from several sources that soldiers would replace or misplace bolts on their rifles. It happened more than youd think. Ive been shopping for a genuine German k98 for a while, and find this is a common issue. Id like to get a totally matching rifle, but theyre rarer and command a high price partly because of this. This is unrelated to 'Russian capture' Mausers. The Russians after the war collected up large stocks of captured Mausers (in anticipation for WWIII). They fully disassembled them, apparently because this was easier for storage or shipping, and packed the parts in grease. Virtually all of the 'Russian captures' are mismatched because of this and most of them have a purple hue to the metal because of the grease they packed them in. FWIW

[@GIJeaux1]

+Al Diehl Thanks for the responses guys. I do know how and why many bolts got swapped and mis-matched. I always check the headspace on surplus rifles before I shoot them (even thos with matching numbers). My question to Ian was, about the ribbed vs rib-less K98k bolts. Were they found in standard late production Mausers or, only on the VG-5?

[@zacharyrollick6169]

I'd much rather have this than a converted Carcano.

[@carstengerm]

Your german gets better and better, greetings from Peenemünde neighborhood.

[@wastedangelematis]

Ian's narration is music to my ears...., oh! and cool video to Jackhammer, ur cool man

[@SH-gr1bc]

If I did own this. I would give it the love it needs. Sand and smooth down the stock. Stain and seal it. Polish/finish the metal as it should have been. I know some would say it's sacrilege. Ruining the gun etc. But thats they way I'd do it.

[@sander5990]

Me: Mom can we have k98k? Mom: No we have k98k at home. k98k at home:

[@wormyboot]

No matter how crude these firearms get, they still understood the need for a sling.

[@grzegorzbrzeczyszczykiewic4061]

Idk why but i love how it looks

[@nicholascecil6733]

Safety, sights, stripper clip guide, sling loops, and others are features I wouldn't expect from a low quality, "Last ditch" weapon. Not bad

[@Purpmaster]

It doesn’t look like much, but this would be the prize of most people’s collection.

[@jonnyrox116]

Years too late, but, thanks for that Ian.

[@ninja0x0thegreat]

That was when they found out. They lied about the emissions.

[@anonemmuss672]

You'd think that with the stupendous mountain of mosins they captured during Barbarossa, it would have been cheaper set up 7.62x54R cartridge production and issue them to the volksturm.

[@ThatGuy-a48]

Those were owned by the army not the volksturm

[@DJScootagroov]

that Guy

[@ThatGuy-a48]

+Digiquill that guy? Yes i'am that guy

[@DJScootagroov]

that Guy sort man that reply was by accident.

[@harrynr32dn]

They did issue them. And Enfields, and Carcanos, and Lewis guns. Anything they could lay their hands on.

[@Cats-TM]

In a way that is a really beautiful rifle to me. It is not complex, not well made, not really a good rifle at all. But it works, it does its job, and for the situation they were in really quite impressive it made it out the factory. Even in the darkest times Germany (technically Austria here) will always try to manufactor consistently...Germans.

[@duecebigalowmalegigalow6332]

This looks like someone made it in their garage in 2 weeks I like it

[@Micha-ge3ws]

Since the beginning of my interest in firearms, I've always had some sort of fetish associated with improvised and simple bubba-style guns . I like the way how it looks. Only missing mg 13 mag. And rebar barrel

[@スキーお米]

This is a very valuable rifle! This is a noble gun!

[@genegarren833]

Fully understandable standards for very late 1944 and 1945. Yet the actual K98K type bolt/receiver appears to be a fully functional combat rifle for close ranges. Blind magazine is functional as the trigger guard,along with the bolt take-down hole. As you said, it's not a rifle one wants to get shot by.

[@-Bile-]

I love the way it looks. Like it was pulled right out of the war. all filthy and worn like that. Awesome.