I looked at a couple rifles today that are for sale by a private owner locally. One is a Mosin 7.62x54 short rifle that looks very clean and looks like the wood may have been refinished. It has a glossy varnish of some kind on it and no dents, gouges or cracks that I saw. The second is an 8mm 98 Mauser. The bore looks kinda dark and rough. The receiver ring is marked with a cresent moon and star with 1937 below. The left side of the receiver is marked G somethingW 98. I'm guessing it's a Turk Mauser because of the markings on the receiver ring. The metal looks smooth without rust or pitting on what can be seen without taking it out of the stock. The stock shows the usual dings and small gouges, but nothing real bad. The most attractive part is that the wood has nice tiger striping in the butt and up into the forend. It looks to be walnut and doesn't have any oil soaked areas. Except for the bore, it's in very good condition.
He's asking $160 each. I offered him $125 for the Mauser and he countered at $140. I know little about these types of rifles and less about their value, so would appreciate any info you have.
Thanks, Ron