g43 rifles are value , even mis matched examples bring upwards to 3k even though most collectors will scoff at the notion unless its their rifle thats selling , as such value is directly tied to all factors such as
condition , has the lumber been sanded , are the proofs visible , if so how crisp , any cracks ,has it been altered ,does it have a laminated handguard or is it bakelite , is its configuration consistant with its date/model/and manufacturer is it complete , bore condition , functional
then the big one is it matching , which leads to a debate that if not what % of it is for instance , if all the metal is matching , and it sits in a nice not serial matched stock it will fetch a decent amount where as if the stock doesnt s/n match and only some of the metal s/n match you are getting kicked in the berries on value and you are at the bottom basement value , not to say the right buyer wont pay 3k for a good shooter
i sold a dual lug K43 just the barreled receiver for $1200 about 10 years ago , kept telling the guy i wanted to hold on and he kept throwing ridiculous numbers ,so value is what any individual is willing to pay , so if its a early example that will also factor in, as late war
the thing about the german stuff there are so many factors in play , s/n ranges ,fonts, types of parts , materials , and then you have the scum bag element that scrub serials and re s/n them to appear to be matching examples , thats where fonts and , prefixes and general knowledge can save you money by identifying a fake
lastly if you are getting into the german stuff go into it knowing its a rough crowd to like , its a secret handshake community , they are a bunch of self anointed gurus that place their whole self worth on their post count , and their favorite hobby isnt collecting german arms its eviscerating new collectors who stumble into their forums , their whole thing is "my rifle is perfect so yours is trash" , they do not even take the time to read the post because they are in such a rush to be the first to pick apart someones rifle , it was sad to witness it evolve into that , it was nce a great genre , ihave had nothing to do with them for 15-20 years , did not wannt to be attatched to them