I have been wanting to get a German Kar98, and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on buying one. Also I dont think I could shoot todays ammo through it. If someone can answer that let me know.

Well, Where do you live?
once that is established, we can talk more in depth...

Yes, you can fire modern commercial 8mm ammo in one, as long as it is safe to fire to begin with... Modern 8mm ammo is loaded a heck of alot loghter than the military surplus ammo. This is done because of saftey concerns... (making sure they dont get sued by someone stupid enough to no their weaponry good enough)
They have been called "Lawyer Loads" lol
Their concern is that there is more than one type of 8mm ammo. there is 8X57mmJS and 8X57mmJ.
The latter being the older, original load. 88X57mmJ is loaded with a .318" diameter bullet. whilst 8X57mmJS is loaded with a larger, .323" diameter bullet. The idea is, if you try to fire a bigger bullet than your suppose to use in that bore, your pressure increases. And that aint good. In other words, you cant shoot 8X57mmJS cartridges through a Commision Gew88 rifle. That is why all commercial 8mm ammo is loaded light. But in your case you would be firing it in a K98, which is meant to fire 8X57mmJS ammo. Like I have said in previous posts, the Mauser 98 is a very strong action, Its the base for most modern bolt action firearms.
And you cant just pick up a box of 20 rounds and fire them off and conclude if the rifle is "accurate" or not. Different firearms, prefer different ammo loadings. however, if you want really inexpencive ammo, I would recommend military surplus ammunition. BUT be WARNED, surplus ammunition is corrosive for the most part, and requires a few extra steps. But it does save money.

I shoot Sellier & Bellot in mine. 8x57JS

http://www.sb-usa.com/rifle_pages/sba85707_spec.htm

They sell it cheap at local gun shop and have never had any misfires around 500 rounds to date on my 1943 K98 (since owning)

Thanks Kentucky I live in Kansas. I already own several guns, my recent one is a High Point S&W .40 cal pistol. My wifes grandfather had a Kar98 but was sold in an auction before I knew he had one. But, I think he still has a .38 Sour and Son Pistol. He said he got it off a dead SS officer.

I prefer military surplus ammo, can't beat the price, and corrosive ammo isn't an issue as long as you are good about cleaning your weapons right away.

I picked up 10,000 rounds of Turk 8mm a few years ago, I have shot about 4,000 rounds of it so far without a hitch. A lot of that through my K98's and some through a friends MG42.

Para..could you be meaning SIG SAUER?? or is there a gun called Sour and Son?

here this article explains some of the history of Sauer & Son. Evidently Sig Sauer bought them out.

http://remtek.com/arms/sig/model/226/226.htm

As for the K98, first, Do your research, find the going rate of one in the condition that you want. Scour your local gunshops for a good deal on one, and test the waters and see how far you can haggle down too. Offering to pay cash can help bring down the price sometimes... Check the local classified trader papers. Estate sales, and auctions. Another option is to find a 01 type FFL license (gunshop kindda license) that will let you order a K98 on his license and do a transfer. He will charge for doing that, a transfer fee is usually 20 bucks or so. If you do order one, check out Century International. However you can only see thier prices online if you have a FFL on file with them. The gunshop guy may have a flyer from them and/or other places. Be sure to shop around. If you are ok with the K98 being a Russian or Yugoslavian capture, then you can get one for well under 200. When looking at one first hand, be sure to check the bore, and that no parts are missing, yadda yadda yadda. Check out a D.i.c.k's Sporting Goods, if one is nearby.
I hope you can make use of my info...
-Kentuck

If your looking for a K98 your price for one will range anywhere from a couple hundred to thousands depending on its markings and condition.

Place ive been looking is http://www.mitchellsales.com/

They have none repos from 2500 to 10,000 for a K98. But if your looking for something alot cheaper they also have Serbian made Post WW2 rifles for a considerable lesser price. They look like K98s just not with all the German stampings.

I would strongly advise you to not do business with Mitchells. A Russian or Yugoslavian captured K98 can be had for less than 200 bucks.
Mitchells are the ones that put the adds in American Rifleman and other shooting sports magazines, that advertise the "Mauser 98K Model M48." They word it to lead the reader to believe that these are German Mausers. But they are merely Yugoslavian M48 rifles. They jack up the prices and all they do is clean the cosmoline off of them. However, If you are just interested in something to shoot, I suggest you look for a Russian or Yugo capture K98.

The Yugoslavian M48 does not look like a German K98. Do some reasearch. Look at pics of the two. The Yugo M48's handguard extends behind the rear site. The German K98 handguard doesnt.
A Yugo M48 usually run about 150 dollars.

I also suggest you get out and go to a gun show. But only after you do some research on what you are questing after.

www.surplusrifle.com

Go there and learn.

I was planning on going to a gunshow here, but got my dates mixed up and missed it. I hve a gun dealer in town that I buy guns from. I was planning on talking to him once I was ready to buy one.

Right now Century has K98s for 90 dollars . While I am sure that this supply will dry up shortly , this gun should be considered if you have a 03ffl or a good gun shop that will transfer a rifle for you : remember that shipping cost and transfer fees will be included in the final price . The product code for this rifle is RI140-G. Also listed for a good price are some M48s in the 80 dollar range . Both of which would make a strong shooting rifle . As far as shooting todays ammo through these rifles : these rifles were made to handle a much hotter load than is currently being sold off the shelf, in fact when 3 of us shot 70 rounds between us on an afternoon the old ammo gave us all big black and blue marks - and yes all three of us are experienced riflemen , just the hammering of such strong ammo eventually got to us . To be honest at the end I even had a flinch factor going on and was glad to see that last trigger pull . So todays ammo through an old military mauser is not a problem at all. Though I would qualify that by saying that you need to make sure to have the rifle head spaced checked before fireing if you do not know how to .

I would never ever buy a Kar98k from Mitchells. They are made in Serbian factories, and are very very expensive. I purchased a Russian captured rifle for $225. Its bore is in excellent shape. In fact, the only problem is that the russkies put this damn chilac (sp?) on it that makes the wood this dark cherry red. The wood color on the rifle should look like the rifles on the mitchell site. I would post a pic of my Mauser, but I gave it to my units Mauser-Meister to clean it up and completly strip it and clean it. Local gunshows have great deals, I would definatly look around them. New ammo is expensive, about 50-60 cents a round. Surplus ammo can be found for 9-12 cents around, but they are generally sold in bulk. Just make sure to clean the rifle as soon as you get back from the range.

mitchells mausers "m48" are not german.if u just want a shooter definatly get a russian or yugo capture as stated above.i dont buy new ammo,one gunshop wanted 20$ or 20 rounds for 8mm!i dont think so!so far i think romanian is the best,and dont skip over ammo just cause it is corrosive.i have issues of the turk ammo jamming when i try to open the bolt,but this never happeneds in romanian. odd
the best place to probabbly get one would be a gunshow in my opinion,as u dont have to mees with all the ffl stuff and usually you can talk the price down as much as 50$from what they are asking,or at least get free ammo.

This is my airsoft gun, for those of you who play, it shoots great.

http://www.pyramydair.com/cgi-bin/model.pl?model_id=779

Unless you're deadset on getting a German K98.. The Yugo M48 is a really nice Mauser and can be had for pretty cheap. Mine is early 50's production in unissued condition with a perfect bore. It's a NICE rifle, and is accurate and well made.

Here is a pic of mine.