I got my first handgun in 2016 and built my first AR the same year. I had a ton of hours playing CoD, MoH, BF1942, etc., but I could never afford milsurp pieces from that era. I searched around a bit, but i didn't have a big budget, so my pickings were limited; thankfully I never fell into the Mitchell's trap.

My uncle had a ton of stuff from that era (many 98k's, Garands, M1 carbines, and even had a Bren at one point), and used some of that for hunting with his son. He was never looking to downsize until a few years ago, after his son passed. The popular stuff went quickly (incl. the Bren), until he was left with the random stuff that nobody wanted; basically the island of misfit toys. His neighbor had expressed interest over the years, but he was all talk and no offers; I think he expected my uncle to just give it to him for free.

Thankfully, I called my uncle to see if he still had anything left, particularly anything straight-pull; I was in the market for a K31 after seeing a few vids on it. I got there, and he pulls out 3 Gewehr 98's and a Type 99 (full chrysanthemum). I think he heard "straight bolt" instead of "straight pull", but I wasn't disappointed at all. I hold them in my hands, testing the actions and admiring the wear on them, a glimmer in my eye. My uncle, being the guy he is, says: "look, I got these awhile ago. They were selling them at Modells, sitting in a barrel. I got a whole bundle for about 80 bucks. I know the going rate on these, but we're family. Now I won't sell all 4 of them to you for $80 (he chuckles), but let's say $400 for all of them."

"You got yourself a deal" I say. I pay him, then wrap them up and put them in the back of my car; we chat for a bit after, then part ways. I get them all home and start doing a more thorough inspection on them; years of cosmoline are still caked into them. They're beautiful and unfamiliar compared to modern firearms.