This rifle was manufactured and issued in the last months of the war in 1945. Due to the continued allied bombing of the German arms factories the Steyr plant developed a late war, last ditch 98K type rifle that was termed the VK-98 or Volksgewehr or people's rifle. They were intended to use the most readily available material left in the factories to produce a suitable service rifle to equip the German people in the last days of the war. These "Volksgewehr" or people's rifle used late production or rejected receivers, with a standard 98K barrel, without the normal military sights and in their place. They used a simple machining rear sight made of bar stock, dovetailed into the receiver ring with a simple front sight blade welded on to the top of the barrel with the muzzle free bored to eliminate any additional machining operations. The stock was a one piece hardwood board stock, that was fitted with a stamped and bent sheet metal trigger guard. The bolts were usually late production without the guide rib that were in many cases roughly finished. The top of the receiver is marked with the small "bnz 45" markings only with no other markings on the rifle. In this case the serial number only is on the side of the receiver. There is no internal magazine as this is a single shot version only. These rifles are very rare in collections today as most returning GI's never considered them a suitable "war trophy" and never brought them back.

Excellent with 90% thin phosphate finish on the receiver with the barrel and old dark gray patina overall (as well as the various parts of the rifle), typical as many of these last version were never finished. The stock is in excellent condition showing the typical rough machining marks in some areas with an old varnish covering the stock. A nice example of a late WWII German VK98 Volksgewehr rifle.