Mauser 1898 Gewehr 98 magazine bolt-action rifle 7.92×57mm
01. Original name | Mauser G98 | |
02. Other official names | 7.92mm Infantry Rifle Model 1898 | |
03. Popular names | G98 | |
04. Chamberings | 8mm Mauser (7.92x57mm) with export versions being in a variety of calibres, including 7.65x53mm and 7mm Mauser (7x57mm) | |
05. Designed by | Waffenfabrik Mauser AG | |
06. Design date | 1897 | |
07. In service date(s) | 1901 | |
08. Adopted by | Germany (with versions being exported or built under licence worldwide) | |
09. Production quantities | The G98 (and its variants) has been one of the most successful rifles ever produced, with millions having been made for the German Armed Forces, exported or built under licence. Germany still had many in service or in reserve when WW2 began in 1939 and many still survive today. | |
10. Mechanism | Bolt Action | |
11. Weight | 4.14kg (9.13lbs) | |
12. Mountings | Bayonet | |
13. Practicality in action | Medium | |
14. Comments / Other information | This version of the Mauser rifle is one of the most widely adopted and exported. Officially adopted by the German Rifle Testing Commission on the 5th April 1898, the design was the result of a great deal of work by the Mauser company being derived in part from the experimental Model 1896 rifle. The G98 (G standing for Gewehr) incorporated a third safety lug, shrouded bolt face, guide rib, under-cut extractor, a full-depth thumb cut in the left receiver side rail, extra large gas escape holes in the bolt and a gas shield on the bolt sleeve. Introduced for the first time was the bolt sleeve lock, while the distance the firing pin travelled was reduced to quicken lock time and the receiver ring was enlarged, increasing its strength. The rifle is fitted with a pistol grip stock, has a recoil bolt that stretches right across the full width of the rifle, has an upper hand guard that extends from just in front of the rear sight base to just beyond the lower barrel band. The rifle was initially issued to the East Asian Expeditionary Force, the Navy and the three premier Prussian army corps. In 1905, Germany adopted the S-Patrone bullet which required modifications to the sight, with the ‘Lange Vizier’ sight being much taller than its predecessor. |