The internal box magazine held up to five 7.92x57mm Gewehr Patrone 1898 cartridges, each loaded with the new 8.20mm (.323-inch) 9.9g (154gr) "spitzer" pointed bullet. Almost as impressive as the bolt was the cartridge feed system - the rim of the cartridge was grabbed tightly by a non-rotating "claw" when the cartridge left the magazine. This was set in place until the round was formally ejected from the receiver. Jams could be experienced when the bolt was operated slowly. Removal of the bolt group from the receiver was easily accomplished by pulling out the bolt stop located along the left side of the receiver then rotating the bolt out of the of the receiver itself. The magazine could be loaded by pressing single rounds into the receiver when the bolt was open or with a "stripper clips", these holding five rounds vertically so thumb pressure pressing down would force all five rounds into the magazine in one simple action. After loading, the empty clip was then ejected when the bolt is closed. The magazine could be unloaded by operating the bolt, this action resulting in a single round being ejected at a time.
The safety catch was designed to not allow the weapon to fire. This was a large lever marked with an "S" to indicate the direction of the safety position. The two-stage trigger would not operate with the safety on. Mauser used the two-stage method for two reasons: first was to reduce premature firing under combat conditions and second to allow a slow pull when firing on distant one-shot targets.
As events wore on, upgrades were made to the Gewehr, in time producing the equally excellent Karabiner 98a (not to be confused with the World War 2-era "Karabiner 98k"). The Karabiner 98a (K98a) was a shorter version of the Gew 98 made specifically for cavalry units and assault troops since it was a lighter and shorter form of the base Gewehr 98 rifle - proving a better fit for trench fighting.
Throughout World War 1, the Gew 98 saw few major alterations to the basic design, remaining decidedly unchanged for the length of the conflict. The rear sight was eventually simplified for improved short-ranged work and different wooden stocks substituted the original walnut, the latter intended to keep up with war demand and counter supply shortages. Some experimental forms inevitably appeared including a detachable magazine variant known as the "Mauser 18" though this model did not see the light of day.
The Karabiner 98b was another full-length rifle development of the Gewehr 98 but designated as a carbine simply to comply with the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. By the treaty, Germany was limited in her war-making capacity and was thusly only allowed to produce carbine rifle forms. The 98b model was introduced in 1923 as a result. Though technically a rifle by any other name, the Karabiner 98b was categorized as a carbine and led to the development of the Karabiner 98k by the time of World War 2. German forces, however, were still using the Gew 98 rifle in World War 2 for they were readily available in quantity.
Gew 98 was first used by German troops in the 1898 Boxer Rebellion. In 1937, German leader Adolf Hitler chose to outfit his SS bodyguards with Gewehr 98 rifles. The Ottoman Empire purchased many of these rifles during World War 1 and for some time as the Turkish Republic afterwards. The rifle also was used along to forces loyal to Franco's Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War of 1936. After World War 2, the newly-created state of Israel acquired the Gewehr 98 rifle in some number; an interesting notion for each rifle was still marked with the Imperial German emblem. These were ultimately chambered to fire the 7.62mm NATO cartridge from 1958 onwards.
Sniper conversion models of the Gewehr 98 appeared with optics during World War 1. The use of optics forced a new turned-down bolt to be installed as well as a revised stock with a noticeable recess. Scopes came in 2.5x and 3x magnification but soon proved somewhat problematic in bolt functions so many had their optics mounted ever higher along the receiver. Some 18,421 Gewehr 98 series rifles were converted to sniper forms and issued to specially-trained German Army snipers throughout World War 1.
Some Gewehr 98s saw combat actions in World War 2, though in upgraded forms. With the arrival of World War 2 (1939-1945), the sheer number of available Gew 98 rifles and their kin ensured it use in the grand conflict. Many long forms were still in circulation up to 1939 and this across many foreign powers as well. Even in this modern conflict, the old rifle held up well, proving as reliable and accurate as ever and claiming its fair share of officers, infantry and civilians alike. The protruding horizontal bolt of certain models continued to be a limitation in the heat-of-battle but few could find true fault in the stellar Mauser design. This led to something of a resurgence for the old rifle from 1944 to 1945 in which the German Volkssturm ("Storm of the People") was issued the type. This group was essentially formed of German civilians armed by authorities intended to fight and defend Germany to the last during the closing months of the war.
Production was through Mauser proper, Deustche Waffen and Munitionsfabriken, Haenel, Sauer & Sohn, Waffenwerke Oberspree, V. Chr. Schilling Company, Simson and the arsenals at Amberg, Danzig, Erfurt, Leipzig and Spandau. Notable conflicts involving the Gew 98 and related types became the Boxer Rebellion (1899-1901), the Xinhai Revolution (1911-1912), World War 1 (1914-1918), the Finnish Civil War (1918), the Turkish War of Independence (1919-1922), the Chinese Civil War (1927-1937), the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), the 2nd Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945), World War 2 (1939-1945) and the Korean War (1950-1953).
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Having fired a Gew 98 myself from a friend's collection to a target at 1000 meters, I found the weapon to be easy to sight and could make a tight grouping with minimal practice.
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