The model 98 rifle is a manually operated, magazine fed, bolt action rifle. The list of the vast variety of the Mauser-type versions could easily cover a number of pages, but, for the sake of compactness, I will describe only the basic, German model. Most famous of those 'foreign Mausers' are Persian Mausers, Turkish Mausers, Czech VZ-24 Mausers, Yugoslavian Mausers and some others. Many versions of this design also were licensed to other countries, which also used to build their own versions of the G98. This version appeared in 1935 and was manufactured until the 1945 in large numbers not only by Germans, but also in numerous countries, occupied by Germans. New bullet had much better long-range ballistic, so all sights were regraduated for new ammunition.Дuring the interwar period this fine design was slightly altered to became the K98k - Karbiner Kurz, or short carbine - a somewhat shorter, lighter and handier version of the original one.

In the 1904 Germans were first to introduce the new, 'spitzer' bullet (with pointed tip, instead of the older blunt, round-shaped tip). It was carried by Germans through the First World war, along with carbine shortened version, known as K98 (or Kar-98, from Karbiner = carbine). This rifle was designed from the experience, gained on previous Mauser designs, and was first appeared in 1898 as a standard German army infantry rifle. 98 or simply G98 (G = Gewehr, rifle in German). One of such designs, is undoubtfully a Mauser model 1898 rifle, also known as Gew. But some of earlier Mauser works became the standards against which all others designs are judged, even after some 100 years after its introduction. Some years after the WW2, the Mauser company was restored in the West Germany and continued to build firearms, but mostly a larger-caliber ones, like the aircraft cannons etc. The Mauser company, established by the two Mauser brothers, established its reputation in firearms making in the last decades of the XIX century, and continued to build a very well thought-out and skillfully built firearms until the end of the World War 2. These carbines were originally only distributed to cavalry troops but later in the war to the special stormtroop units as well. The extended magazine was not well received, however.ДЄ number of carbine versions known as Karabiner 98's had been introduced and used in World War I, some of which were even shorter than the later K.98k. This included the several 98 carbines as well as an experimental version with a twenty round, rather than five round, box magazine. World War I would see very large spike in demand for the company's rifles, as well as a number of variants of it. Paul Mauser died before the start of World War I that August. Pointed rounds gave the bullet a better ballistic coefficient, improving the effective range of the cartridge by decreasing aerodynamic drag. This improved round also copied the pointed tip design instead of the previous rounded nose profile, and most existing Model 98's and some Model 88's were rechambered for the round, designated '7.92 x 57IS'. The bullet diameter was increased from 0.318' to 0.323'. In 1905 the 'spitzer' round was introduced, in response to the French adoption of a pointed round, which offered better ballistic performance.

Mauser also incorporated a new, third 'safety' lug on the bolt body to protect the shooter in the event that one or more of the forward locking lugs failed.

Noticeable changes from previous Mauser rifle models included better ruptured case gas venting, better receiver metallurgy and larger receiver ring dimensions for handling the pressures of the 7.92x57 cartridge. This remains by far the most successful of the Mauser designs, helped of course by the onset of two World Wars that demanded vast numbers of rifles. M98 incorporated improvements of earlier models, and entered German service as the Gew. Eventually in 1898 the German army also purchased a Mauser design, the Model 98.

Mauser gewehr 98 bolt-action rifle