Mauser M59
Encyclopedia
The Mauser M59 and Mauser M67 were rifle
s produced by Kongsberg Arms of Norway and were not licensed products of Mauser. Although they were produced by Kongsberg it was always called a "Mauser" in Norway, hence its listing under Mauser.
were confiscated by Norwegian forces. Most of the rifles were re-barrelled to .30-06, later to 7.62 NATO, and used as normal service rifles, but a number of Mauser 98 actions were used as the basis for building both military sniper and civilian target rifles at Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk. Target shooting is very popular in Norway, and stocks of the Krag-Jorgensen M1894 were scarce after the end of the war. The Mauser rifles were available and very well suited to conversion into target rifles for use by the Norwegian DFS. The M59, M67 and the Krag-Jørgensen were the official target rifles of the Norwegian DFS until the adoption of the Sauer 200 STR in the 90's.
for the regular armed forces. After the NM149
was introduced, the M59F1 served with the Norwegian Home Guard
(Heimevernet) until the 1990s. It was also used as a civilian target rifle
, having the advantage over the Krag-Jørgensen
M1894 that it did not suffer from changing point of impact in rainy weather. Thus, many shooters had a Krag-Jørgensen for the sunny days and one Mauser for rainy days.
Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk used German Mauser 98k actions for the manufacture of the M59. The picture shows a civilian M59.
Closeup of the action and re-profiled bolt handle:
Old markings were removed, and the front receiver bridge was opened to accommodate loading of the somewhat longer (compared to the 7.92x57 mm Mauser) .30-06 cardridge,
This is also found on the M59 rifles which were re-chambered to the 7.62x51 NATO cartridge. On the civilian version, only the extractor claw was blued, while the rest of the bolt was polished, while on the army issue M59F1, the whole bolt was blued.
The pistol grip:
The magazine follower on the 98k would lock the bolt's forward motion on an empty magazine. This feature was retained on the M59:
The half-length cleaning rod was screwed into the fore-end. Two to three of these were required to assemble a rod of sufficient length:
A civilian M59 (top) in .30-06 and the army issue M59F1 in 7.62x51 NATO (bottom, with a side-mounted scope). Note the blued bolt and absence of the cut-out in the front receiver bridge on the M59F1. Note also the different markings on the front receiver bridge.
Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk Skarpskyttergevær M67, "Mauser M67"
The M59 was redesigned in 1967, hence the M67, and was made using a captured World War II German M98 action, fitted with a heavy target stock and barrel. It was usually fitted with Busk diopter sights. It was chambered in 6.5x55, 7.62 NATO and in .22 LR as a single shot.
Other Norwegian rifles:
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
s produced by Kongsberg Arms of Norway and were not licensed products of Mauser. Although they were produced by Kongsberg it was always called a "Mauser" in Norway, hence its listing under Mauser.
Mauser rifles in Norway
After WW2, large numbers of German Mauser 98kKarabiner 98k
The Karabiner 98 Kurz was a bolt action rifle chambered for the 8x57mm IS/7.92×57mm IS cartridge that was adopted as the standard service rifle in 1935 by the German Wehrmacht. It was one of the final developments in the long line of Mauser military rifles...
were confiscated by Norwegian forces. Most of the rifles were re-barrelled to .30-06, later to 7.62 NATO, and used as normal service rifles, but a number of Mauser 98 actions were used as the basis for building both military sniper and civilian target rifles at Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk. Target shooting is very popular in Norway, and stocks of the Krag-Jorgensen M1894 were scarce after the end of the war. The Mauser rifles were available and very well suited to conversion into target rifles for use by the Norwegian DFS. The M59, M67 and the Krag-Jørgensen were the official target rifles of the Norwegian DFS until the adoption of the Sauer 200 STR in the 90's.
Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk Skarpskyttergevær M59, "Mauser M59"
Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk introduced the M59 (also denoted KV59) in 1959, first chambered in .30-06, but shortly afterwards production was changed to accommodate the new 7.62 NATO round, and M59 rifles chambered for the 7.62 NATO were denoted M59F1. The M59F1 served first as a sniper rifleSniper rifle
In military and law enforcement terminology, a sniper rifle is a precision-rifle used to ensure more accurate placement of bullets at longer ranges than other small arms. A typical sniper rifle is built for optimal levels of accuracy, fitted with a telescopic sight and chambered for a military...
for the regular armed forces. After the NM149
Våpensmia NM149
The NM149 sniper rifle was developed by Våpensmia A/S in close cooperation with the Norwegian Army and is based on the tried and true Mauser M98 controlled feed bolt action. These actions originate from Mauser Karabiner 98k rifles left by German armed forces in Norway at the end of World War II in...
was introduced, the M59F1 served with the Norwegian Home Guard
Norwegian Home Guard
The Norwegian Home Guard , is a rapid mobilisation force in the Norwegian military. Founded 6 December 1946, it is the youngest branch in the Norwegian forces.-Organization:...
(Heimevernet) until the 1990s. It was also used as a civilian target rifle
Shooting sports
A shooting sport is a competitive sport involving tests of proficiency using various types of guns such as firearms and airguns . Hunting is also a shooting sport, and indeed shooting live pigeons was an Olympic event...
, having the advantage over the Krag-Jørgensen
Krag-Jørgensen
The Krag-Jørgensen is a repeating bolt action rifle designed by the Norwegians Ole Herman Johannes Krag and Erik Jørgensen in the late 19th century. It was adopted as a standard arm by Denmark, the United States of America and Norway...
M1894 that it did not suffer from changing point of impact in rainy weather. Thus, many shooters had a Krag-Jørgensen for the sunny days and one Mauser for rainy days.
Technical details and images
Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk used German Mauser 98k actions for the manufacture of the M59. The picture shows a civilian M59.
Closeup of the action and re-profiled bolt handle:
Old markings were removed, and the front receiver bridge was opened to accommodate loading of the somewhat longer (compared to the 7.92x57 mm Mauser) .30-06 cardridge,
This is also found on the M59 rifles which were re-chambered to the 7.62x51 NATO cartridge. On the civilian version, only the extractor claw was blued, while the rest of the bolt was polished, while on the army issue M59F1, the whole bolt was blued.
The pistol grip:
The magazine follower on the 98k would lock the bolt's forward motion on an empty magazine. This feature was retained on the M59:
The half-length cleaning rod was screwed into the fore-end. Two to three of these were required to assemble a rod of sufficient length:
A civilian M59 (top) in .30-06 and the army issue M59F1 in 7.62x51 NATO (bottom, with a side-mounted scope). Note the blued bolt and absence of the cut-out in the front receiver bridge on the M59F1. Note also the different markings on the front receiver bridge.
Alternative model designations (unofficial)
- Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk Modell 1959
- Kongsberg-Mauser M59
- KV59
- KV M59
- Modell 1959 Skarpskytter
- Skarpskytterrifle M59
- Skarpskytterrifle Modell 1959
Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk Skarpskyttergevær M67, "Mauser M67"Mauser M67The Mauser M67 is a bolt-action rifle made by Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk of Norway, based on actions from Mauser M98k left by German armed forces in 1945...
The M59 was redesigned in 1967, hence the M67, and was made using a captured World War II German M98 action, fitted with a heavy target stock and barrel. It was usually fitted with Busk diopter sights. It was chambered in 6.5x55, 7.62 NATO and in .22 LR as a single shot.See also
Other Norwegian rifles:
- KammerladerKammerladerThe Kammerlader, or "chamber loader", was the first Norwegian breech loading rifle, and among the very first breech loaders adopted for use by an armed force anywhere in the world. A single shot black powder rifle, the kammerlader was operated with a crank mounted on the side of the receiver. This...
- the first breech loading rifle in service in Norway. - Remington M1867Remington M1867The Remington rolling block M1867 was the first truly modern rifle to be adopted by the Norwegian Army. Nominally it had a caliber of 4 Norwegian decimal lines, the actual caliber was 3.88 Norwegian decimal lines , and it fired an 12.615 mm rimfire round.-Birth of the M1867:In the 1860s the...
- the first rifle for metallic cartridges adopted by the Norwegian Army - Krag-PeterssonKrag-PeterssonThe Krag-Petersson rifle was the first repeating rifle adopted by the armed forces of Norway and one of the first repeating arms used anywhere in the world. Developed by Ole Herman Johannes Krag, the action of the Krag-Petersson was uniquely actuated by an oversized hammer...
- the first rifle designed by Ole H J Krag that was adopted by an armed force. - Jarmann M1884Jarmann M1884The Norwegian Jarmann M1884 was among the first bolt action repeating rifles to be adopted in the Western world. Its adoption, and subsequent modifications, turned the Norwegian Army from a fighting force armed with single-shot black powder weapons into a force armed with modern repeating weapons...
- the rifle the Norwegian Krag-Jørgensen replaced. - Krag-JørgensenKrag-JørgensenThe Krag-Jørgensen is a repeating bolt action rifle designed by the Norwegians Ole Herman Johannes Krag and Erik Jørgensen in the late 19th century. It was adopted as a standard arm by Denmark, the United States of America and Norway...
- the most successful Norwegian firearm to date - Kongsberg Skarpskyttergevær M67Mauser M67The Mauser M67 is a bolt-action rifle made by Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk of Norway, based on actions from Mauser M98k left by German armed forces in 1945...
- The 1967 redesign of the M59 - Våpensmia NM149Våpensmia NM149The NM149 sniper rifle was developed by Våpensmia A/S in close cooperation with the Norwegian Army and is based on the tried and true Mauser M98 controlled feed bolt action. These actions originate from Mauser Karabiner 98k rifles left by German armed forces in Norway at the end of World War II in...
- the rifle that replaced the M59F1 as a Norwegian sniper rifle