Mauser M98
Encyclopedia
The Mauser M 98 are a series of currently (2009) produced hunting bolt action rifles.
Though the production of the controlled-feed Mauser M 98 bolt action system for the German military ceased at the end of World War II in 1945, the production of new Mauser M 98 and M 98 Magnum rifles for civil users has been resumed in 1999 in Isny im Allgäu
, Germany by Mauser Jagdwaffen GmbH (Mauser Huntingweapons Ltd.), according to original drawings of 1936 and the respective Mauser
patents. Mauser Jagdwaffen GmbH is a subsidiary of SIG Sauer.
The Mauser M 98 series are practically a contemporary civilian version adapted for hunting and other sporting purposes of the Karabiner 98k
service rifle, which was one of the final developments in the long line of Mauser
military rifles.
Vaguely similar to the latter rifle in appearance, the M 98 is offered in many different hunting chamberings, not like the original service rifle.
Mauser Karabiner 98k ex-service rifles, ranging from various technical departures from the basic Mauser service rifle it was based on to luxury wood grades, (gold) inlays, engravings and surface treatments like color case hardening. Some of the available options were originally developed and introduced by John Rigby & Co.
on Rigby Mauser hunting rifles.
.
The M 98 system consists of a receiver
that serves as the systems shroud and a bolt group of which the bolt body has three locking lugs, two large main lugs at the bolt head and a third safety lug at the rear of the bolt which serves as a backup in case the primary locking lugs failed. This third lug is a distinctive feature and was not present on previous Mauser bolt action designs. The two main locking lugs display a locking surface of 56 mm², whilst the third safety lug normally plays no part in locking the action to avoid asymmetric
and hence unbalanced bolt thrust
forces. The diameter of the receiver was also enlarged compared to previous Mauser receivers for additional strength and safety. The bolt handle is permanently attached to the bolt and on the Mauser M 98 series is turned-down for use with optical sights.
Another distinctive feature of the M 98 system is the controlled-feed mechanism, consisting of a large, non-rotating claw extractor that engages the cartridge case rim as soon as the round leaves the magazine and firmly holds the cartridge case until the round is ejected by the ejector, mounted inside the receiver. Combined with a slight bolt retraction at the last stage of the bolt opening cycle, caused by the cammed surface on the rear receiver bridge, this results in a positive cartridge case extraction. The M 98 bolt action will cycle correctly irrespective of the way the rifle is moved or positioned during the bolt cycling action or if the cartridge has been fired or not. Only if the bolt is not brought back far enough, sharply enough, in a controlled round feed bolt action the cartridge case may not be cleanly ejected and a jam may result.
The bolt houses the firing pin mechanism that gets cocked when the bolt is opened and the cocking piece protrudes visually and tactilely from the rear of the bolt to indicate the action is cocked. This bolt sleeve lock was not present on previous Mauser bolt action designs and reduced firing pin travel and lock time.
The action features large gas relief holes and a gas shield on the bolt sleeve designed to protect the users head in case of a primer or cartridge rupture or detonation. When the action suffers a catastrophic failure it is designed to deflect the debris away from the operator's face.
The Mauser M 98 bolt group can be easily removed from the receiver simply by pulling out the bolt stop, located at the left wall of the receiver, and then by rotating and pulling the bolt out.
attached at the rear of the bolt which operating lever can be flicked from right (safety on, bolt locked) to middle (safety on, bolt can be opened for reloading), to left (ready to fire) but only when the rifle is cocked, otherwise the safety will not move. The safety secures the firing pin
. The safety can only be released by firing the rifle with the safety set in the ready to fire position or by closing the cocked bolt with a previously pulled trigger that must be kept pulled back during the closing operation. Disengaging the safety by closing the bolt is only possible with the safety set in the ready to fire position. The safety catch lever is quite large, making it easy to operate but posing a problem for mounting telescopic sight
s very low above the receiver whilst retaining good operability of the safety catch leaver.
The Mauser M 98 rifle series can also be ordered with an optional Mauser horizontal 3-position safety with locking lever to ensure good operability of the safety catch leaver with low mounted aiming optics.
Other barrel lengths are available upon request for the M 98 and M 98 Magnum variant, subject to availability.
As an option the rifles can be ordered with an integral barrel. This is a barrel with a quarter rib, sight bases and a sling swivel mounting machined out of a solid barrel blank.
of the M 98 system consists of an integral box machined to match the cartridge for which the rifle was being chambered, with a detachable floorplate, that can hold up to 5 standard sized rifle cartridges. The magazine can be loaded with single rounds by pushing the cartridges into the receiver top opening. The magazine can be unloaded by operating the bolt (the safety should for safety reasons be set to the middle position for this) or in case of mechanical problems by opening the magazine floorplate.
The Mauser M 98 internal magazine has a 5+1 magazine capacity in standard calibers and 4+1 in magnum calibers.
, a safari folding sight with white enamel inlay for rapid target acquisition or adverse light conditions and an express sight with two folding leaves zeroed for 50, 100 and 150 meters are available as options.
The M 98 system can also be factory prepared for swing-off telescopic sight mounts (bases in square bridge) or complete mounts for telescopic sight
s with or without a mounting rail.
Besides these options further customizing options like various extra luxury wood grades is possible.
to 9.3x64mm Brenneke
. Custom calibers are available upon request.
This Magnum variant exploits the fact that throughout the design's history, standard and enlarged versions of the Mauser M 98 system have been produced for the civil market. John Rigby & Co. commissioned Mauser to develop the M 98 magnum action over a hundred years ago. It was designed to function with the large sized cartridges normally used to hunt Big Five game
and other dangerous game species. For this specialized type of hunting, where absolute reliability of the rifle under adverse conditions is very important, the controlled-feed M 98 system remains the standard by which other action designs are judged. The trouble for a hunter or guide is that used M 98 Magnum rifles are hard to come by. Most owners consider these rifles to represent the peak in dangerous game rifles development, and seldom sell them.
The currently produced Mauser M 98 Magnum rifles are offered in chamberings ranging from .375 Holland & Holland with a 5+1 magazine capacity, .338 Lapua Magnum, .416 Rigby
, .450 Dakota, .458 Lott
with a 4+1 magazine capacity to .500 Jeffery
with a 3+1 magazine capacity. For the .500 Jeffery chambering an optional large Rigby-style magazine cover that increases magazine capacity to 4+1 is available. Other calibers are available upon request.
Though the production of the controlled-feed Mauser M 98 bolt action system for the German military ceased at the end of World War II in 1945, the production of new Mauser M 98 and M 98 Magnum rifles for civil users has been resumed in 1999 in Isny im Allgäu
Isny im Allgäu
Isny im Allgäu is a town in south-eastern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is part of the district of Ravensburg, in the western, Württembergish part of the Allgäu region. For nearly 1000 years, Isny was an important town within the Holy Roman Empire...
, Germany by Mauser Jagdwaffen GmbH (Mauser Huntingweapons Ltd.), according to original drawings of 1936 and the respective Mauser
Mauser
Mauser was a German arms manufacturer of a line of bolt-action rifles and pistols from the 1870s to 1995. Mauser designs were built for the German armed forces...
patents. Mauser Jagdwaffen GmbH is a subsidiary of SIG Sauer.
The Mauser M 98 series are practically a contemporary civilian version adapted for hunting and other sporting purposes of the Karabiner 98k
Karabiner 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...
service rifle, which was one of the final developments in the long line of Mauser
Mauser
Mauser was a German arms manufacturer of a line of bolt-action rifles and pistols from the 1870s to 1995. Mauser designs were built for the German armed forces...
military rifles.
Vaguely similar to the latter rifle in appearance, the M 98 is offered in many different hunting chamberings, not like the original service rifle.
Design details
As a modern civilian offspring of the Karabiner 98k service rifle the Mauser M 98 series offers several features and factory options, that are also typical for sporterisedSporterising
Sporterising, sporterisation, or sporterization refers to the practice of modifying military-type firearms either to make them suitable for civilian sporting use or to make them legal under the law.-Modifying for sporting use:...
Mauser Karabiner 98k ex-service rifles, ranging from various technical departures from the basic Mauser service rifle it was based on to luxury wood grades, (gold) inlays, engravings and surface treatments like color case hardening. Some of the available options were originally developed and introduced by John Rigby & Co.
John Rigby & Company
John Rigby & Company, gun and rifle makers, is a firm specialising in the building of high-quality sporting rifles and shotguns.-History:The company was founded in Dublin, Ireland in 1775, and is known to have traded as W. & J. Rigby during the period 1820 - 1865 during the flintlock and percussion...
on Rigby Mauser hunting rifles.
Operating mechanism
The M 98 controlled-feed bolt action system is a simple, strong, safe, and well-thought-out design that was originally patented by Paul Mauser on 9 September 1895 and inspired other military and hunting/sporting rifle designs that became available during the 20th and 21st century. A drawback of the M 98 system is that it can not be cheaply mass produced very easily. Some other bolt action designs (e.g. the Lee Enfield) also offer trained operators a significantly faster rate of fire. The basic Mauser M 98 version retails (2009) for approximately EUR 6,800, but the addition of (luxury) options can make these rifles much more expensive. For the Mauser M 98 series the M 98 bolt action system is machined out of one solid piece of high-grade steel. It also features a double square bridge for mounting a telescopic sightTelescopic sight
A telescopic sight, commonly called a scope, is a sighting device that is based on an optical refracting telescope. They are equipped with some form of graphic image pattern mounted in an optically appropriate position in their optical system to give an accurate aiming point...
.
Features
Receiver (firearms)
In firearms terminology, the receiver is the part of a firearm that houses the operating parts. The receiver usually contains the bolt carrier group, trigger group, and magazine port. In most handguns, the receiver, or frame, holds the magazine well or rotary magazine as well as the trigger mechanism...
that serves as the systems shroud and a bolt group of which the bolt body has three locking lugs, two large main lugs at the bolt head and a third safety lug at the rear of the bolt which serves as a backup in case the primary locking lugs failed. This third lug is a distinctive feature and was not present on previous Mauser bolt action designs. The two main locking lugs display a locking surface of 56 mm², whilst the third safety lug normally plays no part in locking the action to avoid asymmetric
Symmetry
Symmetry generally conveys two primary meanings. The first is an imprecise sense of harmonious or aesthetically pleasing proportionality and balance; such that it reflects beauty or perfection...
and hence unbalanced bolt thrust
Bolt thrust
Bolt thrust or breech pressure is a term used in internal ballistics and firearms that describes the amount of rearward force exerted by the propellant gases on the bolt or breech of a firearm action or breech when a projectile is fired...
forces. The diameter of the receiver was also enlarged compared to previous Mauser receivers for additional strength and safety. The bolt handle is permanently attached to the bolt and on the Mauser M 98 series is turned-down for use with optical sights.
Another distinctive feature of the M 98 system is the controlled-feed mechanism, consisting of a large, non-rotating claw extractor that engages the cartridge case rim as soon as the round leaves the magazine and firmly holds the cartridge case until the round is ejected by the ejector, mounted inside the receiver. Combined with a slight bolt retraction at the last stage of the bolt opening cycle, caused by the cammed surface on the rear receiver bridge, this results in a positive cartridge case extraction. The M 98 bolt action will cycle correctly irrespective of the way the rifle is moved or positioned during the bolt cycling action or if the cartridge has been fired or not. Only if the bolt is not brought back far enough, sharply enough, in a controlled round feed bolt action the cartridge case may not be cleanly ejected and a jam may result.
The bolt houses the firing pin mechanism that gets cocked when the bolt is opened and the cocking piece protrudes visually and tactilely from the rear of the bolt to indicate the action is cocked. This bolt sleeve lock was not present on previous Mauser bolt action designs and reduced firing pin travel and lock time.
The action features large gas relief holes and a gas shield on the bolt sleeve designed to protect the users head in case of a primer or cartridge rupture or detonation. When the action suffers a catastrophic failure it is designed to deflect the debris away from the operator's face.
The Mauser M 98 bolt group can be easily removed from the receiver simply by pulling out the bolt stop, located at the left wall of the receiver, and then by rotating and pulling the bolt out.
Safety
As standard the Mauser M 98 rifle features the traditional Mauser 98 three-position safetySafety (firearms)
In firearms, a safety or safety catch is a mechanism used to help prevent the accidental discharge of a firearm, helping to ensure safer handling....
attached at the rear of the bolt which operating lever can be flicked from right (safety on, bolt locked) to middle (safety on, bolt can be opened for reloading), to left (ready to fire) but only when the rifle is cocked, otherwise the safety will not move. The safety secures the firing pin
Firing pin
A firing pin or striker is part of the firing mechanism used in a firearm or explosive device e.g. an M14 landmine or bomb fuze. Firing pins may take many forms, though the types used in landmines, bombs, grenade fuzes or other single-use devices generally have a sharpened point...
. The safety can only be released by firing the rifle with the safety set in the ready to fire position or by closing the cocked bolt with a previously pulled trigger that must be kept pulled back during the closing operation. Disengaging the safety by closing the bolt is only possible with the safety set in the ready to fire position. The safety catch lever is quite large, making it easy to operate but posing a problem for mounting telescopic sight
Telescopic sight
A telescopic sight, commonly called a scope, is a sighting device that is based on an optical refracting telescope. They are equipped with some form of graphic image pattern mounted in an optically appropriate position in their optical system to give an accurate aiming point...
s very low above the receiver whilst retaining good operability of the safety catch leaver.
The Mauser M 98 rifle series can also be ordered with an optional Mauser horizontal 3-position safety with locking lever to ensure good operability of the safety catch leaver with low mounted aiming optics.
Barrel
The standard barrel length is 600 mm (23.62 in) for the M 98 and 620 mm (24.41 in) for the M 98 Magnum variant.Other barrel lengths are available upon request for the M 98 and M 98 Magnum variant, subject to availability.
As an option the rifles can be ordered with an integral barrel. This is a barrel with a quarter rib, sight bases and a sling swivel mounting machined out of a solid barrel blank.
Ammunition feeding
The internal magazineMagazine (firearm)
A magazine is an ammunition storage and feeding device within or attached to a repeating firearm. Magazines may be integral to the firearm or removable . The magazine functions by moving the cartridges stored in the magazine into a position where they may be loaded into the chamber by the action...
of the M 98 system consists of an integral box machined to match the cartridge for which the rifle was being chambered, with a detachable floorplate, that can hold up to 5 standard sized rifle cartridges. The magazine can be loaded with single rounds by pushing the cartridges into the receiver top opening. The magazine can be unloaded by operating the bolt (the safety should for safety reasons be set to the middle position for this) or in case of mechanical problems by opening the magazine floorplate.
The Mauser M 98 internal magazine has a 5+1 magazine capacity in standard calibers and 4+1 in magnum calibers.
Sights
An express open sight with big rear sight and brass bead sight and single stage trigger are standard. A Rigby style diopter sightDiopter sight
The diopter is an aperture sight component used to assist the aiming of a guns/devices, usually those intended to launch projectiles, such as firearms, airguns, and crossbows...
, a safari folding sight with white enamel inlay for rapid target acquisition or adverse light conditions and an express sight with two folding leaves zeroed for 50, 100 and 150 meters are available as options.
The M 98 system can also be factory prepared for swing-off telescopic sight mounts (bases in square bridge) or complete mounts for telescopic sight
Telescopic sight
A telescopic sight, commonly called a scope, is a sighting device that is based on an optical refracting telescope. They are equipped with some form of graphic image pattern mounted in an optically appropriate position in their optical system to give an accurate aiming point...
s with or without a mounting rail.
Stock
The standard hand-rubbed oil-finish walnut wood stock has a straight comb with German-style cheekpiece, a rubber recoil pad, steel pistol grip cap and rosewood forearm tip. These stocks come in 5 wood quality grades and an alternative Rigby-style cheekpiece can be ordered.Besides these options further customizing options like various extra luxury wood grades is possible.
Chamberings
The Mauser M 98 is available in all commercially loaded calibers from .22-250 Remington.22-250 Remington
The .22-250 Remington is a very high-velocity , short action, .22 caliber rifle cartridge primarily used for varmint hunting and small game hunting, though it finds occasional use on deer. This cartridge is also sometimes known as the 22 Varminter or the 22 Wotkyns Original Swift...
to 9.3x64mm Brenneke
9.3x64mm Brenneke
The 9.3x64mm Brenneke is a rimless bottlenecked centerfire cartridge developed for big game hunting. As is customary in European cartridges the 9.3 denotes the 9.3 mm bullet diameter and the 64 denotes the 64 mm case length. Using the bullet diameter is unusual in German cartridge...
. Custom calibers are available upon request.
Variants
The Mauser M 98 Magnum is a currently (2009) produced magnum variant of the modern M 98 line intended for big-game safari hunting.This Magnum variant exploits the fact that throughout the design's history, standard and enlarged versions of the Mauser M 98 system have been produced for the civil market. John Rigby & Co. commissioned Mauser to develop the M 98 magnum action over a hundred years ago. It was designed to function with the large sized cartridges normally used to hunt Big Five game
Big Five game
The phrase Big Five game was coined by white hunters and refers to the five most difficult animals in Africa to hunt on foot. The term is still used in most tourist and wildlife guides that discuss African wildlife safaris. The collection consists of the lion, African elephant, cape buffalo,...
and other dangerous game species. For this specialized type of hunting, where absolute reliability of the rifle under adverse conditions is very important, the controlled-feed M 98 system remains the standard by which other action designs are judged. The trouble for a hunter or guide is that used M 98 Magnum rifles are hard to come by. Most owners consider these rifles to represent the peak in dangerous game rifles development, and seldom sell them.
The currently produced Mauser M 98 Magnum rifles are offered in chamberings ranging from .375 Holland & Holland with a 5+1 magazine capacity, .338 Lapua Magnum, .416 Rigby
.416 Rigby
The .416 Rigby or 10.6x74mm was designed in 1911 by John Rigby & Company of London, England as a dangerous game cartridge and is the first one to use a bullet with a diameter of .416"...
, .450 Dakota, .458 Lott
.458 Lott
The .458 Lott is a .458 caliber belted hunting cartridge designed as a replacement for the less powerful .458 Winchester Magnum. It is based on the full length .375 H&H Magnum blown out and shortened to...
with a 4+1 magazine capacity to .500 Jeffery
.500 Jeffery
The .500 Jeffery is a caliber of rifles that first appeared around 1920, and was originally introduced by the August Schuler Company, a German firm, under the European designation "12,7x70 mm Schuler" or ".500 Schuler"...
with a 3+1 magazine capacity. For the .500 Jeffery chambering an optional large Rigby-style magazine cover that increases magazine capacity to 4+1 is available. Other calibers are available upon request.