Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 56

The Gewehr Model 98 featured improvements,
too. The rifle had a slightly larger
receiver ring capable of handling higherpressure
cartridges, a longer bolt throw to
handle longer cartridges, and a better gas
handling/deflective feature (namely, holes
in the bolt body just behind the twin locking
lugs, a flanged bolt sleeve, and an inner
collar breech).
Other improvements included a shorter
and faster firing pin lock time. The firing
pin was cocked on lifting the bolt - rather
than on the forward thrust of the bolt - and
there was a third lug toward the rear of the
bolt body acting as a safety lug.
Barrel lengths on the various military
Model 98s made throughout the world
varied from 15 to 29 inches. The most commonly
seen today is the WWII Karabiner
model (KAR 98) with a 24-inch barrel.
Early Model 98s had a bolt handle that
stuck out 90 degrees from the bolt. Later
versions featured a bent bolt handle, which
provided ergonomic ease of operation and
carry. That change inadvertently adapted the
rifle to allow for a scope.
Mauser also designed a scaled-down
version of the rifle called the Small Ring
1898, chambered in 7x57.
In all its forms, the Model 98 rifle so
influenced the world of military armament
that several countries - even when not
copying Mauser's design completely - at
least borrowed heavily from its design.
The Springfield Model 1903 in the United
States, the Enfield P14 in .303 British in
England and the Arisaka Models 38 and
99 in Japan all derived from Mauser's rifle.
The Model 98 was so well designed it
became a standard in the sporting world,
too. Firearms distributors bought up tens
of thousands of Mausers as military surplus
following the two World Wars. Many were
customized by gunsmiths and hobbyists to
handle a variety of cartridges for hunting
56
and target shooting. They're collectors'
items now.
European factories turned out versions
ranging from basic hunting arms to works
of art with engravings and Mannlicher-style
stocks. American rifle manufacturers - who
knew a good thing when they saw it -
likewise engineered sporting rifles around
Mauser's basic design.
Savage brought out its Model 20 in 1920.
Winchester followed with its Model 54 in
1925, and later the Model 70 in 1937. Remington
debuted the Model 30 and Model
720. All those served sportsmen for decades.
It was only in the 1960s, when production
costs were becoming prohibitive, that
American arms manufacturers largely
stopped making rifles based on the Model
98. New designs were researched, designed
and put into production.
Models such as the Savage Model 110,
the post-64 Winchester Model 70, Remington's
Models 721, 722 and, eventually, their
classic Model 700 - all of which exhibit
cartridge push feed with plunger ejection -
became the norm.
Still, even with this less expensive
competition, the commercial Mauser 98
rifles remained in demand. Imports flowed
in from foreign sources such as Interarms
Mark X, FN Mausers, and Husqvarna.
And in 1968, Bill Ruger, with a great
appreciation for classic rifles, brought out
his Model 77. It looked like a Model 98,
but with push feed and plunger eject. It was
successful, but in 1991 Ruger - apparently
feeling shooters wanted the actual characteristics
of the Mauser 98 - brought out the
Hawkeye 77. It had the control-feed claw,
three-position safety and blade ejection.
The Model 98 remains popular with
some, even if it's no longer the norm. It's just
a classic, dependable design that will always
be there for those who don't mind spending
a little more for a quality rifle.
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021

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