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Mauser Model 98 FdH

Original M98 Mauser rifle.

THROUGH STUDY OF other rifle actions and his own development work, Paul Mauser gained considerable insight into precisely what features were necessary and desirable in a military rifle. He knew that each of his succeeding designs was better than the preceding one, so he probably felt that the Model 96 action was still short of perfection. It’s interesting that there was a lapse of two years between the introduction of the M96 Swedish Mauser and the advent of the M98, while most other successful Mauser designs were only a year apart.

There was indeed a great advance from the basic M71 blackpowder action to the next important change, the smokeless powder cartridge M88 action. The latter introduced dual-opposed forward locking lugs and the one-piece bolt drilled from the rear. The next major and important design changes were in the M92 action, which introduced the non-rotating extractor, and in the M93 with its flush staggered-column, nondetachable box magazine. All of this design activity by Mauser on his bolt-action system culminated in the design and the perfection of the inside collar in the receiver ring, the third, or safety lug on the bolt, and the improved firing mechanism of the M98.

This achievement was crowned when Germany, his native country, adopted the Model 98 Mauser rifle. Although Mauser continued to invent other arms, some of which were outstanding, it is the M98 action for which he is best known. Paul Mauser died in May, 1914, just at the start of WWI, a conflict that would see his M98 pitted against a variety of inferior rifles.

The Action

The one-piece receiver is machined from a steel forging. The recoil lug, an integral part of the receiver, is located about 1.43” behind the front edge of the receiver. It is about 1.1 ” wide and .25” in depth, ample in area to secure the action in a reasonably hard, wood stock if properly bedded and tightened in place. Behind the recoil lug the bottom of the Mauser receiver is flat, including the tang.

The receiver ring is threaded inside to accept the barrel shank. The threads are of common V-type, but with a 55-degree angle rather than the standard American 60-degree angle. The barrel breech is flat, with the chamber edge slightly rounded. Inside the receiver ring there is a collar against which the breech end of the barrel abuts. This collar extends entirely around the inside of the receiver ring except for an extractor cut. It forms a ring that closely surrounds the bolt head when the bolt is closed. The rear of this collar, beveled toward the chamber, forms a wide funnel which sometimes helps to guide the cartridges into the chamber.

This collar strengthens the receiver ring and, except for the extractor cut, provides a good seal around the bolt head. Normally, the barrel shank is made to butt tightly against this collar so that the shoulder of the barrel need not nor should contact the front edge of the receiver.

The magazine well of the M98 action is milled from the bottom of the receiver, between the bridge and ring, leaving lips at either side of the upper edge to hold the cartridges in place. The front of the well is milled to form a shallow “U” ramp to guide the cartridges into the chamber. The right side of the receiver opening is cut very low, leaving little more than the side rail of the magazine well. The left side of the receiver opening has a wall extending about two-thirds of the way up the receiver ring which is milled for the left locking lug raceway. However, the rear of this left wall, close to the bridge, is cut as low as the right side to form a thumb recess to aid loading the magazine from a charger clip. The only really weak point in the action results from this notch— more on this later.

The top front of the bridge is slotted for the charger clip. The top of the bridge behind the charger clip slot is milled thinner to remove excess metal. The rear of the receiver ends in a tang, grooved to accept the cocking piece cam.

The bolt is a solid steel machined forging, with an integral bolt handle. Dual-opposed Model 98 locking lugs are on the front end. The right (bottom) lug is solid. The left (top) is slotted to allow the ejector to pass through. The bridge and the left receiver wall are milled inside to pass the bolt and lugs. The receiver ring is milled inside to form supporting shoulders for the locking lugs to engage when the bolt is closed. These lugs hold the bolt securely against the barrel breech.

A recess in the bolt face leaves a shallow rim about two-thirds of the way around the bolt head, partially supporting the cartridge head. The left side of this rim (opposite the extractor), through which the ejector slot passes, is made higher and undercut so the extractor pressure will securely hold the cartridge, or the fired case, while the bolt is being opened. This prevents the case from dropping down and supports it until the ejector flips it out.

The long spring-steel extractor is attached to the bolt by a collar which fits a groove cut into the bolt body. A lip under the extractor, behind the extractor hook, engages a narrow groove in the bolt head in front of the locking lugs, preventing longitudinal movement of the extractor on the bolt. The front of the extractor lip, and the groove into which it fits, is slightly undercut to prevent the extractor hook from moving outward or from slipping over a cartridge rim when force is required to extract a tight cartridge or case from the chamber.

The M98 bolt has a third or safety lug located at the rear of the bolt slightly forward of the bolt handle, and in line with the right locking lug. A recess is milled in the receiver below the bridge in which the lug moves when the bolt is closed. The recess is milled with enough tolerance so the lug will not contact the receiver— it is not intended to help hold the bolt in the locked position but acts only as a safety lug in the event the front locking lugs or receiver ring should fail. The bolt, at top, has a center guide rib about 2.2 ” long and .235” wide. When the bolt is closed, this rib rotates under the rear part of the extractor. The underside of the bridge is grooved to allow passage of the rib.

Standard M98 military action.

The top forward corner of the square base of the bolt handle is slightly beveled, the rear surface of the receiver bridge inclined to the rear. On opening, the bolt is cammed rearward by the bolt handle base which moves along this inclined surface. This movement provides the initial extraction camming power. This inclined surface also aids in starting rotation of the bolt when it is closed. In addition, inclines on the approaches of the locking shoulders in the locking lug recess in the receiver ring, along with a slightly beveled corner on each locking lug, provide the power to force the bolt forward the last -inch as the bolt is rotated 90 degrees to lock it. The bolt handle shank usually has a slight taper and ends in a round grasping ball. On most early military Mauser rifles the bolt handle shank is straight, at a right angle to the long axis of the action. On most short rifles and carbines, the bolt handle shank is bent down to place the ball nearer to the stock.

The rear of the bolt body behind the bolt handle (about .60” ) is made larger (.78”) than the main body of the bolt (.70”). This provides extra metal for the firing and safety mechanism. The bolt is bored from the rear to accept the firing pin and mainspring, and has buttress threads to hold the bolt sleeve. The rear half of the firing pin is flat on two sides and extends through a matching hole in the bolt sleeve. The rear of the firing pin and cocking piece are machined with three evenly-spaced interrupted lugs to afford a solid and precise quarter-turn fastening between these parts. The coil mainspring is compressed between the bolt sleeve and the flange on the firing pin, and is retained by the cocking piece.

Most M98-type actions made after 1901 were made with a safety firing pin. These firing pins have two lugs forward of the mainspring flange matching similar depressions forged inside the bolt. The purpose of this feature is to block the fall of the firing pin should it break before the bolt is fully locked. For example, if the firing pin broke while closing the bolt on feeding a live cartridge into the chamber, it could not strike the primer because the firing pin safety lugs would strike the shoulders within the bolt and block its fall.

The cocking piece cam fits into the rear of the bolt sleeve. The cam extends down into the tang groove and forward into a deep notch cut into the thick rear end of the bolt. This notch is inclined to one side so that on raising the bolt handle the cocking piece and the firing pin are forced back about .350”.enough so the sear drops in front of the cocking piece sear surface. Then, on the final closing motion, the bolt moves forward while the sear holds the cocking piece back, cocking the action fully. Although the M98 action is normally referred to as a “cock-on-opening” action, about one-third of the cocking motion is accomplished as the bolt is closed.

Left side view of the M98 Mauser action.

A “short” M98 military action having an overall length of 8.50” and a magazine opening of 3.225 ” (action shown fitted with a new bolt handle).

The bolt-sleeve lock fits into a hole in the left side of the bolt sleeve. It is given forward tension by a coil spring and is positioned by a small stud on the body of the lock within a groove in the bolt sleeve. As the bolt is turned to unlock it, the safety notch cut in the rear of the bolt is rotated in line with the bolt-sleeve lock, allowing them to engage. This securely locks the bolt sleeve and prevents it from turning on the bolt until it is locked again, when the bolt is closed and the bolt-sleeve lock is pushed back into the bolt sleeve by the rear edge of the bridge.

The wing safety is positioned in a hole, lengthwise, in the top of the bolt sleeve. The wing part of the safety is notched and fits over a collar on the bolt sleeve, which prevents the safety from falling out. This collar is notched on its far right side to permit the safety to be removed from the bolt sleeve, but only when the cocking piece is removed first. With the action assembled, and the safety swung to the right, the mainspring tension on the cocking piece holds the safety in place. The stem of the safety extends forward through the front of the bolt sleeve to intersect the rear of the bolt body. The end of this stem is notched and engages in the notch in the bolt only when the safety is swung to the far right or “safe” position. In this position both the striker (firing pin and cocking piece) and the bolt are locked.

Swung to the left or “off ” position, the safety is disengaged. Swung upright, in its intermediate position, only the striker is locked back, allowing the bolt to be operated to safely unload the magazine by running the cartridges through the chamber. When the safety is swung from the left to the upright position or beyond, it engages behind the cocking piece and draws it back clear of the sear. When it is released, the sear will be in position in front of the cocking piece, holding it cocked.

The bolt has two large oblong vents through which powder gases can escape in the event of a pierced primer or ruptured case head. These two holes are located in the front part of the bolt, one on either side of the extractor collar and near the small part of the firing pin. When the action is closed these vents align with the left locking lug raceway, thus directing any escaping gases backward. Much of the escaping gases would exit at the thumb slot. If any gases pass into the bridge raceway the bolt would block much of it, while the wide, bolt sleeve flange effectively deflects the remainder away from the shooter’s face. This flange is as wide as the rear part of the receiver.

The bolt-stop, positioned at the left rear of the receiver, is held in place by, and pivots on, a pointed screw which passes through the bolt-stop and a slotted square stud integral with the receiver. A projection on the bolt-stop projects through a hole in the receiver bridge, placing it in the path of the left locking lug. This halts the rearward motion of the bolt when it is drawn back. The flat ejector is held inside the bolt-stop and pivots on the bolt-stop screw. The ejector protrudes through a slot in the receiver. A two-leaf spring, mortised into the bolt-stop provides tension to the bolt-stop to hold it against the receiver, and to keep the ejector riding against the bolt so it will be in position to eject the cartridge or case.

The sear is hinged via a pin and a stud under the rear of the receiver. A coil spring, recessed at the front of the sear, tensions the sear and trigger. The trigger is hinged to the sear by a pin. The top of the trigger is made with two humps to provide the two-stage trigger pull.

The trigger guard and the magazine box are machined from a single piece of steel. Although the trigger guard is combined with the magazine box, it is usually called the trigger guard—or simply the guard. The guard bow is quite heavy and the same width as the guard tang above it. The magazine box, open at the bottom, is closed by a milled detachable floorplate. The floorplate is held in place by lips at either end fitting grooves cut into the guard and retained by a spring-loaded plunger at the rear of the magazine box, and engaging in a hole in the stud on the rear of the plate. Depressing the plunger through the hole in the rear of the floorplate allows it to be moved to the rear and released.

The magazine follower is made with a rib on its upper left side, forcing the cartridges to form a staggered column in the magazine. The rear end of the follower rib is square. When the magazine is empty and the bolt is opened, the follower rises into the path of the bolt and prevents it from being closed. This informs the shooter that the magazine is empty The ends of the W-shaped flat magazine spring fit shallow mortises cut into the bottom of the follower and inside the floorplate.

Heavy guard screws pass through holes at each end of the trigger guard and thread into the recoil lug and tang of the receiver. A large stud on the front end of the guard, through which the guard screw passes, is recessed to fit over a smaller stud on the bottom of the recoil lug. This stud aligns the receiver and the trigger guard magazine box. A sleeve in the rear guard screw hole of the stock correctly spaces the rear of the guard and receiver.

Top view of the M98 action.

Most M98 military actions use two small screws to lock the guard screws. The heads of the guard screws are notched, and the lock screws are positioned just in front of them to prevent their turning. The lock screws are also notched. If they are turned so the notch aligns with the guard screws, the latter can be turned out without removing the lock screws.

Operation

The action is opened by grasping the bolt handle, rotating it upward 90 degrees and pulling back as far as it will go. The striker is partially cocked when the bolt handle is raised. If the cartridges are in a charger clip, insert either end of the clip into the charger guideway of the receiver bridge and, with the fingers under the action and thumb on the topmost cartridge, shove the cartridges down into the magazine. Cartridges can be singly loaded into an empty or partially empty magazine, by laying the cartridge in the open action and pressing it into the magazine with the tip of the thumb. To close the action, grasp the bolt handle and push the bolt forward. As the bolt moves forward it pushes the top cartridge in the magazine into the chamber. The cartridge head slides under the extractor hook on the final forward movement of the bolt.

An underside view of the M98 Mauser bolt shows the dual-opposed locking lugs (A), extractor (B), extractor collar (C), dual oblong vent holes (D), and safety lug (E). This 98a carbine bolt has a bent down handle with the under- side of the grasping ball flattened and checkered.

During the final forward movement of the bolt, and on rotating the bolt clockwise to the locked position, the sear engages the cocking piece to hold it back as the locking lugs pull the bolt fully forward to lock and seat the cartridge in the chamber. The rifle can now be fired by pulling the trigger, releasing the firing pin under mainspring tension, or the action can be made “safe” by swinging the safety to the right. Cartridges can be extracted and ejected safely by swinging the safety to its intermediate or upright position and opening and closing the bolt.

The firing pin can be lowered without snapping it by merely swinging the safety to the left, or fire position, raising the bolt handle, and then holding the trigger back as the bolt is rotated down to its locked position. This should only be done with an empty chamber.

Takedown and Assembly

Check the chamber and magazine to be certain the rifle is unloaded. Close the bolt and place the safety in the upright position. Now raise the bolt handle, swing the bolt-stop to the left, and draw the bolt from the receiver.

To disassemble the bolt, proceed as follows: Depress the bolt sleeve lock plunger, then unscrew the bolt sleeve and firing mechanism from the bolt; place the firing pin tip on a hard surface and, firmly grasping the bolt sleeve, press the bolt sleeve down; turn the cocking piece one-quarter turn in either direction, and lift it off the firing pin. Firing pin and mainspring can now be separated. Swing the safety to the right and pull it out of the bolt sleeve. Depress the bolt sleeve lock plunger and rotate it counterclockwise until it is released; pull it and the spring from the bolt sleeve. Remove the extractor by lifting the front (hook end) away from the bolt so that it can be turned to the bottom of the bolt; the extractor can now be removed by pushing it forward. Reassemble in reverse order.

To remove the bolt-stop, turn the bolt-stop screw out, and lift it from the receiver. Pull the ejector forward out of the bolt-stop. Place the bolt-stop in a vise and, using a drift punch, drive the spring forward until its end slips down. Now insert a small screwdriver between the end of the spring and bolt sleeve, and pry the spring forward. In reassembling the spring into the bolt-stop, the end of the spring must be raised over the edge of the bolt-stop when it is being driven into place.

To remove the barrel and action from the military stock, first remove the upper and lower barrel bands from the forend, then remove the two guard screws from the bottom of the trigger guard. The barrel, action, and magazine can now be lifted out of the stock.

Remove the floorplate by depressing the floorplate plunger with a pointed tool (or pointed bullet tip) put through the hole in the rear of the plate, then slide the plate to the rear. The magazine follower and its spring will come out with the plate. The three parts can be separated by sliding the plate and follower off the ends of the spring. Remove the floorplate plunger by driving out the crosspin from the rear of the magazine box. Remove the trigger and sear by driving out the trigger and sear pins. Reassemble in reverse order.

Model 98 Mauser action open.

Large and Small Ring Actions

Model 98 actions with a receiver ring about 1.410” in diameter are commonly called “large ring” Mausers. Most M98 sporting and military rifles made up to the end of WWII are based on this large ring action. Most of the commercial M98-type actions made after WWII, like the FN, are also of the large ring type.

The “small ring” Mauser actions have a receiver ring diameter of about 1.300”. A lot of the early M98 carbines, like the 98a, were based on the small ring action. The most notable later carbine using this action was the lightweight Czech Model 3¾0.

The difference between the large and small ring actions is readily discernible by sight or touch, and there is no need to use a caliber to identify them. On the small ring action the left side of the receiver is straight, including part of the bridge, the wall and ring. However, on the large ring action this surface has a notable jump where the receiver wall merges with the ring, which can be seen and felt.

Because the large ring action has a thicker wall of metal surrounding the sides and top of the barrel shank and locking lug recess areas, it naturally is stronger than the small ring action. Just how much stronger is difficult to say. However, German gunmakers considered the small ring action strong enough for the most powerful 8mm military or sporting cartridge. Generally, the large ring actions are preferred and recommended for use with belted magnum and larger rimless cartridges like the 30-06 and 8mm. The small ring actions are preferred for lightweight sporters using small rimless cartridges like the 7mm and 6mms.

Steel and Heat-Treatment

In our study of Mauser actions preceding the M98, we noted that Paul Mauser made each successive action better, stronger and safer than the preceding model through better design. It is generally agreed by experts that the M98 Mauser obtains its strength from its design rather than by the use of specially formulated or alloyed steels, or by some special heat-treatment. It is not known just exactly what kind of steels were used to make the various parts, or the details of the heat-treatments, but there is no doubt that whatever steels and heat-treatments were used, they were entirely adequate to make the M98 the world’s most successful military turnbolt action.

It is believed that the M98 receivers were made of tough quality low-carbon steel. After machining, the only heat-treatment the receiver got was carburizing (case-hardening). This resulted in a hard outside surface to resist wear and rust, but left the core relatively soft for strength.

Receivers of the pre-WWI era, especially the small ring type, tend to be somewhat softer then these manufactured in the 1920s, ’30s and early ’40s. I have observed that receivers made late in the WWII period, or those dated “44” and “45,” are sometimes either very soft or hard, mostly the latter. The normal range of hardness for a good receiver seems to be about 35C Rockwell.

Model 98 bolts and some of the other working parts of the action were evidently made of medium- or high-carbon steel, so that these parts could be made much harder.

There seems to be no evidence to indicate that any re-heat-treatment of a soft M98 receiver will improve it or make it stronger. It is inadvisable, therefore, to have this done.

This brings up a question I’m often asked: “How do I go about selecting a good original Mauser 98 military action on which to build my own custom rifle?”

My suggestions are: Buy the action, or a complete rifle from which the action is to be taken, from a reputable dealer who will refund your money if for any reason you are not satisfied with the action or rifle they sell. Avoid those dated before 1920 and those dated after 1943. Finally, if possible to do so, pick one that was made by one of the better plants. For example, you can hardly go wrong in picking an action made in the 1930s having such names (or code letters) as Mauser, DWM, FN or Brno (VZ-24) stamped on the receiver. After getting one of these actions there is no point in having the receiver tested for hardness; whether it is somewhat harder than 35C Rockwell, or considerably softer, the action is still good.

One final word of caution about very soft receivers: If you have an M98 rifle and you want to use the action for building a rifle—if of pre-1920 manufacture, or if the rifle shows evidence of having been used a great deal—it would be a very good idea to testfire it, preferably with several full-service rounds. After each firing, if the bolt handle can only be raised with difficulty, this may indicate locking lug set-back in the receiver ring. This is usually a sign that the receiver is very soft, and that the locking lugs have hammered depressions into the locking shoulders. The result is that when the bolt is opened the locking lugs must pass from the depressions to the higher undamaged part of the locking shoulders, forcing the bolt forward in so doing. The total set-back may be only a couple of thousandths of an inch, but even so, on opening the bolt the fired cartridge must be forced forward into the chamber the same amount. Such a receiver should not be reused. This condition is not easily corrected and it indicates, possibly, a very soft receiver.

The 8mm military cartridges were supplied in stripper clips. To load the rifle the bolt is opened, the loaded clip inserted into the clip-charger guideway slot in the receiver bridge and the cartridges pushed down into the magazine. The empty clip falls away when the bolt is closed, which feeds the top cartridge in the magazine into the chamber. Single cartridges can also be inserted into the partially empty or empty magazine by opening the bolt, dropping the cartridge in the receiver opening, and pressing it into the magazine with the thumb.

A cracked Model 98 receiver. The crack is located in the left receiver rail where the thumb slot is cut. This usually happens only with late WWII receivers, which were not always properly heat treated, and occurring only if the rifle or receiver is dropped on a hard floor.

The “Short” Mauser Action

The regular or standard M98 action made for the 8mm Mauser cartridge, whether large or small ring type, is 8.75” in length. Various countries using the 7x57mm cartridge as their official military round adopted M98-action rifles that were, in some cases, slightly shorter then the regular 8mm Mauser action. The short Mexican M98 action was once the best known of the short actions. It is 8.50” in overall length. These Mexican actions, either small or large ring type, are scarce. However, during the past few years other short M98 actions have appeared on the surplus market, chiefly the Model 24 Yugoslav.

Here are the dimensional specifications of the short M98 action and the regular length 8mm action:

All other specifications are about the same for both actions.

The short M98 actions have long had, and still have, a great appeal to shooters and gunsmiths wanting to build lightweight sporting rifles for cartridges like the 220 Swift, 257 Roberts, 243 and 308 Winchester. When reading about short actions, the word “short” seems to have a magical appeal and shooters will go to almost any length to get such an action—only to find out later, as shown in the above table, that the short action is not as short or as light as they expected.

Strong and Weak Features

Without question the M98 Mauser is the best, strongest and most foolproof military turnbolt action ever made. It has many outstanding features which have been little improved upon in modern bolt actions, but like all actions, including the latest designs, the M98 Mauser has its faults and weak points. I shall list the various good and poor features as I see them—based on 50 years of experience in using, remodeling, rebarreling and building many rifles on these actions.

As I see it, the only major weak point in the M98 military action is the thumb notch in the left receiver side rail. I have seen a number of these actions with the left receiver rail cracked at this point. I have cracked one myself inletting it into a stock, another when I accidentally dropped it on a cement floor. Once I dropped a barreled action on the cement floor and the entire rear part of the receiver broke off at the thumb notch. Although the entire length of the right rail has no more metal in it than the thinnest part of the left rail at the thumb notch, it seems to be stronger and resists cracking when subjected to strain—much better than the left rail. This is probably due to the heat treatment given the receiver in which a thin area of metal between two larger masses of metal becomes harder, and thus more brittle, than a similar thin area not close to a larger mass. Another example is the receiver bridge; although the entire receiver has been given the same heat treatment or undergone the same hardening treatment, the thin receiver bridge is always much harder to drill or tap than the much thicker receiver ring.

Model 98 Mauser bolt face.

Commercial M98 type receivers made without the thumb notch are naturally much stiffer and more rigid than the notched military receivers, so they’re usually preferred for sporting and target rifles. Some gunsmiths stiffen the military receiver by filling the thumb notch with a piece of pre-shaped steel and welding it in place.

Although the 98 action is a very safe one, I believe it would be even safer by having one or two gas vent holes in the left side of the receiver ring and wall opposite the vent holes in the bolt, as in the 03A3 Springfield.

Not a weakness or a fault, but to me a nuisance, is that the bolt cannot (without a great deal of force) be closed on a cartridge that has been dropped into the chamber because the extractor will not slip over the rim. However, this minor nuisance can be corrected by careful alteration— shortening the extractor hook and increasing the forward slope is all that is needed.

It must be remembered that Paul Mauser designed this action solely for military use, and from this standpoint all other features of this action are outstanding. These include the inside collar in the receiver ring, the safety lug on the rear of the bolt, a very rugged extractor which will not let go of a cartridge rim when the bolt is opened, the simple and positive ignition system, the sturdy and reliable safety and bolt-stop, and the fine unbeatable magazine system.

Despite the “militaryness” of this action, German and British gunsmiths soon found that it met all the requirements of sportsmen who desired a repeating magazine rifle for hunting large game. The M98 action was sometimes used “as issued.” Even at the peak of European bolt-action sporting rifle development, the foreign sportsman demanded little more than the basic action, or at most only a lower profile of the bolt handle, and more convenient floorplate release and, for the Germans, a double-set trigger mechanism. American hunters, shooters and gunsmiths, however, demanded more from this action; in time it was found to be more adaptable and easier to remodel than any other military bolt action. So much so that it has been universally adopted by most amateur and professional gunsmiths as their first-choice military bolt action on which to build a rifle.

The M98a carbines have a special hinged muzzle cover. Rifles were stacked with the cap closed to protect the bore from the weather. By opening the spring loaded cap the bore could be cleaned from the muzzle. A hole in the cover, smaller than the bore, prevents wear and damage to the muzzle from the steel Mauser cleaning rod.The cover must be removed to fire the rifle. The projection on the rear of the cover blocks the view beyond the front sight. The 98a’s rugged front sight has a forward hook to engage the muzzle cover. To remove the cover, close the cap, push down and turn 90 degrees counterclockwise.

The M98 action is popular in the U.S. for several reasons, but primarily because it is readily available, especially since 1945. American shooters first became familiar with this action in fair numbers after WWI when the first souvenir rifles appeared. Commercial Mauser sporters had been imported since about 1910. However, it was not until after WWII that M98 military rifles and actions appeared in great numbers. Since that time countless thousands of these rifles and actions have reached the American market. Shortly after WWII commercial M98 actions began to appear, beginning with the Belgian-made FN and followed by others made in Yugoslavia, Sweden, West Germany, Spain and Japan.

There must certainly be far more M98-type actions and rifles in the U.S. than any other centerfire turnbolt design, and perhaps more than all these other actions combined.

The M98 Breeching

I have previously described the M98 breeching system which centers around the collar or ring inside the receiver. The flat breech face of the barrel butts against this collar and the head of the bolt is recessed within the collar, touching the barrel when the bolt is locked. There are other breech systems that are much simpler and equally as strong and safe, but few of them offer the one advantage that has contributed to the unmatched popularity of this action—a feature seldom discussed.

Many people have said to me, “There are several firms making and offering low-cost turned, threaded and chambered barrels in various calibers and weights for the M98 action. Why don’t they offer similar barrels for other actions like the ’03 Springfield and 1917 Enfield, as well?” The answer is that there is no single military or commercial high-power bolt action that is as numerous or as popular, so low in cost, strong, safe and suitable for a variety of cartridges as is the M98 Mauser—and to which a barrel can be fitted so easily.

I cannot go into the detailed procedures of fitting and headspacing a barrel here. Suffice it to say that it is far easier to properly fit a barrel to the M98 than it is to fit one to most of the other military bolt actions, especially those not made to accommodate a flat-breech-end barrel. It is, however, possible and practicable to manufacture barrels for the M98 action to close enough tolerances so that a knowledgeable amateur gunsmith should be able to fit it properly to his action without the use of a metal lathe or chambering reamer. This would be very difficult, if not impossible, with an ’03 Springfield or similar action. The reader should not get the impression from what has been said that fitting a barrel to the M98 action is a snap and simply requires turning it up tightly. This is not the case.

Gunsmithing the M98

To begin with, it is only practicable to use a military M98 action for building a rifle if you can do all or at least most of the remodeling work yourself. For example, if you have an action which cost you nothing, and hired the remodeling work done to equal the commercial FN Supreme Mauser action, then it probably would have been advisable to buy the commercial action in the first place. On the other hand, if you can do the remodeling yourself there is no military action quite as ideal as the M98 on which to build a rifle.

Mauser Model 98

General Specifications

Type . . . . .Turnbolt repeater.

Receiver . .One-piece machined steel forging, unslotted bridge. Stripper-clip guide milled in bridge.

Bolt . . . . . .One-piece, with dual-opposed locking lugs forward. A third lug on the bottom of the bolt acts as the safety lug.

Ignition . . .One-piece firing pin, coil mainspring and cocking piece. Cocks mainly on opening of bolt.

Magazine .Staggered column, nondetachable box magazine, 5-shot capacity. Detachable floorplate.

Trigger . . .Non-adjustable, double-stage military-type pull.

Safety . . . .Rotary wing-type safety built into bolt sleeve. 180° swing from left to right, locking striker only when in upright position; locks both bolt and striker when at right.

Extractor . .One-piece, nonrotating, long Mauser spring type attached to the bolt by a collar.

Bolt-stop .Separate, hinged to the left rear of receiver, stops bolt by contacting left locking lug.

Ejector . . .Swinging type, located in bolt-stop housing.

The standard M98 military action made for the 8mm Mauser cartridge has a magazine length opening of approximately 3.320” and, therefore, is best suited to cartridges loaded to a slightly shorter overall length. The bolt face recess and extractor are correct for any centerfire cartridge of 30-06 head size. Therefore, without modifying the magazine, bolt head or extractor, the standard M98 military action will handle such cartridges as these: 243, 244, 6mm Remington, 257 Roberts, 7mm Mauser, 284, 308, 8mm Mauser, 358 and wildcats based on these cases. The unaltered actions will usually handle shorter cartridges quite well, such as the 22-250, 225, 220 Swift and 250-3000. However, for perfect feeding it usually is necessary to install a filler block in the rear of the magazine and use a shorter follower for the shorter cartridges.

One of the author’s favorite varmint rifles—a compact medium-weight rifle based on a shortened Model 98 action. It is a single shot, chambered for the 219 Donaldson Wasp. The medium-heavy 21” chrome-moly steel barrel has a 1:14 twist and is very accurate. Sighting is done with a very fine Unertl 1¼”Varmint scope of 10x. Stock is of ultra-fancy southern Iowa stump walnut, with the grip and forend checkered in a fleur-de-lis pattern.

Lengthening the magazine is not too difficult. This makes the M98 action suitable for cartridges slightly longer than the 8mm Mauser. By thinning the rear and front magazine walls and altering the loading ramp, or by moving the front magazine wall forward and altering the loading ramp accordingly, it can handle most 30-06 or 270 length cartridges. Then, by opening up the bolt face recess and shortening the extractor hook, the action can handle such short belted-magnum cartridges as the 264 to 458. Opening up the magazine and altering the loading ramp enough for such longer magnum cartridges as the 300 H&H Magnum is not recommended since this greatly weakens the receiver where it supports the lower locking lug.

Remodeling the M98 military action is made easier by a number of accessories offered especially for it. There are trigger shoes available for the trigger, replacement safeties which will clear the lowest mounted scopes, quick-release floorplate devices, set-trigger mechanisms, fully adjustable single-stage trigger mechanisms with or without slide-type safeties. There are more scope mounts made for the M98 action than for any other. If this is not enough, you can buy a stiffer mainspring to speed up the lock time (as well as making the action harder to operate). Last, but not least, chambered and finish-turned barrels are available in a number of popular calibers from several firms. Most of the accessories are easily installed by following the manufacturers instructions, but unless you have the proper equipment for barrel fitting, I suggest you let a competent gunsmith do that job.

If a hunting scope is to be mounted low and over the bore—the only way it should be mounted—then the main alteration will be to the bolt handle so it will clear the eyepiece of the scope. The bolt handle can be forged to a low profile, or the original bolt handle cut off and it, or a new bolt handle, welded on in the low profile position. I prefer the latter, using an electric weld to attach the new handle. There are several gunsmithing books available which give detailed instructions on altering bolt handles, drilling and tapping the receiver for sights and scope mounts, installing barrels and altering the magazine, etc. If you want to do this work, and don’t know how, get these books and find out. They include The Modern Gunsmith by W.J. Howe, Modern Gunsmithing by Clyde Baker and Gunsmithing by Roy Dunlap.

M98 Barrel Thread

Model 98 rifles have been made over a long period of time, in a number of countries and by many different firms. It is, therefore, natural to assume that not all of them were made with exactly the same barrel thread. What they all have in common is a Whitworth-type thread with a metric pitch. This is a 55-degree V-thread, usually with rounded bottom and crest. The metric pitch is very close to twelve threads per inch. The drawing of the barrel shank specification indicates the thread diameter is 1.100”, the length of the shank .625”, with a pitch of twelve threads per inch. The American standard V-thread has a 60-degree angle and it has long been a customary practice of American gunsmiths to use the 60-degree thread in fitting new barrels to Mauser actions, a practice that’s perfectly acceptable. Barrelmakers producing threaded and chambered M98 replacement barrels must of necessity cut a minimum thread, so that the barrels will fit in practically every M98 action—this is also all right since a slightly loose thread fit is permissible. The important thing for the amateur to understand is that the barrel must be turned in and “set up” very tightly. The flat breech end of the barrel should contact the collar inside the receiver rather than having the shoulder of the barrel contact the front of the receiver. The custom gunsmith, in threading a barrel for the M98, will cut the threads on the barrel to fit the individual action, and can achieve as tight a fit as he wishes— even with a 60-degree thread cutter.

Besides a fairly snug thread fit, the ideal fit is also to have both the breech end and the barrel shoulder contact the receiver, but with the breech end contacting the collar much more firmly.

M98 Military Rifles

This book is chiefly concerned with the actions of various centerfire turnbolt rifles and what can be done with them rather than with the original rifles. There were so many different military rifles based on the M98 action that to describe them all is beyond the scope of this book. For information on these many rifles, refer to our bibliography. The most informative of these titles are Mauser Bolt Rifles by L. Olson, Mauser Rifles &Pistols by Smith and Small Arms of the World by Smith.

A number of firms in Germany turned out huge quantities of M98 military rifles and it is estimated that several million had been made by the end of WWI in 1918. They were made by several commercial arms firms including Mauser, Sauer, Haenel and DWM. DWM made a million alone. The German government arsenals in Danzig, Erfurt, Spandau and Amberg also made vast quantities.

Model 98a Mauser Carbine, one of several German military shoulder arms based on the Model 98 action. The M98a was used mostly during WWI.

Another of the author’s favorite sporting rifles, this one based on the VZ-24 Czech Mauser action. The stock, of classic design, is made from a fine-figured piece of American black walnut. It has a 24” sporter barrel and a Weaver K-10 scope. The action has a very fine Miller single-set trigger. This particular action and rifle has seen a lot of service. The action was made in 1939 and the military rifle from which it was taken had seen hard use since the bore was nearly worn out when it was obtained in 1945. The action was first fitted with a 220 Swift barrel. After firing about 1000 shots through this barrel it was replaced with one in the 220 Improved Swift caliber. After firing about 1500 times, it was replaced with another one in 225 Winchester caliber, and that one finally replaced by one in 243 caliber.

In the years following WWI there was only limited production of the M98, but in the mid-1930s, when Hitler began rattling his saber, production again went into high gear. This time many more firms got into the act, including some in German occupied countries. No one knows how many million M98s were made from this time until the defeat of Germany in 1945, but the quantity was immense.

The principal M98 arm of the pre-1918 period was the rifle with a 29.13” barrel. The main carbine version of that period was the M98a with a 23.62” barrel. The most common M98 developed after WWI, and the principal shoulder arm used during the WWII period, was the M98k with a 23.62” barrel. There were other variations, too numerous to mention, plus several variations of sniper’s rifles used during both wars. The M98k carbine was developed in the mid-1920s and it eventually became the most frequently produced German military shoulder arm.

Markings

As previously mentioned, the many variations of the M98 military rifles were carried out by a number of different arms making plants in Germany, and later on in different plants in a number of other countries. In the period prior to the 1920s it was standard practice for each plant to stamp its name on the receiver ring, along with the year in which the rifle was made. The left receiver wall was usually stamped to indicate the model of the arm, such as “M/98,” “GEW.98” or “KAR.98.” Sometimes the name and address of the maker was stamped on the side of the receiver. The maker’s insignia or the crest (coat of arms) of the country for which the rifle was made, was also sometimes stamped on the receiver ring.

In the 1930s a number-code system was inaugurated. Each of the producers of this rifle was given a code numeral which was stamped on the receiver ring, along with the date (year) of manufacture. Around 1940 this number code was largely replaced by a letter code; for example, the letters “byf ” stamped on the receiver meant that the rifle was made by the Mauser Werke plant in Oberndorf. Earlier, when the number code was in use, the Mauser firm had the code number “42.” During WWII usually only the last two digits of the year were stamped on the receiver, like “41” instead of “1941.” During 1944 many manufacturers merely stamped one “4” on the receiver. Many of the early code numbers never have been unraveled, but the code letters are known. The list of these codes is too long to include here, but the interested reader can find them listed in Mauser Bolt Rifles by L. Olson and Hatcher’s Notebook by J.S. Hatcher.

It was normal practice to prove all M98 military rifles and give them a serial number. Such proofmarks, the number of marks and their location on the receiver, barrel and perhaps on some other parts, varied. Since these are so varied and of little importance, I shall make no further mention of them. As for the serial numbering practices, there probably was no universal system employed among the many manufacturers during the entire period they were made, except that they did number them. It seems that some manufacturers merely stamped consecutively higher numbers on each rifle they made, and when the number reached a certain point they started over again. Thus there may be more than one rifle made by the same or a different manufacturer having the same serial number. Later on, each manufacturer was assigned a letter to be added to the serial number, for example 7436d, so that production figures could be kept secret. Regardless of the system or systems used, the serial number itself is not important since the date and manufacturer’s name, or code, are stamped on the receiver. Generally, the full serial number is stamped on the side of the receiver ring and barrel, and either the complete number, or the last two digits of it is stamped on most of the other parts of the action. If all the numbers are the same on a given rifle or action, this indicates that all the parts are original with that rifle or action. That the numbers match may be of some importance to the owner of an M98, but having matching numbers on an action which is to be used for building a rifle is of no consequence.

The 8mm Mauser Cartridge

Germany adopted the 8mm smokeless powder cartridge in 1888 along with the Model 88 Commission rifle, with which Paul Mauser had little to do. This cartridge is based on a rimless, bottlenecked case and was loaded with a bullet of .318” diameter. It was then officially known as the 7.9x57I or 8x57I^*. The first figure in the cartridge designated the groove dimensions in millimeters, the second figure is the length of the case in millimeters, and the “I” stands for the German word “Infanterie.” This military cartridge was normally loaded with a 227-grain jacketed round-nose bullet having a muzzle velocity of about 2100 fps at an average chamber pressure of about 45,500 psi.

Built by the author, this medium-weight (about 10 pounds) varmint rifle has a 24” medium barrel chambered for the 219 Improved Zipper cartridge. Stock is of extra fancy American black walnut fitted with Niedner-type checkered buttplate and pistol grip cap. Weaver K-10 scope is mounted very low in steel Tilden mounts. Front and rear of magazine are blocked off, the follower shortened to handle the rimmed cartridges. The action is fitted with a German double-set trigger.

When the M98 was adopted by Germany in 1898, it was also chambered for the 8x57I cartridge. The Germans soon wanted better ballistics from this cartridge, so about 1905 they adopted a new spitzer (pointed) bullet for the 8x57mm case, with a new diameter of .323”. This cartridge was designated 7.9x 57IS or 8x57IS. This new bullet weighed 154 grains and in the new cartridge it was driven to a muzzle velocity of 2870 fps at a breech pressure of about 49,800 psi. When this larger bullet was adopted it became necessary to enlarge the rifle bore a accordingly. This was done by increasing the groove diameter only, from .320” to .324”. M98 rifles already made for the “I” cartridge were then rebarreled and chambered for the “IS” cartridge. Later on, a heavier spitzer bullet with a boattail base was adopted and the 8x57 case loaded with this bullet became the standard German military cartridge designated as the 8x57sS. This bullet weighed 198 grains and had a muzzle velocity of 2476 fps at a breech pressure level of nearly 50,000 psi. The 8x57sS is a potent military cartridge with very impressive ballistics.

In the United States, the sporting version of the German 8mm cartridge is known simply as the 8mm Mauser or 8x57mm Mauser. Most U.S. ammunition makers loaded this cartridge years ago and made it with several different types and weights of bullets. However, since there was such a wide variety of rifles being used, chambered for the 8mm Mauser cartridge, some of which had actions of marginal strength or barrels bored too small for the bullets, the cartridge manufacturers became concerned.

In due time, the 8mm Mauser cartridge loaded in the U.S. evolved into a single bulleted loading which developed only mild breach pressures so that it could be fired in most 8mm Mauser rifles. Therefore, as loaded today by Federal, Winchester and Remington, it has a 170-grain jacketed softpoint bullet giving a muzzle velocity of about 2500 to 2570 fps at a pressure level of about 34,000 psi. Gauged by modern standards, or compared to a cartridge like the 30-06 with the 180-grain bullet, the U.S.- loaded 8mm Mauser cartridge appears outdated. This is not the case, however, for these 8mm Mauser cartridges are equal to the 30-40 and 303 British for taking most species of North American big game animals.

The 8mm Mauser cartridge is very responsive to handloading, and the careful handloader having a sound M98 military or sporterized rifle can reload the case to nearly equal the 30-06 in performance.

*Common U.S.-English usage shows the “I” in print as a “J,” but this is incorrect.