The Model 1898 infanterie Gewehr: the German 98 Mauser was blooded and proven during the four nightmare years of WWI

Guns Magazine, Dec, 2004 by John Sheehan

The Gew 98 was equipped with a quick detachable sling swivel on the underside of the butt stock, a top swivel located underneath the bottom barrel band and a parade hook mounted on the underside of the top H-style barrel band. The parade hook was used to shorten the sling for ease of handling while on the parade ground during inspection. The rifle was issued with a leather sling that was stitched to the detachable swivel at one end and was fixed to an adjustable buckle at the other end. In between, was the parade swivel, a small metal loop that could be slipped back and forth along the leather to engage the parade hook when the sling was shortened. During the war, as the Allied blockade lead to a shortage of leather, ersatz slings were produced out of canvas and both export pattern as well as captured button and buckle type slings were pressed into service.

The Gew 98 stock was designed with a pistol grip configuration, which greatly improved the handling characteristics of the rifle when compared to the earlier straightwrist stocks of it's contemporaries. A top handguard was standard on all Gew 98s and extended from the front of the rear sight base terminating just ahead of the bottom barrel band. To help distribute the effects of recoil on the stock bedding, a steel recoil bolt was mounted transversely through the stock beneath the receiver. The recoil bolt engaged the receiver and absorbed a large percentage of the recoil, thus eliminating the potential splitting of the stock at the end of the receiver tang inlet on top the wrist. The prewar stocks were produced from walnut and were aged for an average of three years to allow the wood to stabilize. Beginning in 1917, shortages of walnut necessitated the use of beech for late war stock production. While beech was a suitable wood and performed well, it was heavier than walnut. In addition, the beech stocks did not hold up as well in the field under heavy use as did the original walnut stocks. To increase production, he beech stocks were kiln cured. Late war beech stocks are marked with a large capitol B on the right side of the stock. The early pattern stocks am easily identifiable by the metal unit-marking disc found on the right side of the stock and the absence of grasping grooves on the forearm. Beginning in 1916, the unit-marking disc was eliminated and in its place, a bolt disassembly washer was added to the stock. Field stripping under wartime conditions had shown a tendency break firing pins during the disassembly of the bolt. The hole in the washer provided the soldier with a means of protecting the tip of the firing pin while disassembling and reassembling the bolt. At the same time the washer was added, a pair of grasping grooves were added to the forearm of the stock. It is possible to find rifles dated as late as 1918 that exhibit some of the earlier stock features due inventories of stocks at the time of the change, combined with depot rebuilds.

Fix Bayonets

Another interesting feature of the Gew 98 was the introduction of the H-style top barrel-band with a 1.75-inch bayonet lug. Prior to the Gew 98, most bayonet lugs were rather short, measuring a scant 1/2" to 1" in length. This necessitated the addition of a muzzle ring on the bayonet in order to ensure a tight fit when the bayonet was mounted on the rifle. While this provided a sturdy lock up of the bayonet, it also proved to have a very negative effect on accuracy. The muzzle ring interfered with the oscillation of the barrel and shifted the point of impact of the bullet.