The Karabiner 98k was a bolt action rifle produced and used by Germany during World War II.
Description[]
The 98k was adopted as the standard service rifle by the Wehrmacht and it was able to hold five 7.92x57 mm or 7.9 mm rounds in an internal magazine which could be loaded manually or with stripper clips. The length of the 98k was about 111 centimeters and the weight was about 3.9 kilograms.[1]The 98k is mainly made out of wood, while the barrel and other small components are made out of metal. The iron sights are leaf-type in the back and open in the front.[2]
The 98k is best known for excellent accuracy and being able to fire over 800 meters and still be effective. This was very difficult to achieve however and it was usually done with telescopic sights. Many different attachments were made for the 98k, these included the S-84/98 III bayonet, the Schiessbecher rifle grenade launcher, and the Zf-39, Zf-41, and Zf-42 scopes. There were no variants of the 98k besides the first production model and it rivaled most allied rifles like the M1903A4 Springfield
History[]
The 98k was derived from the original Gewehr 98 and it also had a variant designated the K98. It was finally modified into the 98k, which was introduced in 1935 by Mauser. The Karabiner 98k was used during World War II by German and other Axis soldiers. It has been used in every campaign during World War II that Germans were involved in. Germans soldiers nicknamed it "Kars". By the end of the war over 14 million 98k's were produced. The Red Army and resistance forces made good use of captured 98k rifles. During the final years of the war, the Wehrmacht were leaving the Karabiner 98k for the StG 44. However, StG 44 numbers weren't sufficient so the Karabiner 98k remained the standard rifle.[3]
References[]
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