Mauser K98 still doing what it was intended at 75 years old

[Argonaut]

This story and great photo popped up on the Stars and Stripes this morning. The photo shows a 75 year old (?) Mauser used by a Shiite Muslim sniper to kill 400 ISIS militants in Basra Iraq. The 65 year old fighter was killed in action earlier in the year. The rifle is being held by his son and is destine for an Iraqi museum. It is most likely an 8mm Mauser caliber unless it has been rearsenaled to a more modern caliber like the Israelis did. The full story is in this mornings Stars and Stripes.

Read More

 

[Stomper]

Beware of old men in professions where one tends to die young......

 

[Oathkeeper1775]

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend...?

Edit: I sold a 91/30 in X54R; it shot perfectly!

 

[Argonaut]

With a 1 to 400 kill ratio, it doesn't take many solders to make an effective force. I am sure the Seals don't come any where near that........off course, my Air Force guys do.

 

[MountainBear]

I believe Clint Smith said something along the lines of beware the old man who steps out of an old pickup and slings up an old bolt gun. They probably know how to use it...

 

[Stomper]

A few good men with rifles can (and have) changed the course of history.... aim small, miss small.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

A lot of folks tend to overlook older firearms as no longer useful or relevant in today's world.
What worked "back in the day" can still work today...one may just need to adjust one's tactics to today's battle or hunting fields.
Would a K98 be my first choice to go into battle with?...No..but I damn sure wouldn't curl up and wait to die if that's all I had...

Much can be said for the K98 design...strong action... a very "pointable" rifle ...works even when dirty or uncared for...ease of take down for cleaning... takes a nice hunting / combat round with plenty of punch...

A old rifle well practiced with ...with a smart , dedicated rifleman is a deadly combination.
Andy

 

[MountainBear]

What is the old adage? The Germans went into WWI with a hunting rifle, the Americans went in with a target rifle, and the Brits went in with a battle rifle?

My issue with a lot of the early bolt guns like the k98, 1903, and early SMLE are the limitations to the sights. These were subsequently fixed on the 03a3, p14 and 1917 Enfield, Garand, and later SMLE rifles.

I'm sure the Germans, unhampered by post-WWI restrictions and WWII issues probably would have figured it out as well, possibly with something similar to the aperture on the Spanish FR8.

All that being said, someone who knows their equipment (even sights as horrid as that German barleycorn front post) can wreak havoc when given opportunity.

 

[Argonaut]

A lot of folks tend to overlook older firearms as no longer useful or relevant in today's world.
What worked "back in the day" can still work today...one may just need to adjust one's tactics to today's battle or hunting fields.
Would a K98 be my first choice to go into battle with?...No..but I damn sure wouldn't curl up and wait to die if that's all I had...

Much can be said for the K98 design...strong action... a very "pointable" rifle ...works even when dirty or uncared for...ease of take down for cleaning... takes a nice hunting / combat round with plenty of punch...

A old rifle well practiced with ...with a smart , dedicated rifleman is a deadly combination.
Andy

I think those are the same principles a trainer I knew and worked with from the LAPD told me beware of a revolver shooter, he is much more liable to take aim and kill you than some thug with a 15 round automatic. No one that has ever been in the field against a real opposing force will discount there weapons as old or antiquated......with the possible exception of aircraft or tanks............a Messerschmidt against an F15 would be silly buy small arms have not come so far technologically.

 

[Colts4me]

400 wow, imagine what he could have done with a better rifle.

 

[Argonaut]

400 wow, imagine what he could have done with a better rifle.

I am not convinced there is a "better" rifle. Most of the arms of it's day plagiarized it's design and/or features. I like the P14's, 1903's British Enfields a lot but most including those rifles continuing to our currently deployed M24 Sniper rifle are a derived from the K98 one way or another.

 

[DunRanull]

Mausers were once nearly as prolific in the ME as the AK is today. Judging by the furniture on that K98k my guess would be 1944 manufacture. It looks untouched as far as any modifications go. 400 is quite a score with an old rifle like that especially with those sights. They worked pretty well in Bosnia/Sarajevo too.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

400 wow, imagine what he could have done with a better rifle.

"Better" ...Can mean many things to many different people at many times.
"Better" is extremely subjective to the person and the situation at hand.
If the number of kills is true...then the rifle seemed to be working for him...why go to a "better" rifle if what you have works for what you are doing?
Sniping is more than just the rifle and shooting...

Having been shot at with K98's of some sort or another ( Mogadishu and Bosnia ) they still can get your attention real quick...

Not trying to be a jerk here or argue...just saying that what is "better" is not always the same for another person even in the same time and place...
Andy

 

[Colts4me]

The rifle has iron sights so most of his targets were probably 600 yards or less. With good optics and a better rifle he could have hit much farther out in my opinion. Chris Kyle killed a bunch of folks from long distance.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

He might have been able to make hits farther out if he had good optics and a" better" rifle...
I do not know the terrain / distances he fought in...nor the way he chose to fight.
As I have said before sniping is so much more than just rifle shooting...

I am not knocking Chris Kyle or anyone else here...Just saying that the Mauser worked for the guy in the OP...we have no real way of knowing if the shooter in the OP even wanted a "better" rifle...
Andy

 

[Colts4me]

"Better" ...Can mean many things to many different people at many times.
"Better" is extremely subjective to the person and the situation at hand.
If the number of kills is true...then the rifle seemed to be working for him...why go to a "better" rifle if what you have works for what you are doing?
Sniping is more than just the rifle and shooting...

Having been shot at with K98's of some sort or another ( Mogadishu and Bosnia ) they still can get your attention real quick...

Not trying to be a jerk here or argue...just saying that what is "better" is not always the same for another person even in the same time and place...
Andy

Not trying to argue either, open sights limit your ability is my only point. If it came to a choice between my scope sited rifles or my 98 mauser it would be a scope sighted rifle. I can see the target better. Notice the sniper had a broken binocular he probably used to spot with. Odds are he probably had to get close with the 98 to hit. Just opinion, no need to do battle over opinions.

 

[Argonaut]

Not trying to argue either, open sights limit your ability is my only point. If it came to a choice between my scope sited rifles or my 98 mauser it would be a scope sighted rifle. I can see the target better. Notice the sniper had a broken binocular he probably used to spot with. Odds are he probably had to get close with the 98 to hit. Just opinion, no need to do battle over opinions.

A few hundred yards in an urban setting isn't close at all. He wouldn't be shooting from ridge top to ridge top. My problem with a scope in a combat setting is the field of view is so limited that you loose situational awareness. It always makes me very nervous unless I have a few guys watching over me.

 

[MountainBear]

I am not convinced there is a "better" rifle. Most of the arms of it's day plagiarized it's design and/or features. I like the P14's, 1903's British Enfields a lot but most including those rifles continuing to our currently deployed M24 Sniper rifle are a derived from the K98 one way or another.

I am not convinced there is a more historically significant action, and it's certainly still has its descendants doing work around the world.
But the ladder sights and barleycorn front sight are horrific. All the other actions that borrowed from the Mauser brothers design did away with that front sight for the most part. Other makers went with straight posts or blades with are significantly easier to use. And like I alluded to earlier, later "copies" switched to aperture sights to further improve the usability and accuracy of the rifle.

So, the Mauser certainly did it well, and did it early, but they didn't necessarily do it best.

 

[MountainBear]

Well boys, if we have to argue over something, at least it's something worthwhile like the sighting systems on WWI and WWII bolt action rifles!

 

[Colts4me]

Well boys, if we have to argue over something, at least it's something worthwhile like the sighting systems on WWI and WWII bolt action rifles!

We are having a friendly exchange of opinions, it's all cool dude How is that for a 65 year old being hip?