Featured Gun: DWM Gewehr Model 1898 for Sale!

The Gewehr 98, a German bolt-action rifle firing the powerful 7.92×57mm Mauser cartridge replaced the earlier Gewehr 1888 rifle as the standard German service rifle and was the main German infantry weapon of World War I. The Gewehr 98 was issued to the military by the Ottoman Empire and by Spanish Nationalists. It was a powerful and accurate rifle designed for long-range shooting but was poorly suited for the close-quarter combat in trench warfare experienced during the Great War. The considerable length of the rifle and the minimum sight setting of 400 meters were just some of the downsides soldiers faced in tight quarters on the battlefields of Europe.

The Model 1898 is widely considered by some firearm experts as the greatest bolt-action rifle of all time when it was in service. It not only served several militaries through the first half of the 20th century, but it also inspired other rifles in the modern day. The American Springfield Model 1903 was based on the action of the Gewehr 98 with a few minor changes.

Its successor, the Karabiner 98k, would go on to be the standard rifle of Nazi Germany infantry soldiers during World War II. Some Gewehr 98s also saw service in World War II, though many of these older rifles were converted to either 98b or 98k specifications. Many Gewehr 98 rifles were captured and acquired as trophies by Allied forces during World War II. U.S. soldiers that brought home these rifles often converted them to fire the 8mm-06 wildcat cartridge. Few Gewehr 98 rifles in their original configuration made it past World War I because of heavy use, were converted, or were destroyed during the war.

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