War, as detestable a thing as it is, has always been a great inspiration for technical innovation and advancement. War gave us things like penicillin, radar and even computers, all inventions in daily use in modern society. Something else that also came about because of war, or at least the desire to arm the Kaiser’s troops as well as possible in case of the outbreak of conflict, is the German M98 Mauser bolt-action.
The M98 was the brainchild of Peter Paul Mauser, born on June 27, 1838. It was by no means his first invention, though. That honour must go to the Mauser-Norris metallic cartridge rifle from 1867, a design that was advanced for the times but largely ignored by the powers-that-be in Germany.
Success came in 1871 with the adoption of the Model 71 Mauser rifle by the Prussian Ministry of War. Several improved designs followed, but the M93 Mauser created for Spain and chambered for the 7x57 was notable. The M93 featured a sturdy, non-rotating claw extractor as well as a staggered box magazine, two of the later M98’s more notable features. The M94 and M96 Mausers were made for Sweden and chambered in 6.5x55.
In response to a request from the German authorities for a new military rifle design, Paul Mauser presented another offering in September 1897. After months
