This was a good rifle but the bolt action was outdated in WWII. The German version was 8MM. Several countries used the rifle. Some had 6.5MM, some 7MM. and differences in between 6.5 and 8MM.

I have owned several of these and they are first class rifles, but sadly out of date by 1943.

Good rifle but at the same time bad. I think it was good because it was very powerful and had a nice sling :) . Bad because competeing to M1 Garand the Muaser was Garbage. M1 is semi while the Mauser is slow....... boring...... bolt action.

First off, as has been noted in the entry under Mauser, the Kar98k is often referred to as the Mauser. It set the standard for bolt-action rifles - the US Springfield 1903 was basically a Mauser '98 action, and I believe that the US actually paid Mauser for manufacturing rights at one point. Anyway, the '98 was an excellent weapon insofar as it went. The Germans were a bit fanatic with quality before and during the early part of the war, using milled rather than stamped parts throughout and, with typical Teutonic efficiency, numbering just about every individual part on the weapon, to include screws. This changed as the war progressed, but even at the end the critical parts of the weapon were well made - things like barrel bands were either stamped or eliminated (the bayonet lug). Also, the '98 was manufactured by at least 10 different producers, not just by Mauser.

I'm not a huge fan of bolt action weapons. I'll give it some credit for the design.