Camp Dachau K98
description
INFO
The German Karabiner 98K is a controlled-feed bolt-action rifle based off the Mauser M98 design. The K98 was designated as the standard service rifle by the German Wehrmacht (Unified armed forces of Nazi Germany) chambered in 7.92x57mm Mauser and has most of the same features as a standard Mauser. The German K98K started seeing production in the mid 1930’s. The K98, unlike its predecessor, the Gewehr 98, has a turned down bolt handle instead of a straight one. Which makes it easier to quickly operate the bolt. This rifle also can allow optics to be mounted directly above the receiver. The metal parts on the receiver were “blued,” an anti-corrosive procedure that resulted in the metal receiving a bluish black tint. After 1944, parkerizing was introduced as a more effective treatment and was implemented on most of these rifles.
This specific K98 was a SS camp guard rifle that was taken at the infamous Dachau concentration camp by one of the first US Army medics sent into the camp after its liberation. This is shown by the Totenkopfs (also known as Death Heads) on the left hand side of the receiver and behind the underside of the trigger guard. During the Nazi era, Hitler's Schutzstaffel (SS) adopted one particular Totenkopf image as a symbol. Among other uses, it became the symbol of the SS-Totenkopfverbande (one of the original three branches of the SS, along with the Algemeine SS and the Waffen SS), whose purpose was to guard the concentration camps. The K98 has an effective range of 500 meters with iron sights and 1,000 meters with an 8x telescopic sight. Many of the Russian capture KAR98K rifles also feature a very distinct blued finish, which was done during the rebuild. This distinction can be seen on parts where the finish has a reddish hue.
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The German KAR98K operates with a manual of arms that is comparable to a standard Mauser.
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Origin: Nazi Germany
Manufactured: 1935-Present
Manufacturer: Mauser
Type: Bolt-Action Rifle
Caliber: 7.92-57mm Mauser
Barrel Length: 600mm (23.62")
Action: Bolt-Action
Magazine Capacity: 5 Round Internal Magazine
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