Mauser K98

Silhouette (Visual Identification)

Mauser K98
Category Rifles & Carbines
Operating system Manually operated, rotating bolt
Cartridge
Length 1110 mm
Feeding Internal magazine

There are many variants of this weapon, and it has been widely copied. K98k is a bolt-action rifle chambered for the 7.92×57mm Mauser cartridge. It remained the primary German service rifle until the end of the war in 1945. Millions were captured by the Soviets at the conclusion of World War II and were widely distributed as military aid. The Karabiner 98k therefore continues to appear in conflicts across the world as they are taken out of storage during times of strife. A number of non-European nations used the Mauser Karabiner 98k rifle as well as a few guerrilla organizations to help establish new nation-states. One example was Israel who used the Mauser Karabiner 98k rifle from the late 1940s until the 1970s. During the 1990s, the Yugoslavian Karabiner 98k rifles and the Yugoslavian M48 and M48A rifles were used alongside modern automatic and semi-automatic rifles by all the warring factions of the Yugoslav wars.

Global distribution map

Weapon prevalence origin Country of origin licensed Licensed production unauthorized Production without a license
X
Scale dependend aggregation of production sites

The Mauser K98 is found in 71 countries

This map is a reflection of data on global distribution and production provided primarily by the BwVC. It is not exhaustive. If you would like to add to or amend the data, please click here.


Global distribution list

The data on global distribution and production is provided primarily by the BwVC, but also from national and regional focal points on SALW control; data published by think tanks, international organizations and experts; and/or data provided by individual researchers on SALW. It is not exhaustive. If you would like to add to or amend the data, please click here.

Origin Country of origin
Production Licensed production
Non-Licensed Production Production without a licence
G Government: Sources indicate that this type of weapon is held by Governmental agencies.
N Non-Government: Sources indicate that this type of weapon is held by non-Governmental armed groups.
U Unspecified: Sources indicate that this type of weapon is found in the country, but do not specify whether it is held by Governmental agencies or non-Governmental armed groups.

It is entirely possible to have a combination of tags beside each country. For example, if country X is tagged with a G and a U, it means that at least one source of data identifies Governmental agencies as holders of weapon type Y, and at least one other source confirms the presence of the weapon in country X without specifying who holds it.

Albania (ALB)
U
Algeria (DZA)
U
Argentina (ARG)
U
Armenia (ARM)
U
Australia (AUS)
G
Austria (AUT)
O
U
Azerbaijan (AZE)
U
Belarus (BLR)
U
Belgium (BEL)
O
U
Bolivia (BOL)
U
U
Brazil (BRA)
U
Bulgaria (BGR)
U
Chile (CHL)
O
G
China (CHN)
O
G
Colombia (COL)
U
Croatia (HRV)
G
U
Denmark (DNK)
N
Ecuador (ECU)
U
Egypt (EGY)
U
El Salvador (SLV)
U
Ethiopia (ETH)
N
Finland (FIN)
G
U
France (FRA)
N
Georgia (GEO)
U
Germany (DEU)
O
N
Honduras (HND)
U
Hungary (HUN)
U
Indonesia (IDN)
N
Iraq (IRQ)
U
Israel (ISR)
U
Italy (ITA)
U
Japan (JPN)
U
Kazakhstan (KAZ)
U
Kyrgyzstan (KGZ)
U
Luxembourg (LUX)
G
Mauritania (MRT)
U
Mexico (MEX)
U
Moldova (MDA)
U
Montenegro (MNE)
U
Mozambique (MOZ)
N
Netherlands (NLD)
U
New Zealand (NZL)
U
Norway (NOR)
U
Pakistan (PAK)
U
U
Paraguay (PRY)
U
Peru (PER)
U
Poland (POL)
U
Portugal (PRT)
G
Romania (ROU)
U
Russia (RUS)
U
Saudi Arabia (SAU)
U
Serbia (SRB)
U
Slovenia (SVN)
U
South Africa (ZAF)
U
Spain (ESP)
U
Sweden (SWE)
O
G
N
Switzerland (CHE)
O
U
Syria (SYR)
U
Tajikistan (TJK)
U
Tunisia (TUN)
U
Turkey (TUR)
U
Turkmenistan (TKM)
U
Ukraine (UKR)
U
G
Uzbekistan (UZB)
U
Venezuela (VEN)
U
Vietnam (VNM)
N

Visual Identification (Silhouette)

Mauser K98 (6)