The first of the long-eyed Relief Snipers-the original scout rifle-is copied even today. The final long-slide, side-mount model of the renowned German Army sniper rifle of World War II used both scope and iron sights. Built for the rigors of combat, the K98k served its users well for a lifetime. It was and remains first in strength, reliability, accuracy, and safety. The best Mauser was also the original, copied by every major rifle maker and never beaten. Indeed, proclaims one dealer, “No rifle has more history and quality than Paul Mauser’s K98!” (Read more about these and other weapons that have defined the history of warfare inside the pages of Military Heritage magazine.) The Proliferate Mauser Bolt-Action Rifle At 49 inches long, the shorter carbine K98k World War II version witnessed 14 million produced.” Ball’s epochal 2000 work Mauser Military Rifles of the World also calls the Model 1871 “the best rifle in history,” somewhat akin to the famed French Dreyse needle gun.
Ball added that the Mauser was “a safe and robust rifle with a five-round clip, and the world’s most popular rifle 30 countries used it, and 100 million units were manufactured between 1898-1945, during which it was employed in both world wars by the German Army. According to The History Channel’s Tales of the Gun, the Mauser 98 was “the best bolt action rifle ever made.” Author Robert W.D.