The German Wehrmacht was always hungry for more rifles during World War Two, and adopted substitute designs made in friendly (or subservient) countries when possible. Almost all of these were minor variations on the Mauser 98 system, but the Hungarian G98/40 was an exception. This was a Mannlicher system, with zero parts interchangeability with the K98k. Specifically, the G98/40 was the result of the FEG factory taking their 35M Hungarian standard service rifle (chambered for 8x56R) and adapting it to use the German 8x57mm cartridge, along with German stripper clips, slings, and bayonets. Production began in 1941 and continued into 1944 with a total of about 148,400 manufactured in total.
Flamethrower
Vintage Saturday: Serious Riot Control
Nothing says “Disperse!” like flamethrowers and grenades…
Select-fire Rifles
Syrian Sturmgewehr Cache
Allah ackbar indeed! Why can’t I ever find a storeroom full of Sturmgewehrs? If anyone reading this has contacts in Syria,you might consider recommending that they try to exchange them on some international market for […]
Bolt Action Rifles
Spoils of War: French Occupation-Production Mauser K98k svwMB
Allied troops occupied the Mauser factory complex in Oberndorf in April of 1945, right at the end of the war. The factory was put under French administration and by May that same year production lines […]
Stupid question: how does this shoot and handle compared to a Kar98K?
Stupid question? Surely not !
Practical question? Indeed !
I’m guessing that they would be pretty good to use
the G88 / mannlicher bolt in its controlled feed form was well regarded for smooth operation and very reliable controlled feeding
the double column, double feed, fixed box mag, so long as it is correctly done, can be very reliable.
the issues with the G88/ mannlicher bolt system, related more to additional tolerances, and small parts that could be lost, or assembled incorrectly
there’s also the potential issue that the rifles can be assembled, loaded and perhaps fired without the bolt head.
they’re less idiot proof than a smokeless mauser.
the mauser 98, in particular, cannot have its case head protrusion messed up by an idjit. its one piece bolt cannot be inserted in an unsafe configuration, its striker can only be assembled correctly
the mauser 98 wasn’t perfect eg the Arisaka hollow firing pin removed the weak and mushy joint for a seperate cocking piece…
but the mauser 98 definitely represented a much more refined design than the G88 and Mannlicher types.
Was there an issue with materials or workmanship on the 98/40?
there are claims of excess headspace and bulged chambers
it’s unclear whether this was simply a result of worn out and badly mistreated, scrap rifles going to the united state?
or whether there was perhaps an issue in the manufacturing quality?
I think the bolt handle looks to be a bit far forward for the easiest of handling, but in practice I doubt it would be much of a problem.