Educational
Zone #72 - Great Firearms - The '98 Mauser
Rifle - Page 3
One
advantage of the Mauser design is the "claw
extractor".
This large and robust extractor grabs the
round as it is fed into the chamber with a
very wide claw.
This
type of feed is called a "controlled
feed".
You cannot place a round in the chamber and
close the bolt.
Doing so will not allow the extractor to grab
the rim and will only result in a stuck case.
It must be fed from the magazine.
The
rifles are heavy, going at about 9 pounds.
They were supplied with an effective bayonet.
And,
of course, they are effective battle rifles,
even unloaded.
It
is also interesting that, even in war time
production, they main action screws have a
Lock screw to "lock" the main screw
and prevent it backing out.
