{
  "apiVersion": 1,
  "kind": "work-order",
  "purpose": "Taking the firearm apart for a job such as refinishing, and putting it back together to specification.",
  "firearm": {
    "slug": "mauser-k98k",
    "name": "Mauser Karabiner 98k",
    "manufacturer": {
      "id": "mauser",
      "name": "Mauser"
    },
    "category": "rifle",
    "action": "bolt-action",
    "calibers": [
      "8x57mm IS (7.92x57mm Mauser)"
    ],
    "alsoKnownAs": [
      "K98k",
      "Kar98k",
      "Mauser 98"
    ],
    "coversAlso": [
      "Mauser 98 pattern rifles generally",
      "Yugoslav M48 (similar but a different action length)",
      "Czech vz. 24"
    ],
    "page": "firearms/mauser-k98k.html",
    "bundle": "api/v1/firearms/mauser-k98k.json",
    "lastUpdated": "2026-10-29"
  },
  "notices": [
    "This work order is written for the Mauser Karabiner 98k. It is reported to cover Mauser 98 pattern rifles generally; Yugoslav M48 (similar but a different action length); Czech vz. 24 — if the firearm on the bench is one of those, check the torque notes: values do not always carry over.",
    "No torque values are recorded for this firearm. Get them from the manufacturer or a gunsmith; do not estimate."
  ],
  "disclaimer": {
    "headline": "Read this before you use anything here.",
    "points": [
      "This is a guide, not an authority. Entries are compiled from manufacturer manuals, technical manuals, published references, and community knowledge. Some of it comes from sources that are not authoritative, and some of it may simply be wrong.",
      "Always consult the manufacturer's manual for your specific firearm and serial-number range. Manufacturers change designs mid-production without renaming the model. The manual that shipped with your firearm outranks anything on this site.",
      "Consult a licensed gunsmith for anything beyond routine field stripping and cleaning, for any firearm you are unsure about, and for any procedure marked as gunsmith-recommended here.",
      "Treat every firearm as loaded. Verify it is unloaded, with the magazine removed and the chamber physically and visually checked, before any procedure in this database. Point it in a safe direction the entire time.",
      "Disassembly can damage a firearm or injure you. Springs are under tension, parts can launch, and reassembling a firearm incorrectly can make it unsafe to fire in a way that is not obvious from the outside. If a reassembled firearm does not pass a function check, stop and see a gunsmith.",
      "Torque values are shown in two groups. Values from the manufacturer or the issuing military are shown as such, with the document they came from. Values reported by anyone else — parts makers, gunsmithing publishers, articles, forums — are shown separately with who said them, how reliable that source is, and their exact words. Those are not specifications. Confirm any torque value with the manufacturer or a licensed gunsmith before relying on it.",
      "Nothing here is legal advice. Firearms law varies by country, state, and city, and some modifications or configurations are regulated or prohibited. You are responsible for knowing and following the law where you are.",
      "No warranty of any kind. Contributors and maintainers accept no liability for damage, injury, or loss arising from use of this material."
    ],
    "page": "disclaimer.html",
    "legal": {
      "summary": "Legal notice: this material is third-party information compiled from sources of varying reliability and is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It is not gunsmithing, technical, safety or legal advice, it is not verified or endorsed by any manufacturer, and it must not be taken as fact. Any work on a firearm beyond the routine field stripping described in its own owner's manual should be performed only by a licensed and insured gunsmith. You use this material entirely at your own risk. Fundamental Build LLC and the project's contributors make no warranty of any kind and accept no liability for death, injury, damage or loss arising from its use. Full terms: LEGAL.md.",
      "page": "legal.html",
      "notice": "https://github.com/Fundamental-build-LLC/Pew-Takedown/blob/main/LEGAL.md"
    }
  },
  "sourcing": {
    "confidence": "medium",
    "verification": "community-reviewed"
  },
  "manufacturerDisassembly": {
    "status": "not-recorded",
    "limit": null,
    "statement": null,
    "source": null
  },
  "recalls": [],
  "shopTier": {
    "tier": 2,
    "group": "rifle",
    "rating": "Pew-Takedown editorial rating (1 easy – 3 hardest), not the manufacturer's",
    "reason": "A bolt action with a lot of furniture: two bands with band springs, a cleaning rod, the floor plate and follower, the trigger/sear, and the bolt stop with its ejector spring. The bolt's firing pin assembly takes real hand strength to compress and has to be reassembled the right way round, and the follower spring only goes back one way. No special tools beyond a hole in a bench block, but more traps than a modern bolt gun.",
    "confidence": "medium",
    "partCount": {
      "value": 67,
      "kind": "line-items",
      "covers": "stand-in: FN (Herstal) Model 98 rifle, Mauser system - the factory 'List of component parts of the F. N. Rifle (Mauser System)': rifle keys 1-40 and 81 (incl. 11a, 35a), 'Screws and pins' 41-55a (incl",
      "basis": "manufacturer-parts-list",
      "source": {
        "title": "F.N. Mauser Model 98 Rifle and Carbine (Fabrique Nationale handbook, English), archive.org text layer",
        "publisher": "Fabrique Nationale d'Armes de Guerre, Herstal (scan on archive.org: firearms-fn-mauser-model-98-rifle-and-carbine)",
        "reliability": "primary",
        "url": "https://archive.org/download/firearms-fn-mauser-model-98-rifle-and-carbine/fnmausermodel98rifleandcarbine_djvu.txt",
        "page": "p. 22 of the handbook (PDF page 23)",
        "pdfPage": null,
        "pageUrl": null,
        "quote": "List of component parts of the F. N. Rifle (Mauser System)"
      }
    },
    "painPoints": [
      {
        "issue": "Taking the firing pin assembly apart means compressing a very strong mainspring by hand with the firing pin tip in a bench hole and turning the cocking piece 90°, then doing it again to reassemble. The firing pin is easy to bend.",
        "during": "both",
        "source": {
          "title": "Owner's Manual for the Care and Use of the Mauser 98k - Model M48 (Mitchell's Mausers)",
          "publisher": "Mitchell's Mausers",
          "reliability": "primary",
          "url": "https://archive.org/download/lots-of-gun-pdfs-firearms-manuals/Gun%20PDFs/mitchell_mauser98.pdf",
          "page": null,
          "pdfPage": null,
          "pageUrl": null,
          "quote": "Further disassembly is difficult and not normally necessary. Also there is some risk of bending the firing pin."
        }
      },
      {
        "issue": "When the cocking piece goes back on, the sear has to line up with its slot in the bolt sleeve, and the safety must be vertical for the bolt to go back in.",
        "during": "reassembly",
        "source": {
          "title": "Owner's Manual for the Care and Use of the Mauser 98k - Model M48 (Mitchell's Mausers)",
          "publisher": "Mitchell's Mausers",
          "reliability": "primary",
          "url": "https://archive.org/download/lots-of-gun-pdfs-firearms-manuals/Gun%20PDFs/mitchell_mauser98.pdf",
          "page": null,
          "pdfPage": null,
          "pageUrl": null,
          "quote": "While you hold the spring almost fully compressed, install the cocking piece over the firing pin."
        }
      },
      {
        "issue": "The follower spring fits the floor plate and follower only one way; reversed, the follower jams feeding.",
        "during": "reassembly",
        "source": {
          "title": "Owner's Manual for the Care and Use of the Mauser 98k - Model M48 (Mitchell's Mausers)",
          "publisher": "Mitchell's Mausers",
          "reliability": "primary",
          "url": "https://archive.org/download/lots-of-gun-pdfs-firearms-manuals/Gun%20PDFs/mitchell_mauser98.pdf",
          "page": null,
          "pdfPage": null,
          "pageUrl": null,
          "quote": "the spring will go back into the floor plate and the follower in only the same way they came out."
        }
      },
      {
        "issue": "The extractor has to be turned back in line with the locking lug or the bolt will not go into the receiver.",
        "during": "reassembly",
        "source": {
          "title": "Owner's Manual for the Care and Use of the Mauser 98k - Model M48 (Mitchell's Mausers)",
          "publisher": "Mitchell's Mausers",
          "reliability": "primary",
          "url": "https://archive.org/download/lots-of-gun-pdfs-firearms-manuals/Gun%20PDFs/mitchell_mauser98.pdf",
          "page": null,
          "pdfPage": null,
          "pageUrl": null,
          "quote": "Restore it to its original position in line with the locking lug, otherwise you won’t be able to get the bolt back into the rifle."
        }
      }
    ],
    "minutes": {
      "strip": 35,
      "rebuild": 50,
      "basis": "estimated",
      "note": "Estimate: bolt (firing pin assembly compressed by hand, extractor off only if needed), bolt stop/ejector, trigger and sear, floor plate/follower, magazine, barrel bands and band springs, cleaning rod, stock, butt plate, sights. Rebuild longer for the mainspring compression and the bolt stop spring.",
      "source": null
    },
    "stripScope": [
      {
        "assembly": "Bolt",
        "removes": [
          "firing pin assembly (cocking piece, mainspring, firing pin)",
          "bolt sleeve and safety",
          "extractor and collar (optional)"
        ],
        "tools": [
          "block with a hole to take the firing pin tip"
        ]
      },
      {
        "assembly": "Receiver",
        "removes": [
          "bolt stop, ejector, bolt stop spring and pin",
          "trigger, sear, sear spring and pins",
          "guard screws"
        ],
        "tools": [
          "drift punch"
        ]
      },
      {
        "assembly": "Stock and furniture",
        "removes": [
          "floor plate, follower and spring",
          "trigger guard/magazine",
          "upper band and lower band with band springs",
          "cleaning rod",
          "handguard",
          "butt plate and screws",
          "sling fittings"
        ]
      }
    ],
    "hardware": {
      "pins": 6,
      "springs": 10,
      "detents": 2,
      "basis": "counted by name in the same list (line items). Pins: bottom swivel base pin 50, magazine cover plate catch pin 52, trigger bar pin 53, trigger pin 54, lower band swivel pin 55, sight tangent pin 55a ("
    },
    "specialTools": [
      {
        "tool": "Wood block with a firing-pin hole (or a Mauser firing pin tool)",
        "usedFor": "Compressing the mainspring to remove the cocking piece"
      },
      {
        "tool": "Gunsmith screwdrivers",
        "usedFor": "Guard screws and butt plate screws"
      },
      {
        "tool": "Pin punches",
        "usedFor": "Bolt stop pin and trigger pin"
      }
    ],
    "fitOnRebuild": [
      {
        "check": "Bolt fitted to the rifle",
        "why": "Milsurp bolts are numbered to the rifle; mixing bolts changes headspace",
        "source": null
      },
      {
        "check": "Guard screw tightening",
        "why": "The action and guard screws must be snugged evenly to keep the bedding",
        "source": null
      },
      {
        "check": "Safety and cocking check",
        "why": "The safety must be vertical and the firing pin cocked for the bolt to go back in; check that the safety holds and the trigger releases",
        "source": {
          "title": "Owner's Manual for the Care and Use of the Mauser 98k - Model M48 (Mitchell's Mausers)",
          "publisher": "Mitchell's Mausers",
          "reliability": "primary",
          "url": "https://archive.org/download/lots-of-gun-pdfs-firearms-manuals/Gun%20PDFs/mitchell_mauser98.pdf",
          "page": null,
          "pdfPage": null,
          "pageUrl": null,
          "quote": "The vertical safety position is necessary for bolt assembly"
        }
      }
    ],
    "assessed": "2026-10-29"
  },
  "videos": [],
  "configurations": [],
  "tools": [
    {
      "name": "Bore guide",
      "required": true,
      "usedFor": "Cleaning from the breech without wearing the throat or the crown. On a surplus rifle the crown is often the difference between accuracy and none."
    }
  ],
  "phases": [
    {
      "id": "clear",
      "title": "Clear and make safe",
      "steps": [
        {
          "n": 1,
          "instruction": "Point the muzzle in a safe direction and keep your finger off the trigger."
        },
        {
          "n": 2,
          "instruction": "Rotate the safety wing to the safe position."
        },
        {
          "n": 3,
          "instruction": "Lift the bolt handle and draw the bolt fully rearward, extracting and ejecting any chambered round."
        },
        {
          "n": 4,
          "instruction": "Press the floorplate release inside the front of the trigger guard and let the floorplate drop, releasing any rounds in the magazine — or cycle the bolt repeatedly to feed and eject each round.",
          "partsFreed": [
            "Rounds in the magazine",
            "Floorplate and follower if released"
          ]
        },
        {
          "n": 5,
          "instruction": "Inspect the chamber and magazine well with a light and physically confirm the chamber is empty.",
          "warning": "Look and feel."
        },
        {
          "n": 6,
          "instruction": "Close the floorplate and remove all live ammunition from the work area."
        }
      ],
      "videos": []
    },
    {
      "id": "disassemble",
      "title": "Disassemble",
      "videos": [],
      "procedures": [
        {
          "procedure": "field-strip",
          "title": "Field Strip — Bolt Removal",
          "level": "field-strip",
          "configuration": false,
          "steps": [
            {
              "n": 1,
              "instruction": "Complete the Clear and Make Safe procedure."
            },
            {
              "n": 2,
              "instruction": "Rotate the safety wing to the middle (vertical) position.",
              "tip": "On a Mauser 98 the bolt will not come out with the safety fully left or fully right."
            },
            {
              "n": 3,
              "instruction": "Lift the bolt handle and draw the bolt fully rearward."
            },
            {
              "n": 4,
              "instruction": "Swing the bolt stop lever on the left side of the receiver outward and withdraw the bolt rearward out of the action.",
              "partsFreed": [
                "Bolt assembly"
              ]
            },
            {
              "n": 5,
              "instruction": "Clean the bore from the breech using a bore guide, and clean the bolt face, lugs, and chamber.",
              "warning": "Always use a bore guide on a surplus rifle. Cleaning rod wear at the crown is a permanent accuracy loss and is very common on milsurp."
            },
            {
              "n": 6,
              "instruction": "Stop here for routine maintenance. Bolt disassembly is a separate procedure and is not part of normal cleaning."
            }
          ]
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "refinish",
      "title": "Refinish",
      "components": [
        {
          "name": "Bolt assembly",
          "procedure": "field-strip",
          "level": "field-strip",
          "step": 4
        }
      ],
      "manufacturerPartsList": null,
      "partsDiagrams": [],
      "materials": [],
      "note": "The components the procedures above separate. Coating, masking and cure are outside this database; follow your coating system's instructions. A part the manufacturer marks \"factory fit\" should not be swapped or reworked."
    },
    {
      "id": "reassemble",
      "title": "Reassemble",
      "videos": [],
      "procedures": [
        {
          "procedure": "reassembly",
          "title": "Reassembly",
          "configuration": false,
          "steps": [
            {
              "n": 1,
              "instruction": "With the safety wing in the middle position and the bolt cocked, align the bolt with the receiver raceway."
            },
            {
              "n": 2,
              "instruction": "Slide the bolt forward into the receiver until it passes the bolt stop, then close the bolt handle."
            },
            {
              "n": 3,
              "instruction": "Cycle the bolt several times to confirm smooth travel and correct cocking."
            },
            {
              "n": 4,
              "instruction": "Perform the function check."
            }
          ],
          "instruction": null
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "torque",
      "title": "Torque",
      "coverage": "none-recorded",
      "manufacturer": [],
      "reported": [],
      "notes": null
    },
    {
      "id": "function-check",
      "title": "Function check",
      "checks": [
        "Verify the rifle is unloaded — chamber and magazine — before each check.",
        "Cycle the bolt and confirm it cocks and closes fully into battery.",
        "With the action cocked, engage the safety and press the trigger. The striker must not release.",
        "Disengage the safety without touching the trigger. The striker must not release.",
        "Press the trigger and confirm the striker releases with a firm snap.",
        "Load dummy rounds and confirm they feed and eject cleanly.",
        "If you have any doubt about the rifle’s history, have headspace gauged by a gunsmith before firing live ammunition.",
        "Confirm the three-position safety works in all three positions: left blocks nothing for bolt operation, middle allows bolt removal and blocks the trigger, right blocks the trigger and locks the bolt."
      ],
      "videos": []
    }
  ],
  "troubleshooting": [],
  "sources": [
    {
      "n": 1,
      "id": null,
      "title": "Karabiner 98k Handbook (H.Dv. 240)",
      "publisher": "Wehrmacht",
      "reliability": "primary",
      "url": null,
      "accessed": null
    },
    {
      "n": 2,
      "id": null,
      "title": "Mauser Military Rifles of the World",
      "publisher": "Robert W.D. Ball",
      "reliability": "secondary",
      "url": null,
      "accessed": null
    },
    {
      "n": 3,
      "id": "tier-01885ab8",
      "title": "Owner's Manual for the Care and Use of the Mauser 98k - Model M48 (Mitchell's Mausers)",
      "publisher": "Mitchell's Mausers",
      "reliability": "primary",
      "url": "https://archive.org/download/lots-of-gun-pdfs-firearms-manuals/Gun%20PDFs/mitchell_mauser98.pdf",
      "accessed": "2026-10-29"
    },
    {
      "n": 4,
      "id": "tier-f6f8c228",
      "title": "F.N. Mauser Model 98 Rifle and Carbine (Fabrique Nationale handbook, English), archive.org text layer",
      "publisher": "Fabrique Nationale d'Armes de Guerre, Herstal (scan on archive.org: firearms-fn-mauser-model-98-rifle-and-carbine)",
      "reliability": "primary",
      "url": "https://archive.org/download/firearms-fn-mauser-model-98-rifle-and-carbine/fnmausermodel98rifleandcarbine_djvu.txt",
      "accessed": "2026-10-29"
    }
  ]
}