Kar98k sniper rifle, a popular weapon in PUBG, with ammunition loading capability

Kar98k rifle iron sight variant, print at a larger scale for improved loading experience, smaller sizes are ideal for pendants

Overview follows

The Kar98k rifle (also known as the Kar98k Mauser rifle or Kar98k carbine), was a standard-issue rifle developed by the German Mauser company before World War II

The Kar98k rifle was an improvement upon the Gew98 rifle, its barrel shortened to 600 millimeters for enhanced portability, featuring a downward-curving bolt handle and a left-side sling swivel

The Kar98k rifle served as the standard-issue rifle for the Nazi German army during World War II, seeing service from 1935 until the war's end, renowned for its reliability and accuracy, considered among the finest bolt-action rifles of World War II and one of the most widely produced small arms of the conflict

Wilhelm Mauser and his brother Peter Paul Mauser, born into a family of gunsmiths, apprenticed at the Prussian Royal Arsenal under their father, gaining valuable experience in firearms manufacturing, establishing the Mauser arms factory in 1872, commencing a long-standing partnership with the Prussian Empire and subsequently Germany

In 1871, the Prussian army had already adopted the Mauser brothers' direct-acting single-shot rifle, designated the Model 1871 rifle

In 1886, France pioneered the Lebel 1886 rifle using smokeless powder, significantly increasing projectile velocity and effective range, prompting global interest and necessitating a swift adoption of smokeless powder rifles in Germany

In 1888, under the auspices of the military committee, Germany integrated smokeless powder, the Mannlicher magazine, and other advanced technologies from various nations (primarily France), resulting in a Mauser-designed and manufactured smokeless powder rifle with a magazine, adopted by the German army as its standard-issue rifle and officially designated the Model 1888 rifle, marking the army's first adoption of a smokeless powder rifle However, service revealed shortcomings, primarily concerning safety and high cost, prompting Mauser to embark on the design of a safer, improved rifle

On April 5, 1898, after seven months of rigorous testing and refinement, the new rifle design was finalized, chambered for 7.92x57mm ammunition, officially named the Model 1898 rifle by the military, commonly abbreviated as Gew. 98 or G98, and more simply, the Model 98 rifle First deployed during the Boxer Rebellion, the Model 98 rifle represented a major advancement in infantry firearms, its structural design enduring and influencing numerous modern firearms By order of the Prussian Emperor, it became the standard equipment for all German armies, designated the Mauser Model 1898 rifle, marking its official entry into history

In the early 1930s, as Germany underwent rearmament, prioritizing tanks, aircraft, and other weaponry, the high command decided against replacing the Model 98 rifle, opting instead for a shortened variant as standard equipment, a decision partly driven by Mauser's ability to quickly supply the required rifles