K98k Introduction | Disassembly K98k/G43 | Grenade
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Disassembly of the K98k / G43

K98k Disassembly and Inspection
Disassembly of the G/K43
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K98k Disassembly and Inspection

The K98k Mauser is a reasonably easy rifle to tear down, given a little patience and a TLC approach. If you've just purchased a 98k from a collector who has kept the rifle spotless, minimum disassembly is necessary to clean and oil the rifle.

For the rifle that just arrived from a dealer or importer, a thorough disassembly is necessary since you will want to safety check each part. Moreover, years of soil, grit, cosmoline and general crud buildup will have infiltrated small parts and springs. They need to be cleaned, checked, and lubricated.

Refer to the K98k drawing, which includes a list of the various parts and just go through the following steps. You should have the rifle apart within ten minutes. And remember that each step can involve a safety check that can be done while dismantling. If you run into a problem in the process, get back to this site and post it, someone will have a solution for you.

If you have head- space gauges, do the head space check before removing the bolt from the rifle.

1) Cock the bolt, re-close it. Turn the safety to the on' position (all the way right). Attempt to cock the bolt-it should be locked in place. Pull the trigger, the firing mechanism should not work. Turn the safety to a vertical position. Pull the trigger again-nothing should happen.

Turn the safety off (left). If the firing mechanism functions without touching the trigger, there is a safety problem with the sear, or cocking piece.

Lastly, use the palm of your right hand and give the cocking piece a rap', it should not move. If all these tests are okay, pull the trigger (IF THE RIFLE IS UNLOADED), and the mechanism should function.

HEAD SPACE: It is extremely important from a safety standpoint, to check head space before firing your rifle. If you do not have head- space gauges, buy the GO and No-go gauges for 8mm and learn to use them. Brownell's is just one place on the Web that offers the gauges. Or, have head- space checked by a gunsmith.

Cock the bolt, close it, turn the safety to its vertical position. Open and pull the bolt back to its stop. Open the bolt-stop, (to the left) and slide the bolt out. Place it aside.

2) Place the rifle on its left side. Remove the sling if you have one. I remove the front sight hood with a set of expanders( like needle nose pliers that expand when gripped). If you don't have an expander, leave the sight hood on.

3) Depress the front of the band retainer, grasp the front band and slide it forward, off the stock. If it is really jammed, you may need a small hammer and a brass drift, or a 3/4" X 4" wood dowel to gently push it forward. Use caution if the band is tight-if it suddenly loosens, your hand can brush across the front sight causing a nasty cut.

4) Remove the band retainer. Slide the rear band forward and off the stock. Again, you may need a little help but be careful not to ding the bands or crack the stock.

5) Remove the hand guard and inspect for cracks, dirt, oil, etc.

6) Unscrew the cleaning rod. Then if you really want to remove the bayonet lug, tap its retaining pin through and remove the lug.

7) Turn the rifle over so that you can see the trigger housing screws. This is where a good set of screwdrivers is important so you don't ruin the screw heads. Remove the two small locking or set screws (one at each end) first. Then remove the larger screws.

Grasp the trigger guard and wiggle the housing up and out off the stock and receiver. The magazine spring and follower will come right along.

If the magazine is filled with crud, you should remove the floor plate and this can be done by using a punch, and depressing the pin just forward of the trigger guard, at the same time, using the punch to nudge the floor plate towards the trigger guard. It may be easy or difficult, but you'll get the hang of it. Once removed, you can take the spring steel off the floor plate and follower for cleaning.

8) Lift the stock off the receiver. Look for cracks or wood separation along the barrel groove, and particularly in the area behind the recoil lug and in the trigger area.

You'll also be able to see if the receiver and barrel have any rust, pitting or damage below the stock line.

9) The trigger and bolt stop assemblies can be left in place unless they are filthy. For light dirt or oil scum, I use Gun Scrubber to clean those parts, then after they dry, I make sure they get well coated with gun oil.

BUT, if you're like many K98k owners, everything has to come off. If that is the case, be very careful removing the trigger assy. from the receiver. The pin holding it on should be driven from the end that is not peaned or flattened. Depress the spring cup while removing the pin. Be equally careful when replacing the assy.

The bolt stop screw can be turned out, and the assy. removed. Check the ejector for damage. When replacing, line the bolt stop back onto its mount and hand turn the pointed screw carefully. They do go in relatively easy, but don't strip it.

10) Back to the Bolt for a few minutes. If you have the safety in a vertical/upright position, you're ready to take the bolt down. Bear in mind, the firing pin resembles a spear and it is under pressure so do not have it pointed at yourself or someone else.

Push in the bolt sleeve plunger and unscrew the bolt sleeve (counter-clockwise) until it comes off the bolt body. Inspect the bolt body for rust, chipping, and other damage. Check the two forward locking lugs (A on the drawing) for damage. Rotate the extractor to determine if it hangs up, and inspect for damage. If you want to remove the extractor, get on the website's K98k Forum and we'll give you additional instructions.

Check the firing pin port for unusual wear and the bolt face for gouges, grooving, or damage from corrosive ammo. Check the safety lug (A) at the rear of the bolt. It should be in original condition with no chipping or damage.

Put the bolt body down and let's get to the firing mechanism. You can use the Bolt Take Down Disk on the butt of the rifle (5A), or drill a 1/8" hole about 1/4" deep in a piece of soft wood. For this example, use the take down disk. Place the firing pin tip into the hole and the firing pin safety shoulders will rest on the disk. Keep the assembly vertical and do not accidentally bend the tip.

Keeping the safety vertical, place your thumb over the safety, grip the bolt sleeve and compress the spring. With the other hand, as soon as the cocking piece turns freely, rotate it 1/4 turn in either direction, lift off, and gently release pressure on the spring.

The bolt sleeve and spring will slide off the firing pin. Turn the safety to the right and remove.

At this point, there is really nothing else you need to take apart. The rear sight does indeed come off and go back on, with some effort, but if you tackle that part, remember there is a very small spring in the elevation adjustment. Don't lose it.

You're ready to do the rest of your visual checks. Check the firing pin tip, it should not be pointed or pitted. If it is, it will puncture bullet primers.

The firing pin safety shoulders (D) should be in good condition with no alterations or damage. They hold the firing pin back while the bolt is placed in battery. The firing pin keys should be checked for wear. Put the cocking piece on and check for looseness or binding.

Take the firing pin and insert it into the bolt body. Looking through the oval gas ports on the front end of the bolt, you should see the flat side of the firing pin shaft as you place it in the bolt. The pin safety shoulders should keep the firing pin tip from protruding through the firing pin port. The tip of the pin should be at least .010" behind the face of the bolt. If the point protrudes at all, this indicates wear on the pin safety shoulders, or the bolt safety shoulders. The correct way to check firing pin protrusion is with the bolt assembled. In order to do this, cock the bolt while it is in the receiver, close it, turn the safety to the left (off). Remove the bolt from the rifle. Keep your hands/fingers clear of the firing mechanism, depress the bolt sleeve plunger and turn the sleeve counter-clockwise. The firing mechanism will move forward. Check pin protrusion with a gauge. It should be between .055" and .065" beyond the bolt face. Check for looseness in the cocking piece and bolt sleeve. Push the cocking piece forward to determine if the firing pin tip protrudes beyond its initial position. On average, .060" protrusion is desirable. If beyond .065", consider dressing the firing pin or replacing it. Or, consider the bolt body itself as suspect. To re-cock the bolt in order to get it back into the receiver, place the front sear of the cocking piece against the edge of your wood tool bench or other stiff item, pull the bolt forward against the sear edge and rotate so that the cocking piece locks into its open position. Practice will make perfect.

Check the cocking piece at points (C) for wear or rounding off. If the top forward edge is altered or rounded, it could slip past the safety causing a slam fire. The sear engagement surface should be square and in good condition.

As you hold the safety with the rear facing you, check for damage to the three edges that engage the cocking piece.

Check the trigger sear for wear or damage. The trigger should move freely and not bind up and the sear should be in a full up position when the trigger is released.

Finally, pick up the receiver. Check the feed ramp for scratches or damage. Although you cannot see the bolt lug engagement surfaces in the front ring , a small mirror (very small) will help, and by using your little finger, feel the front edges for gouges or set back damage. Check the chamber and bore for pitting and rust.

Check the extractor groove in the right side of the receiver for any cracks. In fact, check the entire receiver and barrel for cracks or other damage.

Turn the receiver upside down and look into the top of the rear bridge-check the bolt safety lug engagement surface. It should look like new. Any damage there indicates that at some time, the receiver was damaged because of pressure, etc. It is at least, a caution flag.

This is the layman's basic disassembly and safety check. If you are in doubt about anything on your rifle, it is best to get it to a gunsmith before you attempt to fire it.

There are also a number of manuals on the Mauser which will go into greater detail, but this process will at least get you started.

The K98k Message Board is another excellent way to have your concerns addressed as there are a number of technically skilled people on board to help you.

Now you can detail clean, oil, and reassemble your K98k.

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Disassembly of the G/K43

Make sure the rifle is unloaded and safety in the safe position (facing right hand side). Remove the magazine from the rifle by depressing the magazine catch button and pulling down and forward on the magazine. Remove cleaning rod if present.

If the rifle has a sling loosen it up a few inches. Now depress the front band spring, and slide the nose cap forward.  you will now be able to remove the handguard. Turn the rifle over.  there are two screws which hold the trigger guard in place.  they have four notches in them that catch spring loaded pressure pins in the trigger guard.  depress the pins with a small punch while loosening the screws. Once you have removed the screws, pull forward on the magazine catch to release the trigger guard.  now the stock will slide off of the action.

Pull back on the charging handle all the way to the rear, and depress the hold open lever on the right side of the bolt carrier. At the rear of the receiver is a button (just above the safety) depress the button, and the bolt assembly will pull upwards and out of the receiver. *Note: if you have a late Walther gun, there may not be a hold open catch.  pull the bolt assembly to the rear, and depress the takedown button, but beware!  the parts are under spring tension, and will fly everywhere if you do not keep both hands firmly on them, and always protect your face! Now with the bolt in both hands cupped firmly, depress the hold open catch.  the recoil springs will push the bolt open and you can now easily disassemble everything by hand.  the recoil guide assembly and rear recoil spring can be easily disassembled, or cleaned and oiled as a unit.

To remove operating rod components:

Push the actuator rod rearwards to give clearance to remove the small joining dowel.   now slide the rod and spring forwards and outwards.  the gas cylinder can now slide rearward and off.  the gas piston can be removed with a small crescent wrench. I would not recommend further disassembly of front or rear sights and trigger assembly unless absolutely necessary to remove broken or otherwise unusable parts.  cleaning and oiling of these parts can be done in place.

Once you have cleaned and oiled the parts:

Insert the firing pin into the firing pin housing. (long semi rectangular shaped piece).

Insert firing pin extension (small tapered rod with a notch in the thinner area) fat end first into the firing pin housing. (note: there is a small retaining pin in the rear of the firing pin housing that seats in the firing pin extension recess)

Insert the complete firing pin assembly into the bolt.  bolt will have elliptical cut out in front facing up, as will firing pin housing. insert left and right locking flaps into bolt (this may take some practice to get right) and slide firing pin extension all the way in.

Note: locking flaps are not reversible. the right side flap has a groove on the bottom which corresponds to a bulge in the right side lug bolt channel.

Insert long recoil spring into rear of bolt, seated on top of firing pin extension. Insert complete rear (small) recoil spring assembly into stamped sheet-metal bolt housing so that take down pin pokes out the top rear hole and other two pins poke out the side rear holes. insert bolt carrier (handle) foot at the front into the elliptical cutout in the bolt making sure it seats also in the elliptical cutout in the firing pin extension.

Now slide the front recoil spring onto the rod assembly that is holding the rear recoil spring in the stamped housing.  you will begin to experience tension. Align the bolt carrier to slide back over the recesses for it in the stamped housing. Continue to pull it back under tension as far as it will go- to the rear of the housing. Now, with the assembly all the way back, engage the hold open catch on the rear of the bolt. This should hold everything into place. Making sure the safety is in the on position, slide the bolt assembly front end first into the receiver until it "seats itself." simply depress the takedown button, and it will drop the rest of the way in and lock.

Now reassemble the rest of the rifle in the exact reverse order of disassembly.

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