Having built an M1 Garand for my WWII arms collection, I wanted to construct a worthy counterpart for my German arsenal which would also be a famous rifle and the one commonly issued to infantrymen in its respective military faction. At first, I considered the semiautomatic Gewehr 43 (a.k.a. the Karabiner 43), a close German equivalent to the Garand in terms of operation and performance. While this weapon was self-loading, like the Garand, and had good accuracy, I felt that it wasn’t the right choice, as it was only produced between 1943 and ’45 on a limited basis, and was less reliable than similar rifles of that period. It was then that I settled upon the Mauser Karabiner 98 Kurz, the bolt-action weapon that was the standard service rifle of the Wehrmacht and a better representative for its class. The Karabiner 98k was merely a shortened version of the Gewehr 98 rifle used by Germany during the First World War with a modified bolt handle and changes to the furniture; around 11.5 million 98k’s were produced between 1935 and 1945.
In this model, my focus was on the construction of the Mauser bolt-action system, as this is the heart of the rifle; I wanted the bolt to lock in position when closed, turn to loosen/’unlock,’ and pull back as in a real Mauser without the model falling apart or requiring size changes in the bolt area. I didn’t want to try making the bolt actually chamber or extract anything, as I’m more concerned about the outer appearance of my weapons than their functionality (which would always be less realistic than the real gun’s anyway); I just wanted the bolt to move like the real one. After a little research and examining an actual Mauser-type bolt action hands-on, I came up with the simple system shown in the pictures below; a sliding cylindrical tube-shape that ‘locks’ when its bolt handle is turned down into a specially-made recess in the receiver. I placed a cartridge directly beneath the bolt to simulate the internal, non-removable magazine in the real Karabiner 98k. The replica features a spring-loaded, pull-back trigger assembly, with one of the strongest pulls I have yet inserted into my LEGO® weapons and has a range-adjustable rear sight included on top. I chose to build the post-type version of the front sight, versus the common 'hooded'-type, due to difficulty in replicating the latter option.
[Overall Dimensions: 43.8” long; 2.5” wide; 6.5” high (from top of receiver to bottom of stock). Total Weight: 2.4 lbs. First completed on September 12, 2011; deconstructed on June 16, 2012.]
A video demonstration of the gun's bolt-action mechanism:
Quoting Guns And Stuff
Nice guns...Like the detail...btw,what is the MP40's maker...as in brand?H&K?=)
The original MP-38 and subsequent MP-40 were designed by Heinrich Vollmer (not Hugo Schmeisser as many believe) and manufactured by Erfurter Maschinenfabrik (ERMA) until the end of WWII.
Quoting douglas ireland
great moc some thoughts for the future try making a grewer or a bayonet and scope for your m1 grand or kar98
Thanks for your comment! I'm planning to experiment with scopes and bayonets in the future, but I have intentionally chosen to forgo these things thus far for various technical, aesthetic, and preferential reasons; the accessories don't interest me as much as the weapons themselves in most cases.
Quoting Sagar Dighe
I might cry at how good these are. Seeing that beautifully crafted K98k, beside a P38 and my favourite, your MP40, it makes me realize the potential of a brick, and the possibilities, if you put effort into your creation. On behalf of the whole of Mocpages, I commend you on your creativity.
Thank you so much for this great compliment you've given me--I'm always glad to show others some of the many things that can be done with LEGO® elements, and it felt really nice to read this comment. ~Cole
Awesome work cole! I like the 'wood' finish on your guns. Btw could you make another modern assault rifle lik an ACR or F2000? That sure would be cool!
I might cry at how good these are. Seeing that beautifully crafted K98k, beside a P38 and my favourite, your MP40, it makes me realize the potential of a brick, and the possibilities, if you put effort into your creation. On behalf of the whole of Mocpages, I commend you on your creativity.
Great work Cole! Your replicas keep amazing me, especially these 'wooden' ones. Keep up the good work!
I like it
laddi berg
September 14, 2011
Bolt action rifles My favourites , and this one is simply amazing ... Question have you thought about doing an Soviet collection like the ppsh41 ...mosin nagants ? Amazing done
Try making a Bren or Type 99 if you do British or Japanese weapons. As for this, this is a beautiful rendition of arguably the best bolt-action rifle ever made. So many small details make this stand out.
Quoting laddi berg
Bolt action rifles My favourites , and this one is simply amazing ... Question have you thought about doing an Soviet collection like the ppsh41 ...mosin nagants ? Amazing done
Thanks for the compliment! I have indeed considered building not only a weapons collection representing the USSR but also ones for the United Kingdom and the Empire of Japan. Whether I will be building these weapons collections in the future is uncertain--I may take a break from WWII-era weapons and build a few modern ones I've been contemplating first...
Yet another AWESOME rifle, Cole! You're a great builder. I love to look at your weapons. Oh, I found it very complicated to build the FAL. I'm thinking about building an AKS-74U (1:1 with working parts). If you know a better weapon, please tell me and send me the correct information about it. I would like to make a small rifle or SMG. Regards, -Jan
I like it
A Dying Breed
September 13, 2011
Excellent work...a perfect rendition of the famous Kar98k! 5/5!
Quoting Victor ruiz
yay!my favorite gun!its finally here!does the kariber chamber those lego bullets or is it just for decorations?
Well, as I said in the text above, making my models look like the real guns is much more important to me than trying to fit working functions into them. ~Cole
That is an awesome piece, I own a K98 and it is like the real thing. Maybe you could add one of those special bandoleers (just a thought)
Keep up the great work!
![M16A2 (1:1) [Improved]](http://images.mocpages.com//user_images/43917/1321811666m_HALF.jpg "M16A2 (1:1) [Improved]")
