EAW Steel Picatinny rail, Mauser K98 with bulb

Introduction

Picatinny rail consists of slots with 5.23 mm spaces between one another, which means that it can be used across its entire length. It is simple to mount and interchangeable – if something is made for a Picatinny rail, it will fit regardless of the manufacturer or manufacturing date. It is affordable, resilient and reliable – this is why it so commonly used by professionals and military. Because of all its great qualities, Picatinny rail has been dominating the rail market in the recent years.

Picatinny is a big step forward from the Weaver standard. Weaver has a few predesignated slots while Picatinny has slots all over its surface, allowing the device to be mounted wherever the user finds it fitting. Weaver's slot is 3.8 mm wide, which is why ring mounts made for a Weaver rail will also fit on a Picatinny rail while ring mounts made specifically for a Picatinny rail will not fit on a Weaver rail. This is one of the main reasons why Picatinny is a far better mounting solution.

EAW is a German company, known for producing top-quality mounts. Their Picatinny rails, which are all made from steel, have a nice finish and come with a unique channel in the middle, allowing the user to clearly see the rifle's sights. Screws are included. EAW chooses only the best materials for their products. All of these great features; however, come at quite a steep price.

About the rifle

Mauser is a German arms manufacturer of semi-automatic pistols and bolt-action rifles. It was originally founded as Königliche Waffen Schmieden in 1811. Their designs reached high popularity and their products were exported to a number of countries. Because of their success, many other manufacturers used a similar design.

Mauser K98 is the most often produced repeating rifle in the World (approx. 60 million pieces have been made). Its name is linked to the year when it was introduced to the public – 1898. This was a standard firearm in World Wars I and II. Today, it is used mostly for hunting purposes. Many firearm manufacturers copied K98's system because of its success – this is without a doubt one of the most copied systems in existence (it is used by renowned manufacturers such as Zastava, CZ, Husqvarna, Antonio Zoli etc.). Older Mauser K98 models have a bulb on the receiver. These were loaded with the help of a stripper clip. For that purpose, they had a bulb in which a stripper clip was inserted. Once inserted, the user could „slide“ the rounds into K98 through slots on the clip. Because of this bulb, mounting an optical device on the receiver was difficult – there was not much space. Models with bulbs also have a special space for a finger on the left side, making rifle loading easier. On the newer models, Mauser decided to remove these bulbs. If you are looking for a mount for a newer Mauser K98 model that has no bulb on the receiver, click here.

Click here to see how to load Mauser K98 with a bulb.

Because so many K98 rifles were made, gunsmiths had difficulties in maintaining the same pattern when it came to drilling holes onto the receiver. Because of these different patterns, Picatinny rail manufacturers are making K98 Picatinny rails in many variations. EAW and Rusan's Picatinny rails for Mauser K98 are, for example, without holes – these have to be drilled by a gunsmith. Recknagel has a different way of manufacturing Picatinny rails for K98 – theirs have 3 holes (2 in the front part are ordinary while the one in the back is in the form of an ellipse, allowing the user to fix the back part of the rail onto the receiver regardless of the positions of holes on the receiver).

Mounts made for Mauser K98 with a bulb will also fit other "Mausers" with a bulb: Zastava M48, Swedish Mausers, Chilean Mausers, Argentine Mausers etc.  

A: / (no holes)
B: / (no holes)
C: / (no holes)
BHU: 4 mm
Fi: M3.5L
R1: R18
R2: R14/30°

Below, difference between older and newer Mauser K98 models can be seen:

Mounting instructions

Remove all the stains (grease, oil etc.) from the rifle's receiver with a cleaning fluid (acetone). Once the surface is clean and dry, check whether the screws match the rail and the holes on the receiver. Make sure that the Picatinny rail is compatible with the rifle by inspecting the mounting holes on both. Before mounting the rail permanently, apply a minimal amount of thread-locking fluid 278 or 648 on screws and contact surfaces. Be careful not to get the fluid in or near the mounting holes. Carefully clean the remaining excess fluid around the rail with a cleaning fluid. Using a torque driver, screw the screws appropriately (up to 2.2 Nm) – do not overtighten.

Warranty

The product has a warranty period of 30 years.