This Mitchell's Mausers Tanke's M63 is true to the original M98 design (except for the scope setup, of course).

The sprawling armory shipped its last Model 71 in 1878, six months ahead of schedule. Paul invented a single-shot pistol and a revolver, but neither sold. After Wilhelm died young in 1882, Mauser became a stock company. Controlling shares were bought by Ludwig Loewe & Co. of Berlin.

Seven years later, Fabrique Nationale d'Armes de Guerre (FN) was established in Liege to build Model 1889 Mauser rifles for the Belgian government. The 1889 was Paul's first successful smokeless-powder rifle and incorporated elements that established him as the dominant gun designer on the continent.

During the next six years he improved this rifle. One of the most important changes--a staggered-column, fixed-box magazine--appeared in 1893. By 1895 Paul had developed an action that would be perfected as the famous Model 1898.

Following its acceptance by the German Army on April 5, 1898, the Mauser 98 would quickly become the most popular military arm to that point in history. Exported to many countries, it would be built in many more. France, England, Russia and the U.S. designed their own battle rifles, but none surpassed the Mauser 98 in function or reliability.

After World War II, Mauser's business shifted toward the sporting trade and chose A.F. Stoeger Inc. of New York as its U.S. agent. By the end of the Depression there were 20 configurations in four lengths: magnum, standard, intermediate and short. The short or "kurz" version had a small receiver ring and came in only three chamberings: 6.5x50, 8x51 and .250 Savage. Magnum and kurz actions were made strictly for sporting use.

While surplus military Mausers have been sold at bargain prices, commercial versions always came dear. In 1939 a new Model 70 Winchester cost $61.25; that year a Mauser sporting rifle listed at $110 to $250. Square-bridge and left-hand actions cost substantially more.

Over the years, the Mauser action has been copied and modified, although it's up to you to decide whether it's ever been improved.

The 1903 Springfield rifle featured Mauser's dual front-locking lugs and an external extractor that snatched cases from the magazine. Its coned breech appeared soon after World War I in Winchester's first successful bolt rifle, the Model 54. The 54's ejector derived from a Charles Newton design and eliminated the need for a slotted locking lug.

The introduction of Winchester's Model 70 in 1937 provided American hunters with a refined Mauser with a better trigger.

Meanwhile Remington developed its Model 30, a sporting-class 1917 Enfield. The massive Enfield showed Mauser ancestry, but sportsmen shopping the surplus ads preferred the sleeker 98 and the Springfield.

Winchester's Model 70 debuted in 1937. It retained the coned breech, dual locking lugs, Mauser extractor and offset ejector of the Model 54 but wore a better trigger. The 54 trigger, like the Mauser's, had doubled as a bolt stop. Its long, heavy pull could not be adjusted. The Model 70 trigger could, thanks to a separate bolt stop that interrupts the left lug.

The Model 70's low, horizontal safety made the rifle compatible with scopes. A low-slung bolt handle mandated a receiver slot that served as a safety lug recess.