Flash Hider K98k Mauser

C

casteg

Inactive
I was researching flash hiders used on Mausers and found some pictures of a simple flash hider somewhere on the internet... I saved the pictures but no details were provided so "I know nothing... nothing!" ;)

Can anyone help me identify it?

The Mauser in this picture appears to be shorter than the rifle I own (the bayonet lug is closer to the muzzle and front sight is nothing like my 1942 98k which uses a simple hood. Perhaps it is not a K98 at all, but some other model or modification. I'm not a collector so I just don't know all the variations (and there are a passel of them!)

Maybe nobody hunts at night because of state laws so there is no interest in flash hiders outside of the wild pig shooting community. Or perhaps the muzzle flash is negligible on battle rifles and hiders are only useful on carbines... I can only imagine at this point.

Considering how little information is on the Internet about them I am not expecting much help, so any kind of information and leads are appreciated.

Merry Christmas to All! And Happy New Year.
 

Attachments

  • Mauser Flash Suppressor cropped.png
    Mauser Flash Suppressor cropped.png
    50.4 KB · Views: 131
  • Mauser Flash Suppressor installed cropped.png
    Mauser Flash Suppressor installed cropped.png
    190.3 KB · Views: 122
I'm afraid I can't tell you anything about that device specifically, only that its not the standard grenade launcher device. Clearly a barrel extension, but that doesn't mean it was intended to be a flash hider. The Germans did a lot of strange stuff...

The rifle in the picture does not have the same kind of front sight I have on my Kar 98k. Nor is it what's on my VZ-24. The barrel is 2-3" shorter than the 989k I have, and you can see a "step" where the bayonet lug was relieved to allow the front sight band to be fitted. So, at a guess the barrel was shortened.

Just for general information, I'd like to point out that while we use flash hider and flash suppressor about interchangeably, they are slightly different devices. By the definitions the US used in WWII, a flash hider is solid (usually cone shaped) and a flash suppressor has holes or slots. We had "bolt on" flash hiders for the M3 Grease Gun and the M2HB .50 cal machine gun, that were still in service when I was in during the 70s.

More modern guns like the M14, M16, M60 etc, have flash suppressors, not flash hiders.

The intent of both is not that the enemy doesn't see the flash, but that the shooter's sees less flash (and/or a different shape) hopefully preserving more of his night vision.

Because of the length, and straight shape (and no holes) of the device pictured, it is not impossible it might have been intended as a firing port device, for a vehicle (or possibly ship?) and might not have been made for the Mauser rifle originally, but was fitted to one....because someone could??

Just a wild guess, and worth what you paid for it. But the Germans did do things like that, among other things. There was a curved barrel device "for shooting around corners" but really made for being able to shoot out of an armored vehicle. The "bump" under the front of the barrel of the MP40 SMG is there so that you could "hook" it over the side of the halftrack when firing and recoil wouldn't push the muzzle back inside the vehicle with decidedly undesirable results. :D
 
They had suppressors that looked like that. Fourth man from the left. Not sure what yours is though. I don't see it in Stevens/Karem's Karabiner 98k.
I know it's not the same.
DdSuiW_137_1
 
The rifle with the device mounted looks like a WWI vintage Kar98a.
I doubt that would suppress flash very well. It may be a WWI grenade launcher.
 
WW1 Kar 98a Mauser Carbine

Yes, thank you, Mike, that's a positive identification on the picture I posted... WW1 Kar 98a Mauser Carbine. I was just back to post a picture of one and found you had solved it.

None of the Mauser WWI grenade launchers I gloogled appear to have that small an Inside Diameter, nor are they straight tubes.

So, my guess it is a WWI flash hider and if it didn't work well on the carbine that's a good reason why they became so scarce!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top