The Swedish 98K Mauser — The Gevar M/38 and M/40In 1939, shortly before the start of World War
The Swedish 98K Mauser — The Gevar M/38 and M/40In 1939, shortly before the start of World War II the Swedish military purchased 5,000 KAR 98 rifles from Germany. They intended to use the German rifles as a light anti-tank rifle, however the 8X57mm Mauser cartridge did not have the power to pierce the armor of early WWII tanks. The Swedes modified their KAR98’s by rechambering them for the much more powerful 8X63mm Patron cartridge, a cartridge with substantially more power and velocity than the typical rifle cartridge. As a result of this modification, the magazine capacity was also reduced from the standard 5 rounds to 4 rounds in order to accomodate the larger cartridge. This new type of Mauser was designated the Gevar M/39 by the Swedes. Later, because of the tremendous recoil of the 8X63 Patron cartridge, a recoil compensator was also attached to the muzzle, and the rifle was redesignated as the Gevar M/40.Despite the more powerful cartridge, the Gevar M/40 was still not up to snuff for piercing the armor of WWII era tanks. Fortunately, Sweden never had to use these rifles in anger, as they remained neutral throughout the war. -- source link
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