Loading was by way of a Mannlicher-style "clip" system which required all 5 rounds to be fired before the magazine could be accessed, the clip dropping through the bottom of the rifle. Consistent with the times was a mounting point for a field bayonet intended for close-quarters combat. The bolt-action handle stuck out in the horizontal for quick access though this feature increased the likelihood of snags (addressed in future Mauser revisions). Sights were located at center of the stock top and just aft of the muzzle while sling loops allowed for a shoulder strap. The magazine was integral to the design and projected through the bottom of the body as part of the trigger ring. The Model 1888 held its bolt-action function within a single-piece stock which incorporated the butt, grip and forend. In an effort to match their foe and long-time neighbor, the Germans utilized a committee approach to formulate the new Model 1888/Gew 88 to make use of its own brand of smokeless powder in 7.92x57mm cartridge form.
This development immediately rendering all other black powder guns obsolete and brought about a new era in firearms. The rifle was quickly developed in response to the arrival of the new French 8-round Lebel bolt-action service rifle of 1888 - the first firearm in the world to make successful use of small bore smokeless powder ammunition. Origins of the Model 1898 could be traced back to its immediate predecessor, the Gew 88 (also Model 1888 or M1888). The Model 1898/Gew 98's historical influence was such that other notable foreign developments was born of its reliable and robust approach including the famous American M1903 Springfield and Japanese Arisaka Type 38/Type 99 series.
The Gew 98 proved so popular that a myriad of offshoots and variants were born from her design, seeing action in all parts of the globe. The Mauser rifle, and its classic bolt-action system, went on to set the standard of such guns - a standard still followed by the arms industry today.
The rifle was patented by Paul Mauser in 1895 with initial production running from 1898 to 1918, becoming the standard German Army rifle used during World War 1. The Mauser Gewehr 98 (formally as the "Infantry Rifle Model 1898") was a manually operated, magazine fed, bolt-action rifle and became one of the most successful military and sport firearms ever produced (numbering over 5,000,000 units).
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