[MGMike]

It is often overlooked that the "K98s" were not a straight-line evolution. The earliest ones, with spoon bolt handles and stocked to the muzzle, were all large-ring 98s like the Gew. 98. The later arms designated as carbines represented a design detour --actually a considerably different gun-- utilizing a small-ring receiver, a tapered, not stepped, barrel, and a recurved trigger guard and stock bands of unique form. The Germans apparently liked its length, but little else. When they finally decided to standardize on a short rifle that ultimately became the Karabiner 98k, they abandoned those features and reverted to the large-ring receiver, stepped barrel, and more conventional trigger guard and bands.

M