Mauser M59 on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
The Kongsberg M59 (also known as KV59) is a
Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk used German Mauser 98k actions for the manufacture of the M59. The picture shows a civilian M59.
Closeup of the action and re-profiled bolt handle:
Old markings were removed, and the front receiver bridge was opened to accommodate loading of the somewhat longer (compared to the 7.92×57 mm Mauser) .30-06 cardridge,
This is also found on the M59 rifles which were re-chambered to the 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge. On the civilian version, only the extractor claw was blued, while the rest of the bolt was polished, while on the army issue M59F1, the whole bolt was blued.
The pistol grip:
The magazine follower on the 98k would lock the bolt's forward motion on an empty magazine. This feature was retained on the M59:
The half-length cleaning rod was screwed into the fore-end. Two to three of these were required to assemble a rod of sufficient length:
A civilian M59 (top) in .30-06 and the army issue M59F1 in 7.62×51mm NATO (bottom, with a side-mounted scope). Note the blued bolt and absence of the cut-out in the front receiver bridge on the M59F1. Note also the different markings on the front receiver bridge.
About Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk
{{Norwegian service rifles 7.62×51mm NATO rifles Bolt-action rifles of Norway Sniper rifles
sniper rifle
A sniper rifle is a high-precision, long-range rifle. Requirements include accuracy, reliability, mobility, concealment and optics for anti-personnel, anti-materiel and surveillance uses of the military sniper. The modern sniper rifle is a por ...
produced by Kongsberg Arms of Norway based on left-behind K98k actions from the German World War 2 occupation, in a similar fashion to the later Kongsberg M67. Even though these rifles are sometimes called Mauser M59 and Mauser M67, they were not licensed products of Mauser, but were produced by Kongsberg and marketed as such.
Mauser rifles in Norway
After WW2, large numbers of GermanMauser 98k
The Karabiner 98 kurz (; "carbine 98 short"), often abbreviated Karabiner 98k, Kar98k or K98k and also sometimes incorrectly referred to as a K98 (a K98 is a Polish carbine and copy of the Kar98a), is a bolt-action rifle chambered for the 7.92×57 ...
were confiscated by Norwegian forces. Most of the rifles were re-barrelled to .30-06 and used as normal service rifles, but a number of Mauser 98 actions were used as the basis for building both military sniper and civilian target rifles at Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk. Target shooting is very popular in Norway, and stocks of the Krag–Jørgensen M1894 were scarce after the end of the war. The Mauser rifles were available and very well suited to conversion into target rifles for use by the Norwegian DFS. The M59, M67 and the Krag–Jørgensen were the official target rifles of the Norwegian DFS until the adoption of the SIG Sauer 200 STR
The SIG Sauer 200 STR (Scandinavian Target Rifle), also known as the SIG Sauer 200 STR Match, is a bolt-action rifle mostly used as a target/competition rifle for national competitions by Norwegian, Swedish and Danish sport shooters. It is a var ...
in the 1990.
Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk Skarpskyttergevær M59, "Mauser M59"
Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk
Kongsberg Gruppen is an international technology group headquartered in Norway, that supplies high-technology systems to customers in the merchant marine, defence, aerospace, offshore oil and gas industries, and renewable and utilities industri ...
introduced the M59 (also denoted KV59) in 1959, first chambered in .30-06, but shortly afterwards production was changed to accommodate the new 7.62 NATO round, and M59 rifles chambered for the 7.62 NATO were denoted M59F1. The M59F1 served first as a sniper rifle
A sniper rifle is a high-precision, long-range rifle. Requirements include accuracy, reliability, mobility, concealment and optics for anti-personnel, anti-materiel and surveillance uses of the military sniper. The modern sniper rifle is a por ...
for the regular armed forces. After the NM149 was introduced, the M59F1 served with the Norwegian Home Guard
The Norwegian Home Guard ( no, Heimevernet – "HV") is the rapid mobilisation force within the Norwegian armed forces. Its main focus is local defense and civil support, but it can also detach volunteers for international operations. Its main ta ...
(''Heimevernet'') until the 1990s. It was also used as a civilian target rifle
A rifle is a long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting, with a barrel that has a helical pattern of grooves (rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus on accuracy, rifles are typically designed to be held with bo ...
, having the advantage over the Krag–Jørgensen
The Krag–Jørgensen is a repeating bolt-action rifle designed by the Norwegians Ole Herman Johannes Krag and Erik Jørgensen in the late 19th century. It was adopted as a standard arm by Norway, Denmark, and the United States. About 300 wer ...
M1894 that it did not suffer from changing point of impact in rainy weather. Thus, many shooters had a Krag–Jørgensen for the sunny days and one Mauser for rainy days.
Technical details and images
Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk used German Mauser 98k actions for the manufacture of the M59. The picture shows a civilian M59.
Closeup of the action and re-profiled bolt handle:
Old markings were removed, and the front receiver bridge was opened to accommodate loading of the somewhat longer (compared to the 7.92×57 mm Mauser) .30-06 cardridge,
This is also found on the M59 rifles which were re-chambered to the 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge. On the civilian version, only the extractor claw was blued, while the rest of the bolt was polished, while on the army issue M59F1, the whole bolt was blued.
The pistol grip:
The magazine follower on the 98k would lock the bolt's forward motion on an empty magazine. This feature was retained on the M59:
The half-length cleaning rod was screwed into the fore-end. Two to three of these were required to assemble a rod of sufficient length:
A civilian M59 (top) in .30-06 and the army issue M59F1 in 7.62×51mm NATO (bottom, with a side-mounted scope). Note the blued bolt and absence of the cut-out in the front receiver bridge on the M59F1. Note also the different markings on the front receiver bridge.
Alternative model designations (unofficial)
* Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk Modell 1959 * Kongsberg-Mauser M59 * KV59 * KV M59 * Modell 1959 Skarpskytter * Skarpskytterrifle M59 * Skarpskytterrifle Modell 1959Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk Skarpskyttergevær M67, "Mauser M67"
The M59 was redesigned in 1967, hence the M67, and was made using a captured World War II German M98 action, fitted with a heavy target stock and barrel. It was usually fitted with Busk diopter sights. It was chambered in 6.5×55mm, 7.62 NATO and in.22 LR
The .22 Long Rifle or simply .22 LR or 22 (metric designation: 5.6×15mmR) is a long-established variety of .22 caliber rimfire ammunition originating from the United States. It is used in a wide range of rifles, pistols, revolvers, smooth ...
as a single shot.
See also
* M59 versions of the SKS rifle *List of firearms
This is an extensive list of small arms—including pistols, revolvers, submachine guns, shotguns, battle rifles, assault rifles, sniper rifles, machine guns, personal defense weapons, carbines, designated marksman rifles, flamethrowers, multipl ...
* List of sniper rifles
This article is a listing of major precision rifle variants used by snipers from around the world.
A hunting or precision rifle equipped with a telescopic optic has been long described as a sniper rifle. Below is the list of precision rifles us ...
Other Norwegian rifles:
* Kammerlader
The ''Kammerlader'', or "chamber loader", was the first Norwegian breech-loading rifle, and among the first breech loaders adopted for use by an armed force anywhere in the world. A single-shot black-powder rifle, the ''kammerlader'' was operate ...
- the first breech-loading rifle in service in Norway.
* Remington M1867
The Remington M1867 was a rolling-block rifle, the first rifle using metallic cartridges to be adopted by the Norwegian and Swedish armies. Nominally it had a caliber of 4 decimal lines, but the actual caliber was 3.88 Norwegian decimal lines or ...
- the first rifle for metallic cartridges adopted by the Norwegian Army
* Krag–Petersson
The Krag–Petersson was the first repeating rifle adopted by the armed forces of Norway and was one of the first repeating rifles to be adopted as standard issue by a military force,
- the first rifle designed by Ole H J Krag that was adopted by an armed force.
* Jarmann M1884
The Jarmann M1884 is a Norwegian bolt-action repeating rifle designed in 1878 adopted in 1884. The Jarmann's adoption, and subsequent modifications, turned the Norwegian Army from a fighting force armed with single-shot black-powder weapons int ...
- the rifle the Norwegian Krag–Jørgensen replaced.
* Krag–Jørgensen
The Krag–Jørgensen is a repeating bolt-action rifle designed by the Norwegians Ole Herman Johannes Krag and Erik Jørgensen in the late 19th century. It was adopted as a standard arm by Norway, Denmark, and the United States. About 300 wer ...
- the most successful Norwegian firearm to date
* Kongsberg Skarpskyttergevær M67 - The 1967 redesign of the M59
* Våpensmia NM149
The NM149 sniper rifle was developed by Våpensmia A/S in close cooperation with the Norwegian Army and is based on the tried and true Mauser M98 controlled feed bolt action. These actions originate from Mauser Karabiner 98k rifles left by German ...
- the rifle that replaced the M59F1 as a Norwegian sniper rifle
References and notes
*External links
About Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk
{{Norwegian service rifles 7.62×51mm NATO rifles Bolt-action rifles of Norway Sniper rifles