Gallery / Tankgewehr M1918

Mauser Tankgewehr M1918 (T-Gewehr)

1918 · Mauser 1918 · 13.2×92 mmSR TuF

Collector notes

The Tankgewehr M1918 is a scaled Mauser Einzellader for Polte’s 13 × 92 mm HR (13.2 mm TuF). German plates: about 1,670 mm long, about 16.6 kg, pistol grip because the stock cannot be grasped, no recoil pad. Fired mostly standing or high-kneeling in the trench with the bipod on the parapet. Two bipods, both MG 08-family: the MG 08/15 sheet Zweibein and a later tubular bipod on the same 08/15 interface. Projectile about 52 g with Stahlkern (English: tungsten steel / Wolframstahl — not a solid tungsten core). New Zealand gunners were photographed with a captured example near Grévillers on 25 August 1918. Label it Tankgewehr / T-Gewehr, not a K98k.

Specifications

Model	Tankgewehr M1918
Calibre	13.2×92 mmSR TuF
Manufacturer	Mauser, Oberndorf am Neckar
Date / code	1918 · Mauser 1918
Serial range	Oberndorf 1918 blocks; Te Papa example is reported serial 3216 on bolt, breech and guard
Stock	Oversized one-piece hardwood with pistol grip; MG 08/15 sheet bipod or later tubular 08-family bipod
Sights	Early: Gew 98-style leaf to 2,000 m. Production: 100–500 m in 50 or 100 m steps
Sling	Carrying sling; the rifle was a two-man load, not a shoulder-fired infantry piece
Markings	Receiver typically Mauser 1918. Serial on bolt, breech, trigger guard. Photograph the receiver ring separately from the barrel.
Country of use	German Empire
Condition	Good