Kongsberg M1948 Elgrifle
Kongsberg Vaapenfabrikk · Rifle · Discontinued · 1948
Also known as: Kongsberg M/48 Elgrifle, M48 Krag-Jorgensen Elgrifle, Kongsberg Moose Rifle
Overview
The Kongsberg M1948 Elgrifle is a Norwegian bolt-action hunting rifle built by Kongsberg Vaapenfabrikk on the Krag-Jorgensen action and chambered in 7.92x57mm Mauser for moose (elg) hunting. It was assembled from roughly 500 leftover M1912 carbine actions fitted with a civilian half-stock held by a single barrel band, wood retained over the barrel, and an adjustable rear sight switchable between 100 m and 300 m. Only about 500 were made in 1948-1949, making it one of the very last Krag-Jorgensen rifles ever produced and the direct predecessor of the refined M1951 model.
Specifications
| Action Type | Bolt Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Striker Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 5 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Internal |
| Effective Range | 200 m (219 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 4 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Walnut |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 7.92x57mm Mauser · primary — also known as 8mm Mauser, 7.92 Mauser, 8x57 IS, 7.9x57mm, 7.92x57 moderat
Features
- Firing modes: Repeating
- Feed systems: Internal Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety, Bolt Safety
- Features: Side Loading Gate, Half Stock Single Barrel Band, Flat Bolt Handle, Wood Over Barrel, Adjustable 100 300m Rear Sight
Variants
- Kongsberg M1951 Elgrifle - Successor
Service history
Operators
- Norwegian civilian hunters · adopted 1948
Production
Estimated total produced: 500 · Production years: 1948-1949
Civil production; roughly 500 units built from converted M1912 carbine actions, among the last Krag-Jorgensen rifles ever made
Origin
Country of origin: Norway
Designer: Ole Herman Johannes Krag / Erik Jorgensen
Discontinued: 1949
Notes
Kongsberg found the standard 7.92x57mm service load ran too hot for the single-locking-lug Krag-Jorgensen action, so a roughly 10% weaker 7.92x57 'moderat' load was used in these rifles. The later M1951 refined the M1948 by removing the wood from atop the barrel, fitting a new hunting rear sight, and replacing the flat bolt handle with a rounded one.
Background
Nicknamed part of 'the last Krag', the M1948 Elgrifle was Kongsberg's way of liquidating leftover Krag-Jorgensen parts by converting 500 obsolete military carbine actions into moose rifles, carrying the 60-year-old side-loading bolt action into the post-war hunting field.