RWS M89

The History of RWS

The history of RWS goes back to the year 1855 when Heinrich Uttendoerffer started to manufacture ignition charges in Nuremberg. About thirty years later, he decided to sell his company to the ‘Rheinisch Westfälische Sprengstoff-Actien-Gesellschaft’ which would later become known under the abbreviation RWS.

Changes in ownership happened again at the beginning of the 20th century, when Alfred Nobel established Dynamit Aktiengesellschaft, leading to a collaboration between GECO, which was already a well-established ammunition manufacturer at the time, and Dynamit company in the late 1920s. This partnership was a precursor to Dynamit's eventual acquisition of RWS. In fact, Dynamit acquired GECO in 1963 and RWS in 1966. Both GECO and RWS have been a part of the Dynamit Nobel group since then. Thereafter, the turn of the century saw the Dynamit Nobel's transition to RUAG, which still runs the RWS operations in Germany as of 2023.

Especially after the Second World War as the demand for civilian hunting equipment and ammunition became increasingly more popular, their sales started to grow drastically. In those years, the RWS conducted most of their business through catalogues and for some time they also offered a RWS bolt action rifle called the model 89 that was manufactured for them by the Howa company. They even offered sports optics in the past, including products like the RWS Night Pro line and the RWS 4X32 Airgun Scopes. The scopes, however, were not directly manufactured by RWS as they supposedly outsourced the production in Japan, according to some sources.

Unfortunately, there is a very limited amount of data on the firearm, as they mostly remained focused on the production of ammunition which they were best known for.

Today, RWS remains at the forefront of the ammunition industry, specializing in hand-loading premium ammunition for sports shooters, and offering a wide range of centerfire and rimfire cartridges, air gun pellets, and reloading components on their website. Their bullets are sealed with up to five different specialized coatings and are tested by using the in-house collection of over 2400 firearms before being released to the market. The selection now includes more than 115 bullets, and 40 different calibers users can choose from. As of 2023, RWS is still renowned as Europe’s biggest manufacturer of bullets and shotgun cartridges.

RWS M89 Rifle Review

RWS M98 is a bolt action rifle manufactured by Howa for the RWS company. Unfortunately, as the primary business of the company was and still is ammunition manufacturing, there is almost no data whatsoever about the M89 available.

The rifles were stamped RWS after coming from the Howa factory and feature some general similarities in the overall construction such as the bolt with an M16-style ejector and extractor that has two opposing locking lugs that lock up with the action housing. The M89 rifles used wooden stocks in classic Monte Carlo shape that had forend and pistol grip handles checkered and had sling swivels. The free-floating barrels were usually supplied without preinstalled iron sights.

The internal magazine is capable of holding up to five standard-sized cartridges and is covered by a hinged steel floorplate. In terms of safety, the rifle uses a two-position lever that is positioned on the right side of the receiver and is easily reachable with a thumb. It blocks the bolt and the trigger when engaged. The top end of the receiver comes with drilled and tapped holes which can be used for scope mounting purposes.

Despite the action being produced by Howa, the company supplied several different brands with their actions during the second half of the 20th century and has adapted the shape and various minor details in the design of the actions to the specific needs of these companies. Therefore, it is difficult to tell whether or not the scope mounts on these specific brands are completely interchangeable or not. Should you have any additional information about the RWS M89 rifle, we kindly ask you to share it with us, as it would help us expand our current database.

RWS M89, chambered for .243 Win.

Figure 1: RWS M89, chambered for .243 Win. (Source: https://www.fishingmegastore.com/rifles-and-accessories/rws-preloved---model-89-243-bolt-action-rifle-with-scope-sling-and-screwcut-12unf---used~80141.html)

RWS M89 Calibers

The rifle can be chambered for the following calibers:

.22-250 Rem.
.223 Rem.
.243 Win.
6.5 Creedmoor
7mm-08 Rem.
.308 Win.

The RWS M89 rifle comes with four holes on the top of the receiver which can be used for scope mounting purposes. There are two holes on the front and two on the rear mounting surface.

The receiver of RWS M89, chambered for .22-250 Rem,

Figure 2: The receiver of RWS M89, chambered for .22-250 Rem, (Source: https://www.jrussellfirearms.com/2019/10/13/19019-rws-model-89-bolt-action/)

RWS M89

Scope Mounts Interchangeable With RWS M89

Rifles That Have One-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable With RWS M89

For one-piece mounts to fit on a rifle, mounting surfaces on these rifles must match in every dimension.

Rifles That Have Two-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable With RWS M89

To meet interchangeability conditions, two-piece mounts must match in all dimensions except the B distance. B distance can vary because two-piece mounts can be installed and adjusted closer or further apart.

Note that despite the action being produced by Howa, the company supplied several different brands with their actions during the second half of the 20th century and has adapted the shape and various minor details in the design of the actions to the specific needs of these companies. Therefore, it is difficult to tell whether or not the scope mounts on these specific brands are completely interchangeable or not.

Unfortunately, we were unable to find the exact dimensions of the RWS M89 mounting surface, thus we are unable to provide you with a list of interchangeable scope mounts. Should you happen to own this rifle and would be willing to share with us more information regarding interchangeability, we kindly ask you to contact us at [email protected]

Thank you for your help!

Best Scope Mounts for RWS M89

Detachable Repeatable Scope Mounts for RWS M89

For those looking to mount optics on the RWS 89 rifle, the EAW pivot mount with 30 mm rings is a suitable option. Manufactured in Germany, it is made from high-quality steel and comes with a 30-year warranty.

Help Us Build Our Riflescope Mounts Database

If you happen to own this or any other rifle, we would appreciate it if you could help us expand our database by sending us some photos of the rifle receiver (the bare mounting surface of the rifle without the scope mounts installed). For your help, our company offers a fair return in terms of practical rewards.

Please send us an email for more information. You can contact us here: [email protected]

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EAW Roll-off Mounts with foot plates, 30 mm

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EAW Roll-off Mounts with foot plates, Zeiss ZM/VM rail

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EAW Roll-off Mounts with foot plates, Swarovski SR rail

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EAW Roll-off Mounts with foot plates, S&B Convex rail

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VIDEO

There are two terms found for similar thing: quick release scope mounts and quick detach scope mounts. Term quick release scope mounts is used mostly in Europe and quick detach scope mounts is used mainly in USA, although they mean the same thing. With these terms we describe a scope mount that can be quickly removed from the rifle in the field without using any tools and quickly attached back on the rifle when needed.

Main advantages:

possibility to use multiple scopes on the rifle,
easy transportation of the scope and the rifle separately,
if scope fails, it is possible to immediately detach it and use iron sights.

FIXED vs DETACHABLE scope mounts

Fixed scope mounts are mounted to the rifle with screws and sometimes even with glue. This means that it is impossible to attach or detach the scope mount using bare hands without using tools. It also means that they are not meant for constantly being attached on or detached off the rifle. Once you screw the mount on the rifle, it normally stays there for a longer period of use.

Detachable scope mounts offer possibility to attach or detach them without using any tools. This is extremely handy while transporting the rifle and the scope separately and it also offers multiple solutions of different optics on the same rifle. Detachable scope mounts can be attached or detached from the rifle in a matter of seconds, using bare hands.

Fixed Mount

Fixed Mount

DETACHABLE vs REPEATABLE scope mounts

It is important to know and understand expressions “detachable” and “repeatable” while talking about scope mounts. Term detachable scope mounts implies scope mounts that can be quickly attached or detached without using any tools. However, when you detach this kind of mount and attach it back on the rifle, it is recommended to zero the rifle before using it again. Procedure of detaching and again attaching the mount will probably need a sighting in before next shooting, because mount will not be secured on the rifle in the perfectly same position and conditions as it was before detaching it off the rifle.

On the contrary, repeatable scope mounts are most sophisticated mounts. These scope mounts are also detachable, however – they provide removing scope from the rifle and attaching it back again without zeroing the rifle every time. This means that they are made more precisely and that they are offering a possibility of using different optical sights / scope on the same rifle. These mounts are ideal for hunters who can use optical and iron sights interchangeably, depending on the needs in different situations. With the repeatable scope mounts, it is useful to keep them oiled as well as the upper part of the rifle, so that repeatability is more ensured. With a touch of oil, the repeatability might be better, because parts of the mount will always return to their previous locations.

Different types of repeatable scope mounts:

Pivot mounts,
Dentler mounts,
Picatinny repeatable mounts,
12 mm dovetail repeatable mounts (for break barrel rifles, such as Steyr Duett, Blaser B750, Fair Combi, Fair SLX 800, Bettinsoli rifles, etc.),
Original repeatable mounts, made by manufacturers of rifles for their rifles (Blaser mount, Sauer SUM mount, Mauser M03 mount, Steyr Monoblock mount, etc.).

Repeatable Mount

Repeatable Mount

TIP OFF / ROLL OFF vs SLIDE ON mounts

Nowadays, there are a whole lot of different possibilities, made for attaching riflescopes on the rifles. There are also a lot of different expressions, having the same meaning. It is good to know that tip off and roll off mounts are basically the same thing. They represent quick release scope mounts for dovetails and rails which can be rolled or tipped off the rail vertically to the side of the rail. On the contrary, there are also slide on mounts available on the market. They represent quick release scope mounts that can be slided on or off the rail or dovetail from front or rear side of the rail / dovetail. All of these expressions are mainly used for separate rings that can be attached to the rails / dovetails. As far as functioning the rifle, it does not matter which one of these mounts you choose – tip / roll off or slide on mounts. If they are installed correctly, they are all going to work. However, the main difference between them is the principle of attaching them on rails on dovetails.

Slide On Mount vs. Roll Off Mount

Slide On Mount vs. Roll Off Mount

RWS M89

The History of RWS

RWS M89 Rifle Review

RWS M89 Calibers

Scope Mounts Interchangeable With RWS M89

Rifles That Have One-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable With RWS M89

Rifles That Have Two-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable With RWS M89

Best Scope Mounts for RWS M89

Detachable Repeatable Scope Mounts for RWS M89

Help Us Build Our Riflescope Mounts Database

EAW Roll-off Mounts with foot plates, 30 mm

EAW Roll-off Mounts with foot plates, Zeiss ZM/VM rail

EAW Roll-off Mounts with foot plates, 26 mm

EAW Roll-off Mounts with foot plates, 34 mm

EAW Roll-off Mounts with foot plates, LM rail

EAW Roll-off Mounts with foot plates, Swarovski SR rail

EAW Roll-off Mounts with foot plates, S&B Convex rail

VIDEO

FIXED vs DETACHABLE scope mounts

DETACHABLE vs REPEATABLE scope mounts

TIP OFF / ROLL OFF vs SLIDE ON mounts

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RWS M89

The History of RWS

RWS M89 Rifle Review

RWS M89 Calibers

Scope Mounts Interchangeable With RWS M89

Rifles That Have One-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable With RWS M89

Rifles That Have Two-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable With RWS M89

Best Scope Mounts for RWS M89

Detachable Repeatable Scope Mounts for RWS M89

Help Us Build Our Riflescope Mounts Database

VIDEO

FIXED vs DETACHABLE scope mounts

DETACHABLE vs REPEATABLE scope mounts

TIP OFF / ROLL OFF vs SLIDE ON mounts

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