After gaining independence, the Polish Army was armed mainly with a mixture of Russian, Austrian and German rifles.

French rifles also were brought to Poland by returning Blue Army soldiers.

Since such a combination of designs adversely affected training and logistics, work on one standard rifle was carried out starting in 1919.

The situation changed when the Council of Ambassadors resolution of 10 March 1921 ordered the transfer to Poland of machinery, equipment, documentation, and large stocks of raw materials from the former Prussian Royal Arsenal in Danzig.

During World War I, this factory produced the Gewehr 98, facilitating the choice of the Mauser 98 action as the basis for any new Polish military rifle.

As a result of changes in Polish military doctrine in the early thirties, the kbk wz.

The new rifle differed from its predecessor in that it had a new notch sight and possessed the improved bayonet attachment of the wz.

It was a bolt-action repeating rifle, using a rotating bolt turned 90 degrees to lock or unlock.

Ammunition was fed from a fixed double stack box magazine holding five rounds.