Mauser

History

In 1867 Wilhelm and Paul Mauser developed a rifle using an improved rotating bolt system for breechloaders based off the Chassepot(fusil modele 1866), itself an improved version of, and based off a earlier Prussian design. The Franco-prussian war had shown their rifle inferior to the Chassepot, so in 1871 the most recent version of their design became the standard German infantry rifle beating out the M1869 Bavarian Werder. The Mauser design was known in service as the Gewehr 71 (infantry weapon model 1871), Gew 71 or G71 for short. Production started at the Oberndorf factory for the infantry version firing an 11 x 60 mm round from a long 850 mm barrel, and shorter versions were introduced with the 700 mm barreled jaeger and 500 mm cavalry carbine. A number of slightly modified versions were widely sold to other countries, with rounds that would today be considered very large, typically 9.5 to 11.5 mm in caliber.

In 1886 the French Lebel Model 1886 introduced the clearly superior smokeless powder to the industry, allowing for high-powered smaller rounds with accuracy out to 1,000 yards. The next year Vetterli-Vitali introduced the box magazine to rifle design, dramatically improving reload times and general reliability. The German army introduced both of these features into their own service with the Mannlicher Model 1888, better known as the 1888 Commission Rifle, which was chambered for a round designated "7.92 x 57J". The design had a round head however, and it would not be until later that a spitzer bullet with a sharp point was developed and entered service, which was done in response to the french changing over to a pointed bullet. Only later versions of their rifles, or converted ones could fire the differently shaped rounds.

Model 92

Paul started work on his own designs using box magazines, but had trouble with the design and instead used a long spring-loaded tube under the barrel for several models. In 1892 he designed a new extractor, the small claw that pulls the empty cartridges out of the barrel after firing, that did not rotate with the bolt and helped prevent "double feeding" of rounds from a box magazine he had been struggling with. Four hundred of a shorter carbine version known as the Model 92 were sold to the Spanish Navy using a new smokeless powder in a 7.65 mm caliber round.

Model 93

The next major innovation was the Model 93, which introduced a short staggered-column box magazine holding five 7 x 57 mm rounds flush with the bottom of the rifle, which could be quickly reloaded by pushing a strip of rounds down from the top of the open bolt. The new 7 x 57 round became the standard round for the Spanish armed forces, as well as for the militaries of several Latin American nations, and is dubbed, in common usage, the "7 mm Mauser". This model was widely employed by the Spanish Army, and was used to tremendous effect during the Battle of San Juan Hill in Cuba where 700 Spanish regulars held off an attack by 15,000 US troops armed with .30-40 Krag-Jørgensen for twelve hours. This led the US to develop their own version of the Mauser design, which would become the Springfield 1903 rifle.

Model 94

The results of this battle were seen around the world, and orders soon poured in for Mauser rifles. Turkey purchased the Model 93, Brazil and Sweden the Model 94. The Model 95 was very similar to the Model 93, and was sold to Mexico, Chile, Uruguay, the South African Republic (Boer Transvaal and Orange Free State), China and Iran. The South African versions faced the British during the Boer War and proved deadly at long ranges, forcing the British to design their own rifle on the Mauser pattern, eventually delivering the SMLE which would remain the standard British infantry weapon until the 1950s.

C96

In 1897 the Mausers were given control of the factory, forming Waffenfabrik Mauser AG.

Model 98

In 1898 the German army also purchased a Mauser design, The Model 98 incorporated all of the improvements of earlier models, and entered German service as the Gew. 98. Copying the key feature from the British SMLE, the 98 used a rear-mounted bolt handle that was easier to access than the older designs that placed the handle directly over the bolt, forward of the trigger. In 1905 the "spitzer" round was introduced, in response to the French adoption of a pointed round, which offered better ballistic performace. It copied the pointed tip design instead of the previous rounded nose profile, and most existing Model 98's were rechambered for this new round, designated "7.92 x 57JS". Pointed rounds reduced the bullet's ability to wound, especially at shorter ranges but made up for it though improved range.

A number carbine versions known as Karabiner 98's had been introduced and used in World War I, some were even shorter than the later K98k. A version developed in the 1930's from the Karabiner 98b, the Karabiner Kurz (carbine, short) was adopted by Nazi German as the standard infantry rifle in 1935, and would serve until the end of World War II, known in service as the K98k or often just KAR 98.

K98k

In the name K98k, the first K stands for karabiner (carbine) and the second k for kurz (short). The "98" is derived from the earlier rifle's year of adoption (1898), though the carbine itself was adopted in 1935.

The rifle has a bolt action and uses 7.92 x 57 mm rounds. It has an effective range of about 500 metres, but when fitted with a high-quality scope, its range increases to 900 metres. The K98k has a 5 round internal magazine and is clip fed. Over 14 million of these rifles were produced by various manufacturers. However, this number includes versions of the rifle other than the K98k.

Full name: Karabiner 1898 Kurz; Caliber: 7,92 x 57 mm; Weight: 4 kg (8.9 lb); Length: 1250 mm Barrel: 740 mm, 4 grooves, right hand twist Mechanism: Mauser bolt action Magazine: 5 round integral box Effective Range: 500 m

See Karabiner 98k for more.

Civilan Market

Mausers were readily adapted as hunting rifles. In Africa, so called Safari rifles were often made from Mauser rifles. These rifles were often rechambered in larger rounds up to and including .50 cal (12.7mm). The adaptions usually consisted of shortening the foregrip and barrel, rechambering to popular British roundss, and minor alterations to the action, although the rifle was left fundamentally Mauser designed. In the late 19th century and early 20th century companies who made alterations were generally Commonwealth based and developed several proprietry big game rounds specifically for hunting large and dangerous game. Today large and small bore Mauser derived rifles are made all over the world for the civilan market and are very popular with hunters in Africa, Australia, North America, and Europe.

Manufacturers