Defense Articles

If I were a Model 1893/1895 Mauser and could talk, I think I would be mouthing the famous line, “Don’t get much respect around here.” Seen as weak actions compared to the Model 98, the cock-on-closing 93 and 95 Mausers have never been popular in the US, particularly for sporting conversions. Nonetheless, the nicest custom .257 Roberts I ever laid eyes on was built on a Model 95 Mauser small-ring action.

The truth is the Model 93 and 95 actions are very suitable for the cartridges for which they were chambered, notably the 7×57, 7.65×53 and 6.5×55. More importantly to collectors, many models exhibit some of the finest craftsmanship and finish ever lavished on a military firearm.
Spanish Debt

We owe the 1893 Spanish Mauser in 7×57 a debt one might not think of. At the battle of San Juan Hill, 15,000 US troops armed with .30-40 Krags and .45-70 Trapdoors attacked a garrison manned by 700 Spaniards armed with Model 1893 Mausers. With the rapidity of fire offered by the clip-fed Mausers combined with the excellent ranging qualities of the 7×57 cartridge, those 700 Spaniards inflicted 1,400 casualties on the attacking US forces.

It was the wake-up call for the US military, who were forced to conclude the future lay in clip-loaded Mausers and rimless, smokeless-powder cartridges. The battle of San Juan Hill may have done more to promote the development of the 1903 Springfield than any other single event in history, and to think we ended up paying Mauser a royalty for privilege of making the “Springfield Mausers.”
Boers

In some ways, history was to repeat itself in the Anglo-Boer War of 18991902 when Boer Commandos, armed with Model 1893/1895 Mausers, proved to be an exceedingly tough match for the Brits. One of the constant themes of the conflict was the accurate, long-range fire the Boers rained down on their adversaries. As the Boers would put it, “Vertroue in God en die Mauser” –”Faith in God and the Mauser.”

The Brits were so impressed by the Boers’ 7×57 Mausers, they went on to design their Mauser-based Pattern 1914 action and a high-velocity 7mm round (.276) to go with it. Had it not been for the advent of WWI and the crisis the conflict created in British small arms supply lines, that intriguing combination would have been the official replacement for the Lee Enfield and the .303 cartridge.

Sleeper

The last great batch of Model 1895 Mausers in 7×57 to come our way was from Chile. The Model 95 was also adopted by Mexico, Uruguay, Persia, China, the Transvaal and the Orange Free State. In fact, some of the Chilean Model 95s carry the code “O.V.S.”, standing fin the “‘Orange Free State.” Reportedly, because of the success of the British blockades, these rifles never reached South African shores, were returned to the factory where the Chilean crest was applied to the receiver ring, and sold to Chile as part of the contract. Keep you eyes out for them!

The small ring Chilean Model 95 rifle or carbine is a slight improvement over the Spanish Model 1893. The lower portion of the bolt head of the Chilean is round rather than being rectangular. The rear of the follower is milled at an angle so that one can close the bolt on an empty magazine. The Chilean model features a small shoulder behind the root of the bolt handle that serves as a safety lug and stabilizes the bolt in its fully retracted position. The Chilean also features a solid left receiver wall without the familiar Mauser thumb cut.

DWM

The Chilean was made by DWM, the company that owned Mauser. Owned Mauser? Yes, Ludwig Lowe & Company of Berlin bought all the Mauser stock in 1887. Paul Mauser remained as the technical genius of the Mauser Works in Oberndorf and firearms produced at Oberndorf continued to carry the Mauser name. Ludwig Lowe & Co., on the other hand, also fulfilled many of the military contracts including those for rifles, Luger pistols and Maxim machine guns under their own name. Through a series of acquisitions including metallic cartridge and powder companies, Lowe finally changed the Berlin factory name to “Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken” (DWM).

Like many of the 1891, 1893, 1895, 1896 model Mausers, the Chilean reflects the high level of German workmanship expended on making a firearm reflecting as favorably on the producing country as it did Mauser. Make no mistake about it, Germany’s prestige and political influence in foreign policy matters followed the Mauser contracts throughout the world. In Chile, for example, a German military mission was established in Chile, which served as instructors at the Chilean War College and general advisors until WWI.

The Chilean Model 95 simply glows. The metal surfaces are perfectly polished. The rust- and fire-blued finishes of the rifle rival those of any custom work. All essential parts, including the stock, are numbered to the gun and even the screw heads carry acceptance marks. It’s the type of milsurp you just enjoy looking at for the workmanship evidenced in each and every one of its individual parts.

Stopping overnight in Kansas City after returning from the NRA show, the truck with the entire display of Shiloh Sharps rifles was stolen. A methamphetamine addict has been arrested with some personal belongings from the truck, but none of the show rifles.

The list of stolen rifles is as follows:

1. 2997B–Spoiler 3

2. B2000 Engraved Creedmoor

3. 2823B Engraved Creedmoor

4. 2149 Sporter 3, 25-pound rifle

5. 0524B Sporter 1, engraved

6. B9634 Saddle rifle, engraved with initials LK on lever

7. B595 Hartford Model, 16-pound rifle

8. B200 Quigley Model, initials RCB on side of action

9. B3120 Sporter 3

10. 1274B Long Range Express

11. 0363B Saddle Rifle, engraved

12. 2864B Montana Rough Rider

Weapons and warfare series

TS536

This history recounts the development of the rifle as a military weapon starting in the 14th century, the propellant and the projectile, breech- loading rifles, the percussion system, ammunition, the bolt-action rifle, and the self-loading rifles used more recently by national armies. The British author then provides black and white photographs and descriptions of individual firing systems, rifles, and sights in roughly chronological order. He compares the effectiveness of the rifle to the longbow, and believes the Mauser Gew and Lee-Enfield were the most reliable rifles ever produced for infantrymen in the battlefield. An appendix lists rifles and rifle makers by country.