- Mauser Model 1871
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Mauser Model 1871 / Gewehr 71 
Mauser Model 1871Type Service rifle Place of origin 
GermanyService history In service 1871 - 1888 Used by Germany, Japan, Qing Dynasty, Uruguay, Korean Empire, Irish Volunteers, Honduras[1] Wars Satsuma Rebellion, First Sino-Japanese War, Boxer Rebellion, Easter Rising Production history Designer Mauser Designed 1870? Variants Gewehr 71/84 Specifications Weight 4,5 kg Length 1350 mm Barrel length 855 mm Cartridge 11 x 60 mm R Action bolt-action Feed system single-shot
Gewehr 71/84: 8 round tubular magazineThe Mauser Model 1871 adopted as the Gewehr 71 or Infanterie-Gewehr 71 ("I.G.Mod.71" was stamped on the rifles themselves) was the first of millions of rifles manufactured to the designs of Paul Mauser and Wilhelm Mauser of the Mauser company.[2]
During 1870-71 trials with many different rifles took place, with the "M1869 Bavarian Werder" being the Mausers' chief competitor. The Mauser was provisionally adopted at the end of 1871, pending the development of an appropriate safety. It was adopted by the German Empire excluding Bavaria. The action was not based on its predecessor, the Dreyse needle-gun which had seen service during the Franco-Prussian War.[2]
The now well recognized Mauser "wing" type safety lever was developed for the Gewehr 71. The Gewehr 71 is a conventional looking bolt action chambered in 11 mm using black powder cartridges. The action included only a bolt guide rib as its single locking lug, locking forward of the receiving bridge. The original design single-shot, but in 1884, the design was updated with an 8-round tubular magazine designed by Alfred von Kropatschek, making this Germany's first repeating rifle. This version was designated the Gewehr 71/84.[3] The Gewehr 71 was replaced by the Model 1888 Commission Rifle (designated Gewehr 88) starting in 1888.[4]
This rifle was used by the Korean Empire Army (especially Guard units—this rifle replaced the Russian Berdan rifle.) The number of rifles used is uncertain but the Korean Empire manufactured ammunition for them, which means that the Korean Empire used a respectable number of them.
Irish Republicans imported some 900 single-shot 1871 Mausers in the Howth gun-running for the nationalist militia called the Irish Volunteers in 1914. They were used in action by the Volunteers in the Easter Rising of 1916, an insurrection aimed at ending British rule in Ireland. The 1871 Mauser became known in Ireland as the "Howth Mauser".[5]
Gewehr 71/84 seen with sword bayonet
Contents
In fiction and popular culture
11-mm Mauser is the service rifle of the Martian Army in The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut.[6]
In the film The Last Samurai the Japanese Imperial Army carries German bolt-action Mauser M1871/84 rifles, in spite of the fact they were supposedly being armed by the U.S. The 1884 models were altered in appearance by film makers to resemble the more period accurate 1871 models.
See also
References
- ^ "Gunsworld and Hand Guns". Gunsworld.com. http://www.gunsworld.com/mauser/71mauser_us.htm. Retrieved 2011-03-26.
- ^ a b Keith W. Doyon. "71 Mauser". Militaryrifles.com. http://www.militaryrifles.com/Germany/71Mauser.htm. Retrieved 2011-03-26.
- ^ Keith W. Doyon. "71-84 Mauser". Militaryrifles.com. http://www.militaryrifles.com/Germany/71-84Mau.htm. Retrieved 2011-03-26.
- ^ "Gun Collecting". Mauser Guns. http://www.mauserguns.com/mauserHistory.asp. Retrieved 2011-03-26.
- ^ "ireland.com / Focus / The 1916 Rising". Irishtimes.com. http://www.irishtimes.com/focus/easterrising/sunday/. Retrieved 2011-03-26.
- ^ "The sirens of Titan - Google Книги". Books.google.com. http://books.google.com/books?id=q1MLAQAAIAAJ&q=mauser&dq=%22The%20Sirens%20of%20Titan%22%20mauser&hl=ru&source=gbs_book_other_versions. Retrieved 2011-03-26.
External links
- Official Manual (German)
Categories:- Bolt-action rifles
- Rifles of Germany
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