The Mauser Model 1893 is a bolt-action rifle commonly referred to as the Spanish Mauser, though the model was adopted by other countries in other calibers, most notably the Ottoman Empire.The M1893 was based on the experimental M1892 rifle, which Paul Mauser developed for the Spanish Army as part of a program to correct deficiencies in the earlier 1889, 1890, and 1891 series of Mauser rifles. Related: mauser stock 1893 mauser spanish mauser stock mosin nagant mauser barrel swedish mauser spanish bayonet spanish mauser 1916 1916 mauser spanish.
Illustration of a Mauser Model 1893 rifleTypePlace of originService historyIn service1893–1958Used byWarsProduction historyDesignerDesigned1893ManufacturerProduced1893–1951SpecificationsFeed system5 round fixedSightsThe Mauser Model 1893 is a commonly referred to as the Spanish Mauser, though the model was adopted by other countries in other calibers, most notably the. The M1893 was based on the experimental M1892 rifle, which developed for the as part of a program to correct deficiencies in the earlier of Mauser rifles. The M1893 introduced a short staggered-column box magazine that fit flush with the bottom of the stock; the magazine held five rounds, which could be reloaded quickly by pushing a from the top of the open bolt.The M1893 was developed into several variants, including a shortened adopted by the Spanish as the M1895, and as the M1913 and M1916 short rifles. All versions of the rifle saw extensive service in the Spanish Army, beginning in the in 1898, the of 1920–1927, and the of 1936–1939. The M1916 short rifles remained in production in Spain until 1951, and many of these later rifles were converted to shoot either or, including some that were extensively modified as the. The converted rifles were used for training and for the through the 1950s.
In Ottoman service, M1893 rifles saw limited action during the of 1897, the of 1912–1913, and in 1914–1918.The M1893 proved to be a major success for Mauser, as it provided the basis for later developments, including the —commonly referred to as Swedish Mausers—the, and ultimately the, one of the most successful bolt-action rifle designs ever produced. For his work, Mauser received the from Spain. The marked superiority of the M1893 over its American opponent in the Spanish–American War, the, led the to develop the, which itself heavily copied Mauser's designs.
Contents.Development In 1887, the began trials of the Turkish rifles, which utilized cartridges. These rifles did not satisfy the Spanish Army, and so on 2 December 1891, the Army ordered 1,200 Model 1891 Mausers that used new ammunition. The impetus for the change was a series of defeats of Spanish forces around the enclave at in North Africa. Trials with these guns provided a series of improvement suggestions for Mauser; in addition to Spanish experiences, by that time, the of Mauser rifles had been in service with various armies long enough to highlight deficiencies in the designs. Among the issues that had been identified were an unreliable, a detachable that was frequently lost and extended below the bottom of the, which caused problems with carrying the rifle slung.
The guide and the clips themselves were also unreliable and the design allowed the rifle to double-feed rounds of ammunition. As a result, decided to design a new rifle that would correct the problems with the earlier rifles, and allow the company to secure more arms contracts. The Mauser M1892Mauser's design work produced the Model 1892, a transitional design that was manufactured in limited numbers for the Spanish Army. Between 5,000 and 8,000 of the rifles were built for Spain.
At the same time, Mauser developed the cartridge for the Spanish Army, which adopted the round the following year for the M1892 rifles. The M1892 rifle introduced a number of innovations to remedy the problems of the earlier rifles, including the large non-rotating claw extractor on the bolt, which prevented double-feeds. The magazine box and trigger guard were machined as a single piece, preventing the box from being removed and lost, though the magazine was still a single-stack design that extended below the bottom of the stock.
The stripper clips and the clip guides were improved to make them easier to use. Other internal changes were made to simplify the action and increase its reliability and safety, including alterations to the to prevent it from releasing the firing pin if the bolt was not fully in battery.Spain placed an order for 20,000 of the M1892 rifles on 21 July 1893, with a further 10,000 added on 27 August, but the design quickly led to an improved version, the Model 1893, which replaced the M1892s ordered. The new version incorporated a staggered 5-round magazine that did not extend below the bottom of the stock.
This was the first time a Mauser rifle included a fully contained magazine. Apart from a redesigned receiver to fit the wider magazine, the action of the M1893 was essentially identical to the M1892.
The Spanish Army adopted the M1893 on 7 December 1893. For his work in developing such an effective rifle, Mauser received the from the Spanish government.
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Description. Illustration of the Mauser boltThe M1893 was manufactured in two variants for Spain, a standard rifle with a 29.06-inch (738 mm) barrel and a short carbine with a 21.75-inch (552 mm) barrel. According to historian John Walter, however, the short version might have been an experimental design only. Both of these variants were chambered in the 7 mm caliber developed by Mauser, and the barrel had 4-groove rifling with a right-hand twist. The rifling was 1 revolution in 8.68 inches (220 mm). The 7 mm ammunition was fired at a of 2,330 feet per second (710 m/s) from the standard rifle-length barrel.
The rifle weighed 8.8 pounds (4.0 kg), while the carbine weighed about 8.3 pounds (3.8 kg). Another variant, built for the, had the same 29.06-inch barrel as the Spanish rifle, but it was chambered in the slightly larger round.
The Ottoman variant weighed about 9 pounds (4.1 kg).The receiver for all versions of the rifle and the one-piece bolt were steel. The receivers had guides for stripper clips milled into the bridge for increased reliability, though the rifles could also be loaded individually.
Most bolts featured a straight handle with a rounded grasping knob, though the short rifles were fitted with bolts that had turned down handles. As was standard for Mauser rifles, the M1893 was configured with a three-position safety that locked the action or allowed the bolt to be worked but with a disabled, in addition to the fire setting. The safety could only be applied while the action was cocked. The bolt was a cock on close design, and locked with a pair of forward locking lugs; unlike later Mauser designs, it did not include a third, rear locking lug, which was introduced with the. As a result, the bolt was not as strong as later designs. The M1893 magazine included a bolt stop, which prevented the bolt from being closed on an empty magazine, thus indicating to the soldier that the rifle was empty. To close the bolt with an empty magazine, the follower had to be depressed to clear the bolt stop.The iron sights included a tangent V-notch rear sight that was graduated from 400 meters (1,300 ft) to 2,000 m (6,600 ft).
Later rifles, manufactured from May 1906 onward, received a modernized rear sight, and a third version of the rear sight was adopted in 1913 after an improved 7 mm round, which had the significantly higher muzzle velocity of 2,790 feet per second (850 m/s), was adopted. The barreled receiver was fitted with a wood stock with a.
The stock was attached to the barrel with two barrel bands, the forward-most of which also included a lug for the rifle variant, while the short carbine did not receive the bayonet lug. Each rifle was issued with an M1893 sword bayonet. Derivatives In 1894, Mauser designed a new version of the rifle, designated the, chambered in for the. Further alterations of the basic M1893 design produced the Model 1895, which was chambered in 7 mm and sold in large quantities to and countries, including Chile, El Salvador, Honduras, Uruguay, and Mexico. The M1895 was also sold to China, Luxembourg, and Persia. Spain also acquired a variant of the M1895 that was essentially identical to the M1893 series with the exception of its 17.5-inch (440 mm) barrel.The design was refined further into the Model 1896, which was sold to Sweden and the, the latter placed into very effective use during the of 1899–1902.
The Mauser action was further refined in 1898 with the version that was adopted in Germany as the, which proved to be the most influential of all bolt-action rifles of its time, leading to various military rifles like the German, Czech, and the Yugoslav. The 98 action is still copied in modern, commercial hunting rifle designs. An Ottoman Mauser 1893, captured during the and exposed in the.When the Ottoman Army learned about the new Spanish model of 1893, it ordered some 200,000 rifles in the same configuration. Their rifles were chambered for the cartridge and were identical to the Spanish model, except for a, which when engaged permitted the feeding and extraction of single cartridges only while keeping the cartridges in the magazine in reserve, and a cylindrical bolt. The bayonet lug fit the M1890 Bayonet, which the Ottomans had already acquired in large numbers.
Most of these rifles still in Turkish hands were later re-barreled and converted to fire the far more common and powerful 7.92×57mm Mauser after the Turkish Army adopted that caliber. Spanish Model 1895 carbine.
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