Original German Mauser Model 1871/84 Magazine Service Rifle by Erfurt Arsenal Dated 1886 – Serial 9501 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very good condition example of the Mauser Model 1871/84 rifle, which is covered with Imperial German inspection and acceptance markings on the metal work. The serial number 9501 appears on the barrel, receiver, bolt, and other components, which have shortened number 01. As far as we can tell this is an “ALL MATCHING” example, and has not had any parts swapped out during service. It looks to only have been issued to one regiment, so most likely it was retired from service in the 1890s, and then was brought home by a USGI after WWI.

The receiver is dated 1886. and marked I. G. Mod. 71/84. on the opposite side. The rifle is complete with all major parts intact and functional, and in good condition. The exterior metal has a nice patina of age, with some areas of light peppering on the bright receiver components. The barrel still retains almost all of its original blued finish, as do the fittings. The wood stock is very good condition, with a beautiful color and crisp cartouches. There are some dents, scratches, and other service wear, but nothing out of the ordinary. We do not see any structural damage at all.

The borre is in excellent condition, with a mirror bright finish and crisp lands and grooves. This was a gun that saw some service, but little to no actual firing. The top of the chamber is marked Crown over ERFURT, for the Royal Erfurt Arsenal, located in Thuringia. Below this is the Crown over FW proof for Kaiser Wilhelm I, who used the F.W. monogram. 

It also has regimental markings on the butt plate tang: 126. R. / 3. 190.. This indicates issue to the 126th (8th Württemberg) Infantry “Grand Duke Frederick of Baden” Regiment, 3rd Squadron, Weapon 190. This regiment was first raised in 18 March 1706 and garrisoned in Straßburg during the German Empire period (1871-1918). After WWI and the return of Alsace-Lorraine to France, it returned to being called Strasbourge. This is a front line regiment, and looks to be the original regiment it was issued to after inspection.

This gun is most likely a WW1 Veteran’s “bring back” souvenir. Great quantities of these 71/84 Rifles were pressed into service in WW1 since great piles of them had been put into storage in 1888 with the introduction of the M-1888 7.92mm German Commission Rifle. The action works well, as does the magazine cutoff and feed mechanism.

A really nice example, ready to display!

Originally adopted as the Gewehr 71 or Infanterie-Gewehr 71, or “Infantry Rifle 71 (“I.G.Mod.71” was stamped on the rifles themselves) this was the first rifle model in a distinguished line designed and manufactured by Paul Mauser and Wilhelm Mauser of the Mauser company, and later mass-produced at Spandau arsenal.

Paul Mauser developed his bolt-action rifle from 1866 to 1871. 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 on 2 December 1871, pending the development of an appropriate safety. With support from the government’s Spandau arsenal, the improvements to the safety mechanism were completed and the rifle was formally accepted on 14 February 1872 as Infantry Rifle Model 1871 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 of 1870-71, and which was found to have a number of weaknesses.

The now well known Mauser “wing” type safety lever was developed for the Gewehr 71. The Gewehr 71 is a conventional looking bolt action chambered in 11mm 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 was a single-shot. The design was updated in 1884 with an 8-round tubular magazine designed by Alfred von Kropatschek, making this Germany’s first repeating rifle. This version was designated the Gewehr 1871/84. A version of this repeater was adopted by the Ottoman Empire. Designated the M1887, it differentiated from the M71/84 in that it had a side mounted cleaning rod, a second locking lug on the rear of the bolt, and it was in caliber 9.5×60mmR, which Paul Mauser touted as the most efficient (black powder) cartridge. In the early 20th century a few were converted to 7.65×53mm smokeless by the arsenal in Ankara.

Specifications-

Year of Manufacture: 1886
Caliber: 11x60mmR Mauser
Cartridge Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 32 inches
Overall Length: 51 Inches
Action type: Bolt-Action
Feed System: 8 Round Tubular Magazine

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