Mauser Model 1893

About the Mauser Model 1893

The Mauser Model 1893 is a bolt-action rifle designed by Paul Mauser and chambered in 7x57mm Mauser. Commonly known as the Spanish Mauser, it introduced the now-iconic flush, staggered-column five-round internal box magazine loaded by stripper clip, an enclosed bolt face, and dual forward locking lugs. Adopted by Spain on 7 December 1893 and also fielded by the Ottoman Empire and Brazil, its accuracy and rapid stripper-clip reloading made a lasting impression on U.S. forces during the 1898 Spanish-American War and directly influenced the design of later service rifles.

American soldiers at San Juan Hill in 1898 were so impressed by the rapid, accurate fire of Spanish troops armed with the Model 1893 that the U.S. Army accelerated development of its own Mauser-pattern rifle, the M1903 Springfield, paying Mauser royalties for the patents it borrowed.

Mauser Model 1893 specifications

The Model 1893 served extensively in the Spanish-American War (1898), the Rif War (1920-1927), and the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). German production ran 1893-1899 with Spanish arsenal production continuing into the 1940s.