Original Item: Only one available. This is a lovely example of the Model 1891 Argentine Mauser rifle, one of many "export" models made for foreign governments, all based on the Mauser Model 1889. It looks to have seen moderate use while in service, and there are no signs of arsenal reconditioning, just honest wear from service. It comes complete with the correct aluminum handled bayonet in its scabbard.

This example, like all of the Argentine Mausers made before 1897, was made by the renowned Company LUDWIG LOEWE of BERLIN, which from 1887 onward was actually part owner of Mauser Waffenfabrik. It has mostly matching serial numbers, with A 0226 on the barrel, receiver, stock, bolt, and magazine floor plate. The only non-matching component is the cleaning rod, marked with L 8707, swapped out at arsenal long ago.

The serial numbers were issued sequentially with a single letter prefix. The Ludwig Loewe serial number records for the Argentine contract indicate that serial numbers A 0000 to C 4999 were produced in 1892, so this rifle was made very early in production, towards the beginning of 1892. There were also surplus receivers made, which were then used later. In 1896 Ludwig Loewe founded Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabriken, the famous D.W.M., and all rifle receivers made 1897 onward were marked as such. Therefore ANY LUDWIG LOEWE marked firearm is considered a pre-1899 ANTIQUE by U.S. FEDERAL LAW.

The left side of the receiver is marked with the production information:

Unlike most of the Argentine Mausers we have seen, this one never had the Argentine Crest removed from above the chamber, which is still fully visible, with just a bit of wear. This shows a Sun wreathed panel with a sun on top, and a "Phrygian Cap" on a pole in the center, with two clasped hands below. The "Clasped Hands" markings is present on other components as well, such as the bolt, along with a "Phrygian Cap" on the left rear receiver.

The original blued finish on the metalwork is worn to a nice plum and gray patina, with a few areas of past peppering, now cleaned away. The "Niter blue" finish on the bolt release and the nose cap spring has worn away, while there is still a good amount of the magazine follower. The bolt is still bright steel, showing light overall oxidation staining, and looks to have seen a good amount of use.

The rifle cycles well, with a crisp dry fire, and no mechanical issues we can see. The Mauser "wing" safety moves relatively easily, and is fully functional, locking the bolt closed and preventing firing. The firing pin is still present, as is the cartridge extractor, however we have no way to check to see if the magazine still feeds correctly. We checked the bore, and it is in very good condition, showing a partly bright finish with clear lands and grooves. There is some wear and rounding on the lands, and some past oxidation and copper fouling in the grooves. There is a clear primer ring on the bolt, so the rifle was definitely fired a good amount.

The stock is in very good condition, showing a lovely red brown color, showing numerous dents, dings, and other wear from service, but no cracks, repairs, or other major damage. The Argentine crest on the right side is just a "ghost", so the stock has definitely been cleaned and possibly refinished in the past, which has worn down the markings. After this it then saw additional service.

The aluminum handled bayonet and scabbard are both marked with RA in an oval, for República Argentina., and are a matched set bearing serial number S 5114, which we rarely see. The almost 16" blade is in very good condition, with the main draw back being that the "Argentine Crest" on the ricasso has been ground off, as required by the Argentine military upon release from military stores. It also looks to have has some attempts at sharpening, which were abandoned before the blade received an edge. It still displays most of the correct model number around the defaced crest:

MODELO ARGENTINO 1891

The other side of the ricasso bears the German Bayonet maker's name:

WEYERSBERG
KIRSCHBAUM & CO
SOLINGEN

This company is a famous manufacturer of military swords and cutlery in Solingen, Germany - a city famous since the middle ages for its metal-working and craftsmanship in sword making. Per J. Anthony Carter's fine work GERMAN SWORD AND KNIFE MAKERS, the traditional manufacturing of swords at WKC dates back to the year 1774 when the Weyersberg first registered the ''Kings head'' as their trademark. Later in 1883 the company merged with the Kirschbaums and the company WKC was formed as it exists today. It was heavily involved with exporting edged weapons to South American countries in the late 19th and early 20th century

Another Military Contract from the Victorian era that Mauser managed to snag from all its European competitors. A lovely example, complete with bayonet and ready to display!

Specifications (Rifle):-

Year of Manufacture: 1892
Caliber: 7.65×53mm Mauser
Cartridge Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 29 Inches
Overall Length: 48.5 Inches
Action type: Bolt-Action
Feed System: 5 round box magazine

Specifications (Bayonet):-
Blade Length: 15 3/4"
Blade Style: Single Edged bayonet
Overall length: 20 1/2“
Crossguard: 4”
Scabbard Length: 16 1/2"

More on the Model 1891 Argentine Mauser:

After the Mauser brothers finished work on the Model 71/84 for Germany in 1880, the design team set out to create a small caliber repeater that used smokeless powder. Because of setbacks brought on by Wilhelm Mauser's death, they failed to have the design completed by 1882, and the German Rifle Test Commission (Gewehr-Prüfungskommission) was formed. The commission preferred to create their own design, which was what became the Gewehr 1888, often called the "Commission Rifle".

In the meantime, Paul Mauser created two different variations of the same rifle, one with a stock strengthened with a barrel shroud and a traditional design following the layout of the 71 series, in hope he might be able to overturn the commission's decision, or at least sell his design to the Kingdom of Bavaria, which adopted its own arms. The two rifles became known as the 89 Belgian (with a barrel shroud) and the 91 Argentine (with a 71 layout) Mausers, identical in their function and feed system. The main features were the ability to use stripper clips to feed the magazine (a revolution in rate of fire), and its rimless cartridge (7.65 Argentine Mauser), advanced for the time.

The Mauser Company then set about trying to sell this new design. Unfortunately they failed to convince the Commission to reverse its decision, and the attempt to win over Bavaria did not succeed either. However, Mauser already had supplied arms to numerous countries, and when they were looking to update their rifles, they came back to Mauser. At the time, Belgium was looking to bolster its domestic arms industry, and felt that manufacturing a Mauser Design would really help them in this goal. This resulted in the founding of Fabrique Nationale d'Armes de Guerre, owned in part by Ludwig Loewe, to manufacture the Model 1889 Belgian Mauser. This company would go on to become a major arms manufacturer, which exists today as FN Herstal.

At the same time, the Ottoman Empire had a contract for Model 1877 Turkish Mausers, which were based on the model 1871. The contract however had an "escape clause" that allowed them to change the contract in the event of a more advanced Mauser system being developed. This resulted in a new contract for the Model 1890 Turkish Mauser. While this was taking place, the Argentine Small Arms Commission contacted Mauser in 1886 to replace their own Model 71s. Since they wished to keep retraining of their armed forces to a minimum, they went for the Mauser 91, as the operating principles were identical. As with other early Mausers, most such arms were made by the Ludwig Loewe company, who in 1896 joined with other manufactures to form Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken.

One of the principal defining features of the Belgian/Turkish/Argentine Mauser was its thin sheet steel jacket surrounding the barrel—a rather unusual element not common to any other Mauser mark of note. The jacket was instituted as a feature intended to maintain the effectiveness of the barrel and the solid wooden body over time, otherwise lengthening its service life and long-term accuracy when exposed to excessive firing and battlefield abuse. In spite of this approach, the jacketed barrel proved susceptible to moisture build-up and, therefore, introduced the problem of rust forming on the barrel itself–unbeknown to the user. In addition, the jacket was not perforated in any such way as to relieve the barrel of any heat build-up and consequently proved prone to denting. As such, barrel quality was affected over time regardless of the protective measure. Furthermore, another design flaw of the jacket was its extra steel content. Not only was it expensive but it was also needed in huge quantities to provide for tens of thousands of soldiers. By many accounts, the barrel jacket was not appreciated by its operators who depended on a perfect rifle in conflict. Another defining characteristic, unlike most Mausers, was a spring-loaded cock on closing bolt action resembling that of the British Lee-Metford, which predates the Mauser 1889 by five years. This development allowed for faster firing and was well received.

IMA considers all of our antique guns as non-firing, inoperable and/or inert. Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 921(a)(16) defines antique firearms as all guns made prior to 1899. This law exempts antique firearms from any form of gun control or special engineering because they are not legally considered firearms. No FFL, C&R or any license is required to possess, transport, sell or trade Antique guns. All rifles and muskets sold by IMA that were manufactured prior to 1899 are considered Antiques by the US BATF (United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms). Therefore, all of IMA's Antique guns may be shipped to all US States and most nations around the world.

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