Original Item: Only One Available. This is something we have only had once before! This is a great example of the rare Mauser Model 1871 Jägerbüchse, or Jäger Short Rifle, manufactured by ŒWG Steyr in Austria. It is covered with Imperial German inspection and acceptance markings. The serial number 3150 K appears on the barrel, receiver, all bolt components, nose cap, and butt plate, while other components like the rear sight and screws are marked with shortened numbers like 150 and 50. That makes this a great "ALL MATCHING" example, with no parts swapped out over the years, though it does look like it had the finish refreshed at some point. The stock also has been repaired to replace missing and damaged wood.

The receiver is dated 1875, and the other side is marked marked B. Mod. 71 on the opposite side in German "Black Letter" type. This stands for Büchse (Short Rifle) Model 71. The top of the barrel knoxform is marked ŒSTERR. WAFFFB. GES., an abbreviation of Österreichische Waffenfabriksgesellschaft, or the "Austrian Arms-Manufacturing Company". Part of ŒWG was Steyr-Mannlicher, known mainly as Steyr, who continue to make firearms to this day. Below this is the Crown over FW proof for Kaiser Wilhelm I, who used the F.W. monogram. Net to this is 10,95, the bore diameter in millimeters.

The Rifle comes complete with cleaning rod and is in very good condition overall, with a lovely patina of age overall. Interestingly, it has a steel Jäger unit trigger guard with a "pistol grip" finial, correct for this type of short rifle. Both sling swivels are still present, and the stock is very nice, showing a great red brown color. However, there is a large wood graft repair on the upper corner of the butt stock, while the lower "toe" has a repaired portion that cracked off in the past. The fore stock area also has a "Duffle Cut" under the lower barrel band, with some extra wood grafted in behind the band to keep it in place. This was a common thing to see on USGI bring back rifles, as they would take the barrel and receiver out of the stock, and then cut down the stock so it would fit into a Duffle bag or crate.

The exterior metal finish is in very good shape, showing the reblued finish on the barrel and hardware quite well, while the receiver and bolt still show the original bright finish, though we can see removed past staining. The action cycles correctly, with a crisp dry fire, and the wing safety is fully functional. The firing pin and extractor are both intact. The bore is in excellent condition, showing a bright finish with crisp lands and grooves. We can see very little evidence that it was ever fired, making this one of the best bores we have ever seen on a Model 1871.

Overall this is a very interesting example of a rare German Mauser Jägerbüchse Model 1871. The perfect addition to any German Mauser collection, ready to research and display!

Specifications-

Year of Manufacture: 1875
Caliber: 11x60mmR Mauser
Cartridge Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 28 3/8 inches
Overall Length: 48 1/4 Inches
Action type: Bolt-Action
Feed System: Single Shot

History of the Mauser 1871

Adopted as the Gewehr 71 or Infanterie-Gewehr 71, or "Infantry Rifle 71 ("I.G.Mod.71" was stamped on the rifles themselves) 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.

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