Mauser Rifles and Pistols

This is a facsimile of "Mauser Rifles & Pistols" by W. H. B. Smith, originally published in 1958. This book has been prepared directly from the records of the Waffenfabrik Mauser, from reports and publications by directors of the Mauser Werke A.-G., (Firearms Factory), from the Mauser memorial and records of R. H. Korn, who was Paul Mauser's personal patent attorney, from the records of Ludwig Loewe and Co. of Berlin who were Mauser partners for many years, and from accounts of the Württembergische Vereinsbank of Stuttgart, financial partners and bankers for Mauser. All photographs and drawings and all specifications except as noted are from the original drawings, photographs and specifications prepared by the Mauser organization for their official reports or for their international sales organizations. Wherever possible direct translations from the pertinent German records have been retained in their essence, being expanded, edited and elaborated only where necessary to amplify the original text. This book, while essentially an historical hand book for gun enthusiasts and for the millions of soldiers who possess European Mauser rifles as trophies, also has a secondary purpose. That secondary purpose is to present a detailed study of the advance of German small arms development through the years, so politicians and economists and statesman will have available an integrated study of one facet of militaristic evolution which has never before been presented. This book is confined entirely to the facts of the Mauser history and of the arms Mauser developed; but its implications in world affairs are there for any analysts who are in a position to use them. As a history of the rise and development of the Mauser line of weapons, this work is intended to satisfy all except the ultra-technical.