Chinese made Mauser

[SMGTPA67]

educate me! i have one, is it considered rare or desirable? it all matches for the exception of the bolt Century Import marked. tia

Stu

[jon_norstog]

Stu,

China was one of Mauser's best customers. They used the 71/84, '88 Commission, the '95, and the '98. Some were made in Japan, same arsenal as made the Siamese Mausers. They were in 11mm, 8mm, 7mm, and a unique-to-china 6.8mm, actually a .270 caliber. Before the Revolution, China did not have a single army. Instead, they had regional armies, each with its own command, logistics, and equipment. Some units were still armed with muzzle-loaders and edged weapons during the Boxer War.

After the revolution China quickly fell apart. There were warlord armies all over the place. Some of these were major forces, with their own procurement. Others were just gangs armed with what was available. Chiang more-or-less incorporated the major warlord armies into the national army in the '30s, and broke up the others.

Needless to say, there was a crying need for a standard infantry weapon. The Chinese made many Kar98-looking rifles in the '20s and '30s. Some were made under Mauser supervision with german tooling. Some were not.

Check the stock for unit markings you might be able to trace. There were some crack units in Chiang's army - your rifle may trace back to one.

good luck!

jn

[SMGTPA67]

thanks for the reply, there are some markings on the stock i think maybe arsenal markings? i'll research it. regards

Stu

[jon_norstog]

Here's a book you can order:

Dolf L.Goldsmith: Arming the Dragon

It's about chinese arsenal-made Mausers from 1895 through 1950.

jn