Pictures of my 1893 Chiliean Mauser?

[stan61]

Nice looking rifle! I own a Loewe marked 1895 Chilean. Sadly,it has a mismatched bolt,but everything else is matching including the cleaning rod.
As a starting point on the date,I beleive the DWM mark indicates it was manufactured in 1896 or after as that is when the Loewe company changed it's name.
Also as a side note, I've read that the Model 95's might be one of those BATF paperwork gray zones as to being labeled an antique or not based on Loewe vs. DWM markings. Has anyone had any issues with that?

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[Patrick Chadwick]

That could explain the M-93 curved bolt as I beleive the mounted troops prefered that style over a straight bolt.

Well my Boer Mauser is a "carbinized" rifle, and has the straight bolt handle. If there wasn't several thousand miles of water, and two totally different systems with regard to firearms licensing and control, we could, theoretically, do a swap. Whereby the water is the lesser problem!

More useful to you is the info that a rifle numbered higher than yours was a Boer rifle. Here is part of the info I obtained:

Your Boer Mauser DWM no 4900 was in the final batch (of a total 30,000 Mauser rifles) ordered by the Transvaal republic (ZAR). The DWM rifles numbered 1125 - 9999 were shipped from Germany on 6/6/1897 on S.S. Kruger. The rifles went via Lorenco Marques (now Maputo) and then by train to Pretoria, where they were accepted on 16/8/1897.

This number range covers your Mauser as well.

As a starting point on the date,I beleive the DWM mark indicates it was manufactured in 1896 or after as that is when the Loewe company changed it's name. Also as a side note, I've read that the Model 95's might be one of those BATF paperwork gray zones as to being labeled an antique or not based on Loewe vs. DWM markings. Has anyone had any issues with that?

I think the US regulations require that the firearm was made before 1898 to qualify as an antique or whatever the official term is. So if your rifle is one of a batch that is historically recorded as being made and delivered in 1897, there cannot be any problem.

Patrick

[stan61]

This historical info is what makes collecting milsurps so interesting! It would appear that fishn861's Mauser would be in the DWM serial number range that WAS succesfully delivered by ship and rail to Pretoria from that info if I read it correctly.
Another story now is how did it get to Chile? I was under the impression only the intercepted and returned to Germany rifles ended up as part of the Chilean order.
My knowledge of this subject is quite limited, so please forgive any mis-information I may have repeated regarding the Boer Mausers.

[Patrick Chadwick]

It would appear that fishn861's Mauser would be in the DWM serial number range that WAS succesfully delivered by ship and rail to Pretoria from that info if I read it correctly.

Please do not misinterpret what I wrote. The delivery of examples from that range of numbers is proof of the pre-1898 manufacture. It is NOT proof that this particular rifle is a Boer Mauser. Some rifles got through, but a lot were intercepted by the British, and years later marked with the Chilean crest and delivered to Chile. Boer rifles often (mostly?) had some kind of personal marking, and tend to look like they had a hard life out on the veldt. The rifle in question looks like it could have been one of the intercepted ones.

RobD, your opinion would be welcome here!

Patrick