doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion German & Austrian Sporting Guns @ doublegunshop.com 1895 Chilean Mauser- DWM Berlin Mfg. (Lowe?)

Just picked up this older rifle- all original rifle sn is K6418-- but bolt is SN 8184-- one problem- the safety paddle wing is set in the Fire position- 9: o'clcok, and the bolt will release and re-lock, and you can dry fire it- BUT- the safety wing will not move to either the Top Dead Center position, or to the right 3 o'clock Safe position- Major problem, or a minor field strip. I have Dr. Wayne Van Zwoll's book on BA rifles, on pages 136 and 137-- This gun has the intact Crown crest on the top receiver ring, original ladder sights, steel buttplate with the top heel inletted spur, original BP screws, sling with brass stop for the slots, rear stock mtd. sling swivel and front band mounted sling swivel, no stacking swivel or bayonet- cleaning rod has same sn as does the receiver, and the K 6146 sn cartouche and a Star of David (Oy vey, already)both stamped into the buttstock at the left front receiver area-- Were the Lowes, like the Simpson family, Jewish German gun mfrs. of that era???

Any advise re: the bolt would be appreciated. I will only use 8mm military ball ammo in this-- not recent Remmie commercial 8mm Mauser rounds...

Fox,

Ludwig Lowe was of Jewish descent & well connected to the German armament industry. The Lowe family lost control of the family businesses to the Nazis in the 1930's as did most other Jewish owned industry.

Google "Ludwing Lowe" & Co. for more info.

Run With The Fox,
Are you sure it is 8mm and not 7mm?If it has original barrel, I believe it should be 7x57. If it has another barrel, it may also have a different safety.Check any number you can find on the safety against the last two numbers in the bolt serial number. Different safetys can be a little tricky, even if the correct model.
Mike

Huum- Danke- you may be right about it being 7X57MM- ANY THOUGHTS ABOUT THE SAFETY PROBLEM?

pull on the cocking piece and see if the safe will go on the mis matched bolt mabe the problem.the cocking piece cam may be hitting the edge of the bolt body.

Take the bolt out of the rifle and examine the bolt sear edge carefully.
See if it looks like it's been trimmed back a little. Also check the trigger sear viewable in the channel of the recv'r for the same problem.


Either one or both of these surfaces worked over and shortened some will allow the bolt to hold the cocked position just a little forward of it's factory intended position.
That will then put the small cam slot in the cocking-piece out of allaignment with the wing safety,,so you can't engage the safety. But the rifle still appears to cock and fire OK.

A non-matching cocking piece and/or wing safety that don't quite line up dispite being from the same Model Mauser can also cause the problem as mc points out.
Spanish Arsenal made Mauser parts from the 93 most probably fit but may make for less than a perfect union.

Thanks- I went back and re-read the Van Zwoll book- it is indeed a 7x57MM and not the std 7.9mm as on the Mauser 98-- my bad. Am stripping the bolt, as the striker and spring must be removed to release the safety- wish Numrich hafd schematics for the 1895 Mauser Gewehr..

A significant number of Chilean M1895s and M1912 Steyrs were converted to 7.62x51mm in the 1960s. Israel was also using converted M98s in 7.62x51mm. Perhaps some of the Chilean conversions found their way to Israel.