Robert W. D. Ball - Mauser Military Rifles of the World

MAUSER
Military Rifles of the World
Fifth Edition

Robert W. D. Ball

Copyright 2011 Robert W. D. Ball

All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a critical article or review to be printed in a magazine or newspaper, or electronically transmitted on radio, television, or the Internet.

Published by

Gun Digest Books, an imprint of F+W Media, Inc.
Krause Publications 700 East State Street Iola, WI 54990-0001
715-445-2214 888-457-2873
www.krausebooks.com

To order books or other products call toll-free 1-800-258-0929
or visit us online at www.krausebooks.com, www.gundigeststore.com
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Cover photography by
Yamil R. Sued / Photoworks, www.hotgunshots.com

ISBN-13: 978-1-4402-1544-5
ISBN-10: 1-4402-1544-8

Cover & Design by Tom Nelsen
Edited by Corrina Peterson

Printed in China

This book is dedicated to the millions of men who lost their lives
while carrying Mauser rifles in conflicts around the world,
\both large and small in death may they find the peace for which they fought.

Third edition dedication to those friends and fellow collectors,
without whom, these new pages would be rather bare:
John Wall, for agonizing over pictures, reading and correcting material;
Jack Carnahan for allowing his better pieces to be photographed by Colin Webster,
a labor of love for both, and it meant that Jack didnt have
to dig a trench for a waterline to his barn!
Les Field of Chicago for his very erudite contributions
and his wealth of arcane knowledge about the Mauser rifle.
Last, but not least, my young friend and associate, Marcelo Diaz,
without whom I would never have been able to come up with a single digital photo.
Thanks to all of you for making a tiring task that much easier!

I would like to add a further dedication in this edition of
Mauser Military Rifles of the World to a deceased member
of the collecting fraternity who, through his deep interest, study,
and investment of time and knowledge, added to our information
regarding the formative years of the Mauser rifle.
It is with great regret that our ranks were thinned
by the loss of David Stefanye Ph. D. on 30 July 2000;
we can only hope that he now has the opportunity
to put his questions directly to Paul Mauser! R.I.P, Dave.

I would like to dedicate this fourth edition of Mauser Military Rifles of the World
to one of the grand old men of the Mauser collecting fraternity, the late Ludwig Olson, who
broke the ice with his great first edition of Mauser Bolt Rifles.
Every collector of Mauser rifles had been searching for the book that would pull
together the bits and pieces of available information on the Mauser systems, and Ludwigs book
did the trick! I can remember saving the money to buy my first copy
of his book, which quickly became extremely well-thumbed and read from cover to cover
many times over. Lud stood his last Retreat on Easter Sunday, 16 April, 2006.
Thank you, Lud, for all of your many contributions to the world of Mauser collecting;
you will always be remembered for your many ground breaking successes.

Another dear friend who has gone on to the Great Gun Show in the sky is Henry Wichmann,
a companion, confidante and fellow collector whom I was privileged to know and call friend;
after more than 45 years of sharing experiences, Henry, I really miss you. Please save me a seat
in the car for our next gun show trip together.

Bob Ball
1 Sept., 2006