Work on the manufacturing of the Mauser Model 1895 was halted in 1899 by the Second Boer War. Some of the last rifles delivered by DWM were equipped with turned down bolt handles which made them suitable for the South African farmers on horseback.
These rifles varied in stock style, barrel, sight lines and ornamentation. At the time, an Afrikaans farmer (Also known as a Boer) could purchase a Mauser Model 1895 at a price of £3, another variant known in Afrikaans as Plezier Mauser was sold slightly above cost by the respective governments and private dealers for sport and private use. Due to this, a misunderstanding occurred regarding the identification between the Model 1896 and Model 1897. The Model 1895 brought to the “Transvaal” was also known as 'Boer Model' Mauser and were marked “O.V.S” (Oranje Vrij Staat) just above the serial number accompanied by MOD.MAUSER and the date of the manufacturer. Due to many rifles being diverted to Chile, many of the rifles there have the inscription “O.V.S” (Oranje Vrij Staat), Orange Free State. Roughly 50,000 Mauser rifles were ordered but only 37,000 were delivered because DWM diverted them to fulfill their contract with the Chilean army. The Model 1895 was also deployed to republic of the Orange Free State and the South African Republic (more commonly known as “Transvaal”) by DWM shortly after the Jameson Raid in December 1895 to deal with the shortage of modern magazine fed rifles for the state army.
0 kommentar(er)
