Mauser in China: Model 1904


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mauser in China: Chinese M1907 Rifle and Carbine

This study of Chinese Mauser M1907 rifle and carbine comprises of two parts.  The first part studies the history of China adoption of 6.8mm rifle caliber, which has been published by Junshi Shilin (军事史林) , the journal of the   Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution, on the issue of December 2023 in the title of ' A study of Lianbingchu standardizing rifle caliber during the late Qing Reforms ' ( 清末新政练兵处制定枪械口径考述 ,  Qingmo Xinzheng Lianbingchu Zhiding Qiangxie Koujing Kaoshu ).  Download the article here.   The second part studies the Mauser development and sales of M1907 rifle, carbine and cartridges to China, which will be published soon.
Read more

Mauser in China: K98k, the last Mauser-China Contract

Image
The Second Sino-Japanese War outbroke on July 7 1937. At this point, China domestic rifle production amounted to 80000 pieces a year. Huge loss of weapons and machinery forced China to acquire extra small arms from Europe. Within 6 months after outbreak of the war more than 150000 rifles having been ordered from FN and ZB. 1938 Chinese K98k Contract Although China did not award first order to Mauser until February 1938, Chinese government requested German government to provide 100000 rifles right after Japanese full scale invasion in July 1937. In early 1938, the quantity further increased to 300000 rifles which request had never being fulfilled. German government’s reluctant to provide rifles to China compelling Nationalist government to seek a commercial contract. Chinese official Tan Boyu ( 商務專員處專員譚伯羽 ), the Representative of Chinese Commercial Office in Berlin, was deputed by Central Military Committee of Nationalist Government to negotiate a rifle contract with Mauser Company. Th...
Read more

History of Japanese Type I Rifle

 Some articles and books in English have already discussed the design of the rifle itself. This article is going to discuss the history of Japanese Type I rifle, which has not yet been realized by western collectors. Japanese named the rifle after Italy as “イ式小銃” or more formally as 伊太利製改造小銃 (Italy made modified rifle) which abbreviates to 伊式小銃. There’s a story circulating out there said these rifles were bought for Japanese Imperial Navy which land troops were hardly to acquire small arms from the Army controlled arsenals. I have to say this is not true though  IJ Navy and marines were main users of these rifles. Italian rifles alongside K98k from Mauser were parts of Trio Pact that Japan-German-Italian exchanges military technologies and weapons for balancing trade deficit. Japanese archives show that the rifle contract was processed by Japanese Ministry of Army under the term of Japanese-Manchuria-Italian Pact. Japan initially ordered about 130,000 Italian rifles (seems lat...
Read more