Mauser 98 Serial Number Database

The Lil' Argentine 1909

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In 1909, Argentina adopted new firearms to replace their 1891 model rifles and carbines. Dubbed the Modelo (model) 1909, the new rifles and carbines were based upon the 98 Mauser rifle design and chambered in the Belgian 7.65x53 Mauser cartridge.
The Argentine Modelo 1909 Cavalry carbine pictured in this article was manufactured by the Deutsche Waffen und Munitions Fabriken, Berlin, Germany (German Arms and Ammunition Factories, Berlin, Germany), also known as DWM, under contract for Argentina. Later model 1909 carbines were also manufactured in Argentina.

The 1909 Cavalry carbine is a 98 Mauser with a few variances:

  • Hinged floor plate, with a release in the front of the trigger guard;
  • Shorter length;
  • Front sight with protective ears;
  • Tangent rear sight;
  • Extended bolt release lever; and a
  • Full-length Mannlicher style stock.
Note the extended bolt release lever that extends to the stripper clip guide.

Argentine Modelo 1909 Cavalry Carbine

Specifications

Length42.5 inches
Weight8.5 lbs.
Barrel Length21.5 inches
Rifling4 groove - right hand twist
ActionTurn bolt
Magazine Capacity5
Evaluating the fit and finish of this carbine; I would rate it overall a very highexcellent. Prior to this carbine I have not really ventured out into the world of collecting South American rifles. While performing research for this article I was amazed at the plethora of high quality Mausers for the collector to choose from. No, they are not available in great abundance, but if you keep your eye out at stores and the online auctions (http://www.gunbroker.comand others) you will periodically find good pieces to collect.

Because of the artisan level of quality, the 1909 action is highly sought after for the base of custom built sporting rifles.

I have one word to describe this little carbine, beautiful. Everything is beautiful from the wood of the stock to the smoothness of the bolt cycling. Not to be too melodramatic but to me it all just whispers - work of art.

Military firearms manufactured during the late 19th to early 20th century were for the most part hand made by craftsman and artisans. They cannot be compared to the mass produced firearms we find today that have pressure stamped checkering, machine made laser engravings from a computer developed pattern, and fit and finish that have about as much soul as a cardboard box.

The only blemish I found on this particular firearm was that the barrel was counterbored back about a half an inch from the muzzle. Counterboring is where the rifling has been drilled out, back from the crown of the muzzle. This was done usually when the firearm was being arsenal refurbished. The reason for counterboring is because of damaged rifling near the muzzle and this damage usually impacts accuracy greatly. The rifling at the end of the barrel is the most important to putting a good spin on the bullet as it exits the muzzle. The belief is that if you drill out the rifling back from the muzzle until you reach good rifling, this will improve accuracy greatly. I own quite a few rifles (usually Mosin-Nagants) that have been counterbored and are exceptionally accurate. The figure below shows on the left a normal barrel with good rifling and a barrel that has been counterbored on the right.

Author's Update Note - 08/09/2004

Since the writing of this article I found that the carbine was not counterbored at all. What appeared to be counterboring was actually part of the nose cap that allowed the carbine to support a bayonet being installed. I felt that the counterboring information was still of great value and have chosen to leave it in the article for reference. Surplusrifle.com may at a later date write a stand-alone expanded article on just the subject of counterboring. - Jamie
FigureDescription
AMuzzle end view of a normal barrel with good rifling from muzzle to breech.
BMuzzle end view of a barrel that has been counterbored, thus with good rifling from counterbore to breech.
CSide view of a normal barrel with good rifling.
DSide view of a counterbored barrel. Note rifling has been drilled back about a half inch or so until good rifling is found.

Argentine Modelo 1909 Cavalry Carbine

Note: Full-length Mannlicher style stock, forward sling swivel, forward sight and sight protective ears. Also note line across stock just forward of rear sight. Originally a copper wire was fitted into the groove to more firmly secure the handguard in place.

Rear sling ring. Note beautiful walnut stock.

Markings on left side of receiver. Deutsche Waffen-Und Munitions Fabriken, Berlin (German Arms and Ammunition Factories, Berlin).

Argentine Coat of Arms

  • The human forearms that shake their right hands in the interior frame, represent the union of the populations of the Río de la Plata United Provinces.
  • The Phrygian cap is an old freedom symbol and the pike (short lance) displays the aim of defending it, if necessary, with weapons.
  • The sun, in its rising position, announced the appearance of a new Nation to the world.
  • The laurels are heraldic symbols of victory and triumph, and they are evidence of the victories already obtained in Suipacha and Tucumán.
  • With regard to the ribbon bow in the azure, silver (white) and azure colors, similar to the ellipse quarters, it represents the Argentine nationality.

Source:http://www.argentour.com/

Bottom side of safety lever with very small 'shaking hands' stamp.

The 7.65 Argentine cartridge is called by several other names as well:
  • 7.65 Mauser;
  • 7.65x53 Mauser;
  • 7.65 Belgian Mauser.

Originally designed for use in the Belgian 1889 Mauser rifle, many other countries adopted this cartridge in their military arms including:

  • Spain;
  • Turkey;
  • Bolivia;
  • Colombia;
  • Ecuador;
  • Paraguay; and
  • Peru.

Per Krause Publication's Cartridges of the World they state that the 7.65 Argentine Mauser is probably one of the better Mauser cartridges ever made when it comes to accuracy. The 7.65 Argentine cartridge is very similar in overall specifications and performance to the 7.62 NATO cartridge as the image and comparison table show below.

Cases can be formed from .30-06, .270 Winchester, 7mm Mauser, and 8mm Mauser brass cases and should be trimmed to be no longer than an overall length of 2.11 inches.

Side by side comparison of the 7.65 Argentine and the 7.62x51 NATO cartridges

Specification

7.65 Argentine7.62x51 NATO
Bullet Diameter.313.308
Neck Diameter.338.338
Shoulder Diameter.429.447
Base Diameter.468.466
Rim Thickness.470.470
Case Length2.092.01
Cartridge Length2.952.75
Velocity27102750
Energy25302520

First 5 shots at 100 yards

I found the little carbine to be very solid, accurate, and easy to handle. Recoil was mild and the bolt and ejection was positive and flawless. I was able to achieve fairly tight groupings at 100 yards from the bench with the help of a very smooth, two-stage military trigger and excellent sights.

In my opinion, the 1909 carbine is comparable in quality to any of the Swedish Mausers, that I so cherish.

If you plan on purchasing an Argentine 1909 Mauser then you will find that you have competition.....me.

I plan on purchasing more as I find them.

Dear Jamie:
I have just read your very fine article about the Modelo 1909 Mauser Cavalry carbine, and found it very good indeed. I own also a Modelo 1909 Mauser carbine, but not the cavalry type you have but the Engineer's type, that has the same barrel dimensions as the cavalry type but the stock is different, very similar to the Kar98 used by Germany during WW II. It has a turned down bolt handle, like the cavalry model and unlike the infantry rifle, which has a straight bolt handle.
Regarding what you said about the barrel being counter bored at the muzzle, it might not be a counter boring but a bushing welded at the muzzle to allow the use of a bayonet, which was a modification made on these German carbines and on some of the first ones of those made in Argentina in the Domingo Matheu factory in the city of Rosario, between 1947 and 1962. The later ones made in Rosario had a barrel 1/2 an inch longer instead of the welded bushing.
In brief, the Mauser Modelo Argentino 1909 came in three types:

1) Infantry rifle, of 49.21 inches total length and 29 inches barrel length, straight bolt handle, with a four digit serial number preceded by one of the following letters: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, R, making a total of 180,000 rifles.
2) Engineer's carbine, with a total length of 41.89 inches and a barrel length of 21.89 inches, a turned down bolt handle, with a four digit serial number preceded by the letter A only, making a total of 10,000 carbines.
3) Cavalry carbine, like the one you own, total length of 41.57 inches an a barrel length of 21.89 inches, a turned down bolt handle, with a four digit serial number preceded by the letters A, B and C, making a total of 30,000 cavalry carbines.

All of these were manufactured in Germany by DWM, and the quality of manufacture is like the one you have described, which makes them a very sought after item. Prices here in Argentina vary from 300 to 350 US dollars in the military surplus stores for conditions good to average.
The cavalry carbine was also manufactured in Argentina, as you said, in the Fabrica Militar de Armas Portatiles (F.M.A.P.) (Light Weapons Military Factory) Domingo Matheu, belonging to the Direccion General de Fabricaciones Militares ( D.G.F.M.) (General Directorship of Military Factories) from 1947 to 1962. These had a six digit serial number, without letters, from 000,001 to 019,989, but some of the intermediate numbers were not used, the approximate number manufactured was 19,800.
The markings on these argentine carbines is of two types:
a) EJERCITO ARGENTINO
MAUSER MOD 1909
D.G.F.M. (F.M.A.P.)
b) F. M. A. P.
MAUSER MOD 1909
DIRECCION GENERAL DE
FABRICACIONES MILITARES
The Domingo Matheu factory also made, under licence from the Colt company, an argentine model 1911-A1, in .45 ACP which is also of very good quality. The approximate number manufactured was 80,000.

Other weapons in production under FN licence are the FN-FAL rifle in 7.62x51 (NATO) caliber and the Browning HP39 semiautomatic pistol in 9mm Para caliber.
I hope this info from Argentina will be of interest to all the gun buffs that visit your very fine web-site, please let me know if you find it so.


Best regards and keep up the good work.

Alfredo Fernandez Franzini

jlm;)
Sources:
http://www.argentour.com/
NRA Publications: Mauser Rifles
Military Mauser Rifles of the World, Robert W.D. Ball
Krause Publication's Cartridges of the World
1950-52 Model 48 (7.92 x 57mm) Mauser Rifle
(Mfg by Preduzece Crvena Zastava (Red Flag Factory)

Overview and description of a Spanish Mauser 1893 (93) bolt action rifle before I began rebuilding it. C-96 serial numbers C-96 serial numbers are basically sequential. They start at 1 and run up. The highest serial number in my database, as of. Welcome to the new web site for MauserGuns.com. We are an un-official collectors website built for.

I have a Mauser model 98, that i believe was manufactured in 1898 with only 4 digits to the serial number. It has german 'SS' insignias and various other stampings (CY, BNZ/1, bnz, a shield, a winged bird, etc.) all of the serial numbers match on all the parts. These had a six digit serial number, without letters, from 000,001 to 019,989, but some of the intermediate numbers were not used, the approximate number manufactured was 19,800. The markings on these argentine carbines is of two types: a) EJERCITO ARGENTINO MAUSER MOD 1909 D.G.F.M. (F.M.A.P.) b) F. MAUSER MOD 1909 DIRECCION GENERAL DE. Spanish mauser serial number database Posted By: / 0 comments / Under: Uncategorized; Stardew Valley Immersive Farm 2 Remastered Layout, She And Allan, How Much Does It Cost To Rebuild A Mercruiser Outdrive, Giant Pick Up, This Is Amazing Grace, Book Of Dragons, Uncharted 4. Sweden adopted a Mauser carbine in 1894 and a Mauser rifle in 1896, both chambered for the 6.5x55 cartridge. Also in 1896, Germany experimented with Mausers of various calibers.

Mauser 98 Serial Number DatabaseMauser rifle identification serial number
(Click PIC to Enlarge)
Caliber: ......................... 7.92 x 57mm (8mm Mauser)
Rifling: .......................... 4-groove, RH Twist. 1 Turn in 240mm (9.4 in.)
Barrel Length: ............... 23.24 in. (590.2mm)
Overall Length: .............. 43.1 in. (1095mm)
Weight: ......................... 9.0 lbs. (4.1kg)
Magazine Capacity: ........ 5 (staggered column)
Qty Mfg: ........................ 238,515
Source: .......................SERBIAN AND YUGOSLAV MAUSER RIFLES (2005) by Branko Bogdanovic - ISBN:1-882391-35-7
Canadian Collector Market Value Estimate: $

1950-52 Model 48 Mauser Rifle
(34 picture virtual tour)

Observations:

Mauser 98 Serial Number Database List

(by 'Claven2')
Note: Pics of rifle provided courtesy of Milsurps.com moderator Claven2.

During the second world war, Germany had absorbed the Yugoslavian government's inventory of Mauser rifles into its military and had stripped the Military Technical Institute, Kragujevac (fore-runner to the Zastava factory complex) of most useable machines for use elsewhere in the Reich's armaments industry. After the war's conclusion, Yugoslavia had effectively no remaining capacity to build complete rifles and the technology to do so would have to be re-developped and relearned by its craftsmen.
Re-armament began by refurbishing the German K98k rifles on-hand at the time of the German surrender. These rifles provided the Yugoslavian armed forces with the backbone of their equipment until a longer-term solution could be found. Beginning in 1947, many of the old rifles and barelled actions on-hand were upgraded and rebuilt into serviceable arms to further bolster the military and satisfy their need for equipment. The guns were converted using new and old parts and were stocked in new and used wood identical to pre-war Model 1924 rifle stocks. In the cases where older stocks with VZ24 type side-swivels were used, the side-mounted hardware was removed and the holes plugged with dowels. These became known as the Model 24/47.
Despite the continued availability of refurbished German K98k and M24/47 rifles, the further need for arms continued. Many of the necessary machines to manufacture rifles were acquired abroad, most notably from stocks of captured German machines in the Soviet Union. Based on prototyping begun in 1948, in 1950 the Model 48 Mauser was finalized and adopted for service. The M48 borrowed on pre-war M1924 and wartime K98k features and combined both in the finished product. It was made entirely out of milled steel parts with wood stocks (walnut, beech and elm were used throughout production). The bolt handle was turned down like on a K98k, but there was no dish cut in the side of the stock. Instead, the bolt handle bend was less severe and the bottom of the bolt handle knob was flattened to give the fingers room and purchase on the handle during operation. The receiver was shortened by 6.35mm to minimize bolt travel and the bolt stop was redesigned such that the ejector spring was integral to the bolt release spring. The K98k type of band and spring arrangement was used and no provision was made for a bolt-takedown mechanism in the stock.
The M48 remained in production for only 3 years before being supplanted by a simplified version, the M48A. M48 production is broken down by year as follows:
1950: 52,002
1951: 92,037
1952: 94,476
The M48A which replaced the M48 was essentially the same basic rifle, but with production time saving changes involving the use of stamped sheet steel parts. The M48A's chief difference from the M48 was the use of a stamped metal floorplate. Production of the M48A ran from 1953 through 1956 when it was replaced by the M48B. M48A and M48B rifles both have the same receiver crest and are both marked M48A on the receiver. M48B's differ only in the use of additional stamped parts, the most obvious part being the trigger guard.
The receiver side wall of the M48 series rifles will be stamped Preduzece 44 which is the marking used for the Preduzece Crvena Zastava (Red Flag Factory) and the cyrillic FNRJ which is an acronym for the Federal National Republic of Yugoslavia. Most parts will be stamped with a 'BK' surrounded by a circle. This is an acceptance/inspection stamp meaning 'Military Control' to ensure quality of manufacture.
The issue bayonet was also marked Preduzece 44 and was carried in a blued steel scabbard with a leather frog. Although the first batch of M48's was stocked in walnut (only a few thousand rifles), the expense of the wood blanks forced a change to more affordable species. The majority of M48 series rifles will be stocked in either beech or elm.
All models of M48 can sometimes be found completely lacking all markings aside from the serial numbers. These models are collectively referred to as M48BO. BO = 'Bez Oznake' Which translates roughly to 'without markings'. These guns would have been sold or given as foreign aid to countries and organizations with which Yugoslavia did not want to be publicly associated.

Collector's Comments and Feedback:

Fn Mauser Serial Number Database


Mauser 98 Serial Number Lookup

1. Most Yugoslavian rifles the collector is likely to encounter in Canada were brought into that market by Marstar Canada in the late 1990’s, though the bulk of Marstar’s Yugoslavian rifle inventory was subsequently retailed in the United States through large Military Surplus retail stores and importers. Later exports from the former Yugoslavia have been, for the most part, exported directly to the United States by a variety of companies. Though some of these rifles showed considerable wear, excellent condition examples are not difficult to locate given that the majority of the import of these rifles lasted from the late 1990's through to about 2005. Some dealers still stock a few models, often in like new condition, but be forewarned - Yugoslavian arsenals were VERY fond of liberal application of cosmolene and it can be a real trial to remove it all. Special attention should be paid to leeching the preservative grease out of the woodwork to prevent damage during firing.
Many Yugoslavian rifles have been refurbished once or even many times. The easiest way to determine if your rifle has been refurbished is the remove the barreled action from the stock. On the barrel near the receiver will be a 3 or 4 digit number. This is the assembly number. The same number should be repeated on the underside of the bolt handle. If both numbers match, the rifle has its original bolt. If not, then the bolt is a replacement, even if the serial number on it matches the receiver (it's been renumbered). If there is a punch mark after the assembly number, the rifle has been refurbished. If there is more than one punch mark, then the rifle has been refurbished more than once.
........... (Feedback by 'Claven2')

How To Identify A Mauser 98

2. I am the Moderator of milsurpshooter.net's Yugo Mauser forum and my user name there is nothernug, but I'm registered here as Jim. I was reading the write up on the Yugo M48 series. It's good as far as it goes. but this comment struck me...
All models of M48 can sometimes be found completely lacking all markings aside from the serial numbers. These models are collectively referred to as M48BO. BO = 'Bez Oznake'
An acquaintance had conducted a study on these rifles and after reviewing over 2,000 assorted Yugo Mausers, observed that no BO's were configured as the model A. Plenty of M48 and more M48B's but not one M48A. Since he gave me that observation, I have been watching and have not seen one either. Many have been reported but upon examination, all were misidentified M48B. If you know of a verified M48A-bo, we'd sure like to know about it.
If, upon reflection, your observations match mine, you might want to edit that portion of the report.

Mauser 98 Serial Number Lookup

........... (Feedback by 'Jim')