We have already honored one of the creators of this site, Mauro Baudino, for his other site on the Artillery Luger. But Baudino and Gerben van Vlimmeren manage another must-view website in the shape of this delightful archive from their Belgian base. At the Paul Mauser Archive, they bring to light facts about one of the greatest minds in the history of firearms design, Paul Mauser; his designs, from the Prussian M/71 on; and the mighty company he built, which had such a profound impact on the industry that Heckler & Koch is but one secondary spin-off of the living legend that is the Mauser-Werke.
The bio of Paul Mauser alone is fascinating. I didn’t know his brother Wilhelm was his partner (European gunmaking is full of these brother acts, and Paul Mauser’s father and all of Paul’s brothers became gunsmiths, with one brother even working at Remington in Ilion, NY). Paul was the primary inventor and Wilhelm the primary contract-chaser, something he worked himself to death (literally) doing o that Waffenfabrik Mauser could succeed.
Their first factory burned down in 1874, a common hazard in 19th Century gunmaking (Colt’s burned down in 1862, for example). But they had already proven themselves indispensable to the armorers of the German principalities, and they were back in production in a few months.
The site is, in fact, so full of promise it’s a little bit disappointing that it doesn’t deliver it all at once! But Baudino and van Vlimmeren are conscious that they have a treasure trove here, and they’re taking care to see it’s properly analyzed, digitized and preserved.
Recommended without reservation, the Paul Mauser Archive.
Kevin was a former Special Forces weapons man (MOS 18B, before the 18 series, 11B with Skill Qualification Indicator of S). His focus was on weapons: their history, effects and employment. He started WeaponsMan.com in 2011 and operated it until he passed away in 2017. His work is being preserved here at the request of his family.
5 thoughts on “Wednesday Weapons Website of the Week: Paul Mauser Archive”
Good to hear about the proper use of a tourniquet. Say what you want about us backwoods redneck types, but carrying around a TQ or three is not a ridiculous tacticool choice as some keyboard commandos make it sound. I’m carrying one even for mere chainsaw work.
Oops, wrong thread, sorry.
An old team sergeant came this close to losing three or four fingers to one of those little electric 14″ chainsaws. Fun fact: model name of the chainsaw was, I am not making this up, “Limb Lopper.”
Although off topic: a tourniquet and a few other ready supplies for emergency treatment are never a bad idea.
back on topic: great find this treasure trove about the Mauser brothers. Now I need to find the time to read it. *sigh* 🙁
Great review article. Timing couldn’t be better either. 2 weeks ago a close 88 year old family friend just gave me a P08 that his father liberated during WWII. Your post from Sept 2014 on Luger and this post about their website will come in handy for information.