© Mauro Baudino Collection - All rights reserved.

Biography

A detailed Paul Mauser biography is available in the book: Paul Mauser - His Life,  Company, and Handgun Development 1838 - 1914. 

Paul von Mauser, by Hans A. Krause - 21st March 1931

A    heavyweight    amongst    technicians    of    German    ancestry    is    Paul    von    Mauser.    His greatness   is   not   only   visible   in   his   entrepreneurship   and   his   righteousness   but   also   in his iron will and his character. As   the   youngest   of   13   children   of   a   gun   smith   working   at   the   Royal   Rifle   Factory   in Oberndorf   am   Neckar   he   was   born   there   on   the   27th   of   June   1838.   The   large   number   of children   in   the   family   made   that   there   was   never   an   amount   of   wealth   present   in   the marital   house.   Money   problems   were   always   present.   But   the   simple,   honest   father who   also   produced   ammunition   at   home   after   work   in   order   to   make   some   extra money,   did   not   shy   away   from   the   costs   needed   to   provide   his   sons   with   a   good education.   With   this   they   should   be   able   to   accomplish   things   that   he   never   could.   So besides   normal   education   a   special   education   in   drawing   and   geometry   was   arranged, all   5   sons   followed   this   education.   The   were   to   follow   in   their   fathers   footsteps   with better   results   and   all   had   the   skills   to   accomplish   this,   the   strongest   however   were   the two youngest sons Wilhelm and Paul. At    the    age    of    14    Paul    joined    the    factory,    where    his    father    had    been    working    for decades, as an apprentice. The   work   there   did   not   pay   very   well   but   since   his   qualifications   were   obvious   he   wa s soon   given   more   specialist   jobs.   He   also   made   minor   improvements   which   also   helped his    reputation.    He    followed    a    short    military    training    and    was    assigned    to    the Ludwigsburg Arsenal in 1859. It   is   interesting   that   his   requests   for   leave   at   home   were   denied   because   they   feared that   the   rifle   factory   in   his   home   town   would   keep   him   there   as   a   very   good   gun   smith.     The   work   there   did   not   pay   very   well   but   since   his   qualifications   were   obvious   he   was soon given more specialist jobs. In   1857   he   had   the   opportunity   to   study   a   Prussian   needle   gun,   which   he   immediately identified   with   his   keen   expert   eyes   as   the   rifle   of   the   future,   and   even   then   he   had   the plan    to    occupy    himself    with    the    production    of    this    rifle    together    with    his    brother   Wilhelm   after   his   military   service   ended.   So   they   started   in   1860   in   the   old   paternal workshop   with   two   apprentices.   They   succeeded   in   designing,   and   more   importantly, building a breech loading cannon. The   credits   for   this   surprising   and   impressive   piece   of   craftsmanship   should   go   equally to   both   brothers.   The   King   of   Württemberg   was   offered   the   design   of   the   new   weapon for   his   consideration,   he   acquired   the   model   of   the   gun   for   the   model   collection   of   his arsenal and paid the brothers a modest sum for their work. It   was   the   foundation   of   restless   new   work,   but   it   didn't   lead   to   improvements   on   the gun   but   for   researching   a   new   rifle   construction,   that   was   based   on   the   principles   of   the Prussian   needle   gun.   They   started   in   1863   and   already   2   years   later   the   first   model   was ready: a needle gun with a calibre of 14mm. The   shooting   tests   produced   excellent   results.   The   brothers   presented   their   design   to the   Austrians   who,   after   the   war   of   1866,   were   looking   at   improving   their   small   arms, like all other countries. This   step   produced   no   immediate   result.   But   the   American   called   Norris,   representative of   the   Remington   rifle   factory,   at   which   an   older   Mauser   brother   was   working,   saw   the new rifle at the Austrian War Ministry. This   made   him   aware   of   the   Mauser   brothers   and,   recognizing   possible   business   for   his factory, contacted them. He   bought   the   rights   of   the   first   rifle   and   contracted   the   brothers   to   manufacture   the rifle    at    his    costs    in    Liege,    the    heart    of    the    Belgian    gun    industry.    On    the    22nd    of September,   1867   Wilhelm   and   Paul   Mauser   went   to   Liege.   Here   they   absorbed   a   vast amount   of   weapons   related   knowledge   and   here   they   also   encountered   the   pulse   of international   business   and   learned   that   not   only   Germany   was   available   as   a   possible market,   but   the   entire   world.   The   small   residential   house   at   the   Rue   du   Vert   Bois   in which they lived became the birth place of the German army rifle M/71 . Already   in   1869   Norris,   for   whom   the   brothers   worked   exclusively,   had   offered   the   rifle to   the   Prussian   state,   but   Prussia   refused.   On   the   14th   of   April,   1870,   just   before   the outbreak   of   the   French-German   war,   both   brothers,   with   little   money   but   with   rich experiences,   returned   to   their   home   town,   freed   from   Norris   and   his   money.   Early   in May   the   Prussian   military   rifle   school,   where   they   had   presented   the   gun   again,   tested the   rifle   for   acceptance   as   army   rifle.   Daily   shooting   trials   exposed   some   issues   here and   there,   which   were   corrected.   Then   war   breaks   out   and   the   brothers   have   not reached anything. But    the    war    showed    that    Prussia    learned    that    their    small    arms    needed    serious improvements.   New   negotiations   with   Wilhelm   Mauser   in   Berlin   and   Spandau   took place,   while   Paul   was   constantly   working   at   the   work   bench   at   home,   improving   the rifle. Will   power   and   hard   work,   both   mentally   and   physically   finally   produced   results   under great   difficulty:   in   May   1872   the   decision   is   made   by   which   the   model   M/71   is   accepted as   service   rifle.   The   simplicity   of   use,   the   increased   rate   of   fire   and   the   improved   range were the main reason. The   payment   the   brothers   received   for   their   rifle   was   12,000   Taler.   Besides   that   the Prussian   government   had   given   them   an   order   for   the   delivery   of   some   rifle   parts.   So the   brothers   had   new   possibilities   and   they   decided   to   erect   a   factory   in   order   to   fulfill the contract. They   started   the   construction   of   a   new   factory   building   in   their   home   town.   There   were multiple   interesting   areas   for   developing   such   a   company,   but   the   brothers   decided   to stay in their home town. Fifty workers started, their numbers rising every day. The   gun   smiths   had   become   factory   managers,   the   wishes   of   their   father   had   been fulfilled.   A   major   event   challenged   the   brothers   soon,   however:   on   the   20th   of   August, 1874 the new factory building was destroyed by a great fire. But   the   factory   was   rebuilt   within   8   weeks   and   at   the   same   time   the   Württemberg government   offered   them   the   Oberndorf   Rifle   Factory   for   sale,   with   the   contract   to deliver   Rifles   and   Carbines   Model   71   to   the   entire   Württemberg   Army.   The   contract   was tempting     but     the     money     for     the     purchase     was     unavailable.     After     a     lengthy consideration the brothers accepted the offer. With    a    capital    of    300,000    Marks    in    August,    1874    the    Komandit-Gesellschaft    Gebr. Mauser   &   Co.   was   founded.   The   factory   with   some   300   machines   was   purchased.   This purchase   demanded   new   orders   and   they   were   able   to   get   these   from   Bavaria   and Prussia.   Soon   Württemberg   was   supplied   with   100,000   rifles,   Bavaria   with   the   needed 250,000.    It    seemed    that    the    former    royal    rifle    factory    was    a    good    asset    for    the company, much better than anticipated. They   were   able   to   produce   some   100   -   200   rifles   a   day   and   this   was   needed   to   secure the   business.   But   soon   the   number   of   contracts   became   too   small,   while   the   output had increased to a surprising amount. This   introduced   the   next   challenge:   to   remain   competitive.   The   entire   world   called   for improved   fire   speed   and   this   meant   capacity   problems   existed.   Soon   even   the   brothers themselves   worked   in   the   factory,   because   even   the   smallest   decrease   in   output   could cause   financial   problems.   But   the   unusual   work   ethics   of   the   brothers   helped   to   avoid trouble.   Wilhelm   was   continuously   on   the   road,   as   he   was   the   designated   negotiator, Paul worked constantly at home. All   states   of   the   continent   were   visited   and   for   years   Paul   had   to   carry   the   burden   of production   by   himself.   But   it   took   his   brother   a   lot   of   courage   and   will   power   to   allow him   to   run   the   factory   alone,   as   he   knew   very   well   what   challenges   there   were   and   he often worried whether his brother at home could cope with all this.  Years   passed   and   at   the   21st   of   January,   1881   Wilhelm   Mauser   found   himself   in   the small   town   at   the   Neckar   again,   welcomed   by   factory   workers   and   staff   with   lit   torches. An   exhausting   battle   with   a   large   competitor   had   drained   his   energy.   It   had   been   too much   for   him.   He   did   see   the   introduction   of   the   Mauser   repeating   rifle   M71/84   being demonstrated   to   the   old   Emperor   Wilhelm   in   the   summer   of   1881.   But   that   was   the conclusion of his life's work. He passed away in January, 1882. His   brother,   who   had   to   run   the   company   that   had   become   famous   all   over   the   world, succeeded   in   having   the   magazine   rifle   ready   two   years   later.   Another   two   years   later, as   a   result   of   a   Turkish   contract ,   the   small   calibre   rifle   was   developed   which   would   later be   accepted   as   the   M98.   In   1896   the   long   years   of   development   of   a   revolver   were ended.   Followed   by   the   introduction   of   the   Mauser   self   loading   pistol ,   which   like   the other   weapons   and   the   tools   made   at   the   factory   helped   to   make   Mauser   famous   all over the world. Shortly   before   the   outbreak   of   World   War   One   Paul   Mauser,   whose   work   had   given   his country   the   best   rifle   possible,   passed   away.   He   would   not   see   the   expansion   and consequent   collapse   of   his   company   during   the   war   and   afterwards.   With   him   a   man had   gone   who   never   lost   sight   of   the   soul   of   his   people,   their   culture,   through   his technology.   A   man   who   not   only   had   a   good   mind   but   also   a   good   heart.   Even   when   his work   lay   in   ruins   after   the   war,   the   ruins   had   kept   his   soul   alive   and   new   life   would spring   from   it.   And   from   the   spiritual   and   physical   strength   of   the   brothers   who   had founded   the   company,   from   deepest   humiliation   a   new   company   rose   from   the   ashes, inspiring   the   German   nation.   Today   it   produces   a   variety   of   products   for   the   peace   time market.    It    shows    that    only    a    strong    soul,    strong    courage    and    a    strong    faith    can accomplish what seems impossible to others.
Mauser Poster in German and Ottoman language. All Rights Reserved.
Paul Mauser ARCHIVE
Breech Loading Cannon. All rights reserved. Cutaway view of the Mauser-Norris 67/69 caliber 11 mm. From original glass plate.  All Rights Reserved. Mauser Plan dated 1895. All Rights Reserved. Mauser C96 Pistol. Patent Drawing. All Rights Reserved. Paul Mauser reminds his first working days. All Rights Reserved. Paul Mauser's funeral procession in Oberndorf. All Rights Reserved. Paul von Mauser, by Hans A. Krause - 21st March 1931. All Rights Reserved. Wilhelm Mauser. All Rights Reserved. Mauser Untere Fabrik (Lower Works Factory) in 1900. All Rights Reserved.
© Mauro Baudino  - All rights reserved.

Biography

A detailed Paul Mauser biography is available in the book: Paul Mauser - His Life, Company, and Handgun Development 1838 - 1914. 

Paul von Mauser, by

Hans A. Krause - 21st

March 1931

A            heavyweight            amongst technicians   of   German   ancestry   is Paul   von   Mauser.   His   greatness   is not        only        visible        in        his entrepreneurship          and          his righteousness   but   also   in   his   iron will and his character. As   the   youngest   of   13   children   of a   gun   smith   working   at   the   Royal Rifle     Factory     in     Oberndorf     am Neckar   he   was   born   there   on   the 27th     of     June     1838.     The     large number   of   children   in   the   family made    that    there    was    never    an amount   of   wealth   present   in   the marital    house.    Money    problems were     always     present.     But     the simple,    honest    father    who    also produced    ammunition    at    home after   work   in   order   to   make   some extra    money,    did    not    shy    away from   the   costs   needed   to   provide his   sons   with   a   good   education. With   this   they   should   be   able   to accomplish   things   that   he   never could.        So        besides        normal education   a   special   education   in drawing       and       geometry       was arranged,   all   5   sons   followed   this education.   The   were   to   follow   in their   fathers   footsteps   with   better results    and    all    had    the    skills    to accomplish     this,     the     strongest however   were   the   two   youngest sons Wilhelm and Paul. At   the   age   of   14   Paul   joined   the factory,     where     his     father     had been   working   for   decades,   as   an apprentice. The   work   there   did   not   pay   very well    but    since    his    qualifications were   obvious   he   wa s   soon   given more     specialist     jobs.     He     also made   minor   improvements   which also    helped    his    reputation.    He followed   a   short   military   training and       was       assigned       to       the Ludwigsburg Arsenal in 1859. It   is   interesting   that   his   requests for    leave    at    home    were    denied because   they   feared   that   the   rifle factory   in   his   home   town   would keep    him    there    as    a    very    good gun    smith.        The    work    there    did not    pay    very    well    but    since    his qualifications     were     obvious     he was    soon    given    more    specialist jobs. In   1857   he   had   the   opportunity   to study     a     Prussian     needle     gun, which    he    immediately    identified with   his   keen   expert   eyes   as   the rifle   of   the   future,   and   even   then he   had   the   plan   to   occupy   himself with    the    production    of    this    rifle together   with   his   brother    Wilhelm after    his    military    service    ended. So   they   started   in   1860   in   the   old paternal      workshop      with      two apprentices.    They    succeeded    in designing,   and   more   importantly, building a breech loading cannon. The   credits   for   this   surprising   and impressive   piece   of   craftsmanship should      go      equally      to      both brothers.          The          King          of Württemberg     was     offered     the design   of   the   new   weapon   for   his consideration,     he     acquired     the model   of   the   gun   for   the   model collection   of   his   arsenal   and   paid the    brothers    a    modest    sum    for their work. It   was   the   foundation   of   restless new    work,    but    it    didn't    lead    to improvements   on   the   gun   but   for researching         a         new         rifle construction,   that   was   based   on the     principles     of     the     Prussian needle   gun.   They   started   in   1863 and   already   2   years   later   the   first model    was    ready:    a    needle    gun with a calibre of 14mm. The      shooting      tests      produced excellent     results.     The     brothers presented     their     design     to     the Austrians    who,    after    the    war    of 1866,   were   looking   at   improving their    small    arms,    like    all    other countries. This   step   produced   no   immediate result.    But    the    American    called Norris,      representative      of      the Remington   rifle   factory,   at   which an     older     Mauser     brother     was working,   saw   the   new   rifle   at   the Austrian War Ministry. This     made     him     aware     of     the Mauser   brothers   and,   recognizing possible   business   for   his   factory, contacted them. He   bought   the   rights   of   the   first rifle   and   contracted   the   brothers to    manufacture    the    rifle    at    his costs    in    Liege,    the    heart    of    the Belgian     gun     industry.     On     the 22nd   of   September,   1867   Wilhelm and   Paul   Mauser   went   to   Liege. Here      they      absorbed      a      vast amount      of      weapons      related knowledge    and    here    they    also encountered        the        pulse        of international         business         and learned    that    not    only    Germany was      available      as      a      possible market,   but   the   entire   world.   The small   residential   house   at   the   Rue du   Vert   Bois   in   which   they   lived became    the    birth    place    of    the German army rifle M/71 . Already   in   1869   Norris,   for   whom the    brothers    worked    exclusively, had     offered     the     rifle     to     the Prussian       state,       but       Prussia refused.    On    the    14th    of    April, 1870,   just   before   the   outbreak   of the     French-German     war,     both brothers,    with    little    money    but with   rich   experiences,   returned   to their     home     town,     freed     from Norris    and    his    money.    Early    in May    the    Prussian    military    rifle school,   where   they   had   presented the   gun   again,   tested   the   rifle   for acceptance    as    army    rifle.    Daily shooting     trials     exposed     some issues   here   and   there,   which   were corrected.    Then    war    breaks    out and      the      brothers      have      not reached anything. But   the   war   showed   that   Prussia learned     that     their     small     arms needed     serious     improvements. New    negotiations    with    Wilhelm Mauser    in    Berlin    and    Spandau took      place,      while      Paul      was constantly    working    at    the    work bench    at    home,    improving    the rifle. Will   power   and   hard   work,   both mentally     and     physically     finally produced     results     under     great difficulty:      in      May      1872      the decision    is    made    by    which    the model      M/71      is      accepted      as service   rifle.   The   simplicity   of   use, the   increased   rate   of   fire   and   the improved    range    were    the    main reason. The       payment       the       brothers received   for   their   rifle   was   12,000 Taler.    Besides    that    the    Prussian government    had    given    them    an order    for    the    delivery    of    some rifle    parts.    So    the    brothers    had new        possibilities        and        they decided   to   erect   a   factory   in   order to fulfill the contract. They   started   the   construction   of   a new     factory     building     in     their home   town.   There   were   multiple interesting    areas    for    developing such   a   company,   but   the   brothers decided    to    stay    in    their    home town.   Fifty   workers   started,   their numbers rising every day. The     gun     smiths     had     become factory    managers,    the    wishes    of their   father   had   been   fulfilled.   A major       event       challenged       the brothers    soon,    however:    on    the 20th    of    August,    1874    the    new factory   building   was   destroyed   by a great fire. But   the   factory   was   rebuilt   within 8   weeks   and   at   the   same   time   the Württemberg                 government offered   them   the   Oberndorf   Rifle Factory   for   sale,   with   the   contract to     deliver     Rifles     and     Carbines Model        71        to        the        entire Württemberg   Army.   The   contract was   tempting   but   the   money   for the     purchase     was     unavailable. After   a   lengthy   consideration   the brothers accepted the offer. With   a   capital   of   300,000   Marks   in August,      1874      the      Komandit- Gesellschaft   Gebr.   Mauser   &   Co. was    founded.    The    factory    with some        300        machines        was purchased.          This          purchase demanded   new   orders   and   they were     able     to     get     these     from Bavaria       and       Prussia.       Soon Württemberg    was    supplied    with 100,000    rifles,    Bavaria    with    the needed    250,000.    It    seemed    that the   former   royal   rifle   factory   was a    good    asset    for    the    company, much better than anticipated. They   were   able   to   produce   some 100   -   200   rifles   a   day   and   this   was needed    to    secure    the    business. But   soon   the   number   of   contracts became     too     small,     while     the output      had      increased      to      a surprising amount. This        introduced        the        next challenge:   to   remain   competitive. The      entire      world      called      for improved     fire     speed     and     this meant   capacity   problems   existed. Soon         even         the         brothers themselves   worked   in   the   factory, because       even       the       smallest decrease    in    output    could    cause financial       problems.       But       the unusual      work      ethics      of      the brothers   helped   to   avoid   trouble. Wilhelm   was   continuously   on   the road,    as    he    was    the    designated negotiator,            Paul            worked constantly at home. All    states    of    the    continent    were visited   and   for   years   Paul   had   to carry   the   burden   of   production   by himself.   But   it   took   his   brother   a lot   of   courage   and   will   power   to allow     him     to     run     the     factory alone,   as   he   knew   very   well   what challenges     there     were     and     he often       worried       whether       his brother   at   home   could   cope   with all this.  Years   passed   and   at   the   21st   of January,     1881     Wilhelm     Mauser found   himself   in   the   small   town at   the   Neckar   again,   welcomed   by factory   workers   and   staff   with   lit torches.   An   exhausting   battle   with a    large    competitor    had    drained his   energy.   It   had   been   too   much for       him.       He       did       see       the introduction       of       the       Mauser repeating      rifle      M71/84      being demonstrated   to   the   old   Emperor Wilhelm   in   the   summer   of   1881. But   that   was   the   conclusion   of   his life's    work.    He    passed    away    in January, 1882. His   brother,   who   had   to   run   the company       that       had       become famous      all      over      the      world, succeeded        in        having        the magazine    rifle    ready    two    years later.   Another   two   years   later,   as a   result   of   a   Turkish   contract ,   the small   calibre   rifle   was   developed which   would   later   be   accepted   as the   M98.   In   1896   the   long   years   of development    of    a    revolver    were ended.         Followed         by         the introduction    of    the    Mauser    self loading     pistol ,     which     like     the other     weapons     and     the     tools made    at    the    factory    helped    to make   Mauser   famous   all   over   the world. Shortly    before    the    outbreak    of World     War     One     Paul     Mauser, whose   work   had   given   his   country the    best    rifle    possible,    passed away.     He     would     not     see     the expansion         and         consequent collapse    of    his    company    during the   war   and   afterwards.   With   him a   man   had   gone   who   never   lost sight    of    the    soul    of    his    people, their        culture,        through        his technology.   A   man   who   not   only had   a   good   mind   but   also   a   good heart.   Even   when   his   work   lay   in ruins   after   the   war,   the   ruins   had kept    his    soul    alive    and    new    life would    spring    from    it.    And    from the   spiritual   and   physical   strength of   the   brothers   who   had   founded the      company,      from      deepest humiliation   a   new   company   rose from     the     ashes,     inspiring     the German   nation.   Today   it   produces a     variety     of     products     for     the peace   time   market.   It   shows   that only   a   strong   soul,   strong   courage and   a   strong   faith   can   accomplish what seems impossible to others.
Breech Loading Cannon. All rights reserved. Paul Mauser reminds his first working days. All Rights Reserved.
Paul Mauser ARCHIVE