M1890 (Otoman Empire) /
M1891 (Argentina)
Mauser M1889 Belgium Rifle
Mauser M1889 Belgium Rifle
Mauser M1890 Turkish Rifle
Mauser M1891 Argentin Rifle
Mauser M1889 Belgium Cavalry Carbine
Mauser M1891 Argentine Carbine
Mauser M1889 Rifle, close up
Mauser M1889 rifle, diagram
Caliber: 7.65 x53
Total length: 1270mm/50"
Barrel length: 780mm/30.7"
Empty weight: 3.68 kg / 8.1 lbs
Magazine capacity: 5 shots
The Mauser Model 1889 rifle, also known as the Belgian Mauser, was the first rifle produced by the renowned German arms factory, Mauser Werke, designed for small-caliber smokeless powder ammunition. It was initially rejected by German authorities but was adopted by Belgium in 1889, Turkey in 1890, and Argentina in 1891. The rifles supplied to Belgium were manufactured in Belgium by the private factory Fabrique Nationale (abbreviated as FN, which was established specifically for producing these rifles) and by the state arms factory (Manufacture D'Armes De L'Etat, abbreviated as MAE).
During World War I, Belgian Mauser M1889 rifles were produced by the Belgian government in exile, manufactured by Hopkins & Allen in the United States and in Birmingham, UK, primarily by Belgian FN exiled labor. The Mausers sent to Turkey and Argentina of this model were produced in Germany. Turkish rifles were made by Mauser as a continuation of previous contracts, and Argentine rifles were initially produced by Ludwig Loewe and later by DWM. The standard Argentine Mauser rifles were also adopted by several other South American countries, such as Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
In the 1930s, at least some of the Belgian Mauser M1889 rifles were converted into the short rifles Model 1889/36, which were intended for use by the civil guard.
Mauser 1891 Argentine carbine
Argentine soldiers with Mauser
The Mauser Model 1889 is a manually operated rifle with a rotating bolt action. Its bolt has two locking lugs at the front, with the extractor claw inserted in the bolt head and a fixed blade-type ejector in the receiver. The magazine box holds five rounds in a single stack and features spring-loaded feeding lips. The magazine can be loaded through the opening on top of the receiver using individual rounds or detachable 5-round clips. The magazine assembly is separate from the trigger guard and can be easily removed for maintenance or replacement. The magazine release is located within the trigger guard.
Similar to some contemporary rifles, the Belgian Mauser is equipped with a cylindrical barrel jacket. Argentine and Turkish Mausers of this type lacked barrel jackets and had wooden handguards. The stock is of conventional wooden type. A bayonet lug is provided near the muzzle. There were various carbine patterns based on the same basic design but with shorter barrels and barrel jackets. Belgian carbines had tubular barrel jackets, whereas Argentine carbines lacked barrel jackets and featured long wooden handguards that covered the entire barrel up to the muzzle. The modified Belgian model of short rifles, 1889/36, was also produced without a bayonet lug.
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