Jun 19, 2012 - Its made by Lowe, and its serial number is P49xx. I figured late 1894 to. On Page 109 of Argentine Mauser Rifles 1871-1959, Webster says. Dec 11, 2012 MAUSER MODELO ARGENTINO 1891. MANUFACTURA LOWE BERLIN. Serial number is A16xx, matches on receiver, barrel, bolt, floorplate. May be matching on stock as well but the stock number is not clearly readable. Metal above the wood line is mostly bare with patina and some staining. Minor pitting at the wood line on the barrel.
(l.) A 90-degree turndown bolt handle was standard on carbines. (ctr.) Graduated out to 2,000 meters, the rear sight also folds flat. (r.) Rollmarked from Berlin and shipped to Argentina, the 1891 Mauser would also have the Argentine national crest on the front receiver band.
Gps utility 515 crack tool. Whether made by Loewe or DWM, the 1891 Argentine Mausers are beautifully made firearms well-known for their spectacular receiver markings. In addition to the model designation and the manufacturer information, the front receiver band of each rifle and carbine was beautifully rollmarked with the distinctive Argentine national crest. This emblem consists of a wreath enclosing three symbols important to the country’s national identity: a pair of hands in mid-handshake representing unity, a wooden pike representing power and a Phrygian cap representing freedom. At the apex of the crest, the sun shines down in a metaphor indicating a national aspiration and optimism that would not follow Argentina through the politically complicated 20th century.
The Phrygian cap and the shaking hands also appear on various parts and components of the 1891 rifles and carbines as proof and acceptance stamps, making each gun a handsome example of late 19th-century gunmaking craftsmanship. Collectors in the U.S., though, often find the national crest ground off of Argentine 1891 Mausers. This was done in the aftermath of the Chaco War of 1935, which pitted Bolivia and Paraguay against one another in a vicious albeit brief struggle for control of South America’s resource-rich Chaco Boreal. Argentina provided Paraguay with a large number of Model 1891 Mausers during the conflict in a move that jeopardized its relationship with Bolivia. The presence of unground national crests made it impossible to deny Argentina’s direct support for Paraguay, so after the war Argentina instituted a law requiring the removal of the national crest from any gun leaving the country. Although the government in Buenos Aires later dropped this requirement, by then most of the Argentine 1891 Mausers had been ground, and this accounts for why it is rare to find one with the crest intact. The German-made 1891 Argentine Mausers were ultimately phased out of active service when Argentina began licensed domestic production of the Model 1909 Mauser.
It serves to this day but in a ceremonial capacity only. If you’re ever in Buenos Aires, you might even spot sailors there guarding the Malvinas Memorial with it.