Mauser Modelo Argentino 1909 | |
---|---|
Type | Bolt-action rifle |
Place of origin | Germany |
Service history | |
In service | 1905-1960s |
Used by | Argentina Paraguay Dominican Republic[1] |
Wars | United States occupation of the Dominican Republic (1916–1924) Chaco War |
Production history | |
Designed | 1909 |
Manufacturer | DWM Fabrica Militar de Armas Portatiles |
Produced | 1909-1959 |
No. built | ~285,000 |
Specifications | |
Mass | 4.17 kilograms (9.2 lb) |
Length | 124 centimetres (49 in) |
Barrel length | 74 centimetres (29 in) |
Cartridge | 7.65×53mm Mauser |
Action | Bolt-action |
Muzzle velocity | 839.6 metres per second (2,755 ft/s) |
Feed system | 5-round stripper clip, internal magazine |
Sights | Iron sights adjustable to 2,000 metres (2,200 yd) |
The Argentine Mauser Model 1909 were Gewehr 98 pattern bolt-action battle rifles designed for the Argentine Army. They were produced both in Germany and in Argentina.
The Mauser 1909 was a slightly modified copy of the Gewehr 98. Among other modifications, the Lange Visier sight was replaced by a tangent leaf sight. The M1909 was also able to use the bayonet of the Mauser 1891 it replaced.[2] The main producer in Germany was Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken that delivered 200,000 rifles[3] while around 85,000 rifles[2] were manufactured by the Fabrica Militar de Armas Portatiles, governmental plants in Rosario and Santa Fe. The Model 1909s were replaced by FN FALs[4] without having seen combat.[5]
Some Argentine Mauser 1909 rifles and carbines without crests were sold to Paraguay during the Chaco War.[2]
Peru received between 1910 and 1914 thousands of Mauser Model 1909 rifles, chambered in 7.65 Mauser. They were closer copies of the Gewehr 98, including the Lange Visier sight.[8] Aside from the caliber, the only differences were the larger receiver ring, the 5 mm (0.20 in) shorter breech, the slightly modified strip guide to use older Model 1891 strips, the longer hammer, the aspheric shape of the bolt handle and the Peruvian markings.[9] While these rifles were able to fire the old bullets with round nose, they were later adapted to spitzer bullets.[10] These weapons were used during the Leticia Incident and the Ecuadorian–Peruvian War.[11] After 1945, the Mauser 1909s were replaced by American weapons and were sold in the civilian market in the 1960s, a few being kept as ceremonial rifles.[12]