Some say they saw combat against Russian and Romanian forces. Others say these rifles were issued to both Austro-Hungarian and German troops who fought together on the Italian Front to ease supply and training issues. Some say these were only issued to rear-echelon soldiers and militia. The service of these WWI rifles is hard to pin down. The Chilean coat-of-arms and the manufacture date. The rear sling swivel is really the only way to differentiate between a Chilean and Austro-Hungarian service rifle. The rifles were modified slightly by having the rear QD sling mount replaced with a large standard sling swivel to accommodate the M. When World War One started, the Austro-Hungarian government purchased the large stocks of Modelo rifles that Steyr had yet to deliver. But perhaps most importantly, Chile already had large stocks of the cartridge and would save money by retaining it. It had already proven itself to a be flat shooting cartridge with low recoil. Very wisely, Chile retained the 7x57mm cartridge. Gone also were the grasping grooves on the stock as well as the stock washer for bolt disassembly. The upper handguard also wrapped around the rear sight. It dispensed with the complicated and expensive Lange-Vizier rear sight for a simple tangent sight. It was dubbed the Modelo Stock disc that is used for unit markings. Indeed, the rifle that Chile adopted was essentially the same as this the Mauser - though with a few changes. For them the choice was simple: adopt what the Germans have, which was the famous Model Mauser. Boer commandos taught the British some hard earned lessons about marksmanship on the veldt of South Africa with the 7x57mm Model Mauser.īy however, the cock-on-closing Model was starting to appear a little outdated and Chile wanted a new rifle. The Mauser was essentially an evolution of the epoch-making Spanish Model Chambered in the 7x57mm cartridge, the rifle and cartridge taught the US Army the importance of clip-loading high velocity cartridges in Cuba. Note the large locking lugs and claw extractor. Naturally their parade rifles are Mauser 98 and 95 rifles and their uniforms are often a spitting image for the German Army. Even to this day, their parade uniforms include Stahlhelms and elite units still wear Pickelhauben. The military of the Republic of Chile has always had a bit of a Prussian slant. No longer the case, there is still hope for the average shooter. It was once accepted that rifles of the First World War would be less-expensive than those of the Second they were older, and had been rode harder for a longer period of time. But with a rise in interest, so have we seen a rise in prices. This has been helped in part by various forms of media piquing the interest of those who may not have been informed about this incredibly important historical event. Currently, we are still in the centenary of the First World War and in the past four years interest in this conflict has risen steadily.
A gorgeous rifle and an example of old-world quality.
Sniper Rifle Fallout 4 Mod And Chilean Model 1912 Short RifleĪ Chilean Steyr Modelo Mauser rifle.