Mauser M94 (1894)

About the Mauser

Back in 1811, Friedrich I of Wurttemberg launched an arms factory in Oberndorf, Germany. Employing 133 workers, the company officially started its business in the following year serving as the royal weapon forge. The initial moderate success of the company was refined in 1867 when Wilhelm and Paul Mauser came up with an innovative rotating bolt system used for breechloading rifles. Most of their rifles at the time were built around a 7.9x57J cartridge which eventually became known as the 8mm German cartridge.

Alongside the Model 93 release, the smaller, 7x57mm cartridge was introduced. The United States spotted the potential of German ingenuity; hence they incorporated many features of Mauser design into their 1903 Springfield and so did the United Kingdom with their SMLE rifle that was the standard of British infantry units up until the 1950s. Soon after, many countries around the world, such as Turkey, Brazil, South Africa, Iran, Sweden and even China had recognised the outstanding performance of Mauser 93 and began flooding the company with new orders.

Along with their rifle production success, Mauser also broke new ground in 1896 with the introduction of their autoloading C96 pistol that was produced up until 1936. In 1897 the Mauser family were given control over the factory and renamed it Waffenfabrik Mauser AG. Only a year later, one of the most recognisable Mauser rifles of all time was presented by the company – Mauser Gewehr 98. The rifle had been redesigned with some of the noticeable changes being better-ruptured case gas venting, a stronger receiver with a larger receiver ring and an extra third locking lug providing additional safety. In later years, numerous rifles were derived from the original Gewehr 98 design, a lot of them being manufactured by various German contractors.

In the first decades of the 20th century, Mauser introduced a myriad of hunting rifles such as Type A, Model B, Model K, Armee-Model C and Africa Model. Up until the 1960s, various other models were presented including M1916, Mauser 1925 Special range, Karabiner K98, Mauser KKW cadet rifle, Gewehr 41 etc. Alongside their rifle production, the company additionally focused on the production of hand and pocket pistols, with some of the most recognizable models being Mauser 1910, Mauser 1914, Model 1934, and Mauser HSc.

After World War II, when the company was seized by Allied forces and placed under French control, the factory was torn down, and its records were destroyed. The former Mauser engineers Edmund Heckler and Theodor Koch, together with their associate Aled Seidel founded Heckler and Koch arms firm in the following years, recovering some leftovers of Mauser company which remained in the arms of Allied forces until 1952 when it was again permitted to continue manufacturing firearms. In the second half of the 20th century, the company presented some new models such as Model 66, Model 77, Model 86SR, Mauser SP66, Models 94 and 96, Mauser SR 97, Mauser 90SA and Mauser 90DA.

The Rheinmetall Berlin AG bought the firearms division of the company in 1996 and renamed it to Mauser-Werke Oberndorf Waffensysteme GmbH. In 1999, part of the Mauser was sold to Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft company often referred to as SIG, which later became known as Mauser Jagdwaffen GmbH.

Today, the company is under the parentage of the Blaser Group, which also manufactures rifles under the J.P. Sauer & Sohn brand. Mauser has presented some new models in the last few years, such as Mauser M03, M12, and M18, attesting to the company’s rich and successful history once again.

Mauser M94 (Swedish Carbine) Rifle Review

Mauser M94 is a bolt-action carbine rifle that was adopted by Swedes in 1894 when they purchased around 12.000 pieces from Mauser. Soon after they bought Mauser’s license and from that point on, the rifles were manufactured in their Carl Gustaf factory in Sweden. The total production number reached approximately 115.000 rifles in the following years.

The rifle features some unique elements and upgrades from the previous 1893 model, one of them being the cut out on the left side of the receiver which makes it easier to put cartridges in the internal five-round magazine using stripper clips. There is a machined steel floor plate on the bottom of the forearm. Additionally, the bolt guide is improved for faster and smoother bolt travel. The receiver rear sight is different as well as it is hinged at the front, contrary to the one featured on the rifle’s predecessor.

M94 uses a cock-on-closing action mechanism which allows for the firing pin spring not to be tensioned when opening the bolt. The rifle only cocks when the bolt is pushed into the closed position. The bolt comes with two forward locking lugs that lock up safely into the action's housing. Positioned at the rear top end of the receiver, there is a standard Mauser-type safety lever with its centre position functioning as a disassembly lever. There is no bayonet on the front end; however, in 1914 the M94 was redesigned to fit a bayonet and a reinforcing band was added to the rear of the nose cap. This variant was renamed M94-14.

The possible barrel length for Mauser M94 is 450 mm (17.7-inch).

Rifles that were sold to the US market, feature a 7.6 mm (0.3 inch) extension cap at the end of the barrel due to legal requirements.

Mauser M94, chambered for 6.5x55 SE

Figure 1: Mauser M94, chambered for 6.5x55 SE (Source: https://www.libertytreecollectors.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=7704)

Mauser M94 can be chambered for the following calibres:

6.5x55 SE

The rifle is available in the following variants:

Mauser M94-14
Mauser M94-67
Mauser M94 Skolskjutningskarbin
Mauser M94 Kammarkarbin
Mauser M94/96
Mauser M94 Officers Carbines

Mauser M94 receivers come without holes therefore they must be manually drilled by a gunsmith.

Mauser M94, chambered for 6.5x55 SE

Figure 2: The receiver of Mauser M94, chambered for 6.5x55 SE (Source: https://www.libertytreecollectors.com/productcart/pc/catalog/64M94.3.jpg)

A: /

B: /

C: /

BHU: 2.4 mm

Ø: /

R1: R16,5

R2: R14/30°

Which Rifles Have Interchangeable Mounts

Two-piece mounts

All the rifles listed in the category below have two-piece mounts interchangeable with Mauser M94. To meet interchangeability conditions, two-piece mounts must match in all dimensions except the B distance. B distance can vary because two-piece mounts can be installed and adjusted closer or further apart. Rifles that meet such criteria are:

Mauser M96
Mauser M38
Mauser M41

One-piece mounts

All the rifles listed in the category below have one-piece mounts interchangeable with Mauser M94. For one-piece mounts to fit on a rifle, mounting surfaces on these rifles must match in every dimension. Rifles that share the same dimensions and mounting surface with Mauser M94 are:

Mauser M96
Mauser M38
Mauser M41

*As the M94 comes without holes on the receiver, the interchangeability conditions depend on the overall length and shape of the receiver.

Our Recommendations for Mounts

Picatinny Rails

The holes on the receiver of Mauser M94 must be manually drilled. This Picatinny rail made by the German company EAW can be of great help in determining the drilling position on the receiver. It is made of high-quality steel and comes with a thirty-year warranty.

Help Us Build Our Riflescope Mounts Database

If you happen to own this or any other rifle, we would appreciate it if you could help us expand our database by sending us some photos of the rifle receiver (the bare mounting surface of the rifle without the mounts installed). For your help, our company offers a fair return in terms of practical rewards.

Please send us an email for more information. You can contact us here: info@optics-trade.eu

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EGW Swedish Mauser 3 Hole w/ Hump Picatinny Rail, 20 MOA

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VIDEO

Introduction

In recent years we can observe that a trend of Picatinny rail has become widespread and global. It is driven by the NATO standardized rails, more commonly known as the Picatinny rail standard. Picatinny rail being the New Jersey Arsenal that developed it in 1995.

These mounting options are revolutionary. The biggest and best advantage being that the Picatinny rail can be used its entire length and not bordered to a few pre-designed slots like for example the Weaver rail standard was before.

The other main advantage is the ease of use and interchangeability. If a product is meant for a Picatinny rail design it will fit all Picatinny-rails, no matter the manufacturer or date of production.

Picatinny/Weaver Rail

Picatinny Rail and Weaver rail profile

Design

The Picatinny rail is almost exclusively crafted from a single piece of metal (in some cases aluminum). In this manner, the axis of the Picatinny rail is perfectly straight and aligned with the axis of the firearm. Therefore the rifle scope which is mounted onto this kind of configuration is certainly aligned with the rifle / gun and the trajectory of the ammunition.

Weaver rail design on the other hand is usually manufactured in two separate pieces, greatly increasing the possibilities for the axis to be crooked, overlapping, and out of line.

It is always harder to align two separate pieces to a third line than it is to align one piece to another. In this way, the lapping of two mounting rings on a single-piece Picatinny rail is no longer required.

The single-piece rail will assure that both rings are perfectly aligned to each other and that no unwished stress is transferred to the riflescope.

Picatinny compare to Weaver Rail

The Picatinny rail itself is an evolutionary step forward from the older Weaver rail. The main difference between Picatinny rail and Weaver rail is the spacing of the slots. Picatinny rail design has them evenly placed exactly 5.23 mm from one slot to the other, 3 mm deep. For this reason, the mounting options are repeatable and the same as other firearms using the Picatinny rail standard.

Interchangeability was a major driving force in the development of the new standard as different NATO armies need to be compatible with each other.

Weaver rail has 3.8mm wide slots and these slots can be placed anywhere on the Weaver rail and in any number that the producer wished.

Advantages of Picatinny design

A big advantage for using the Picatinny rail design is the ever-present recoil stop. Furthermore, the manufacturing of the rail is not very technically demanding and can be done without the use of state-of-the-art machines which greatly reduces the cost of the finished product, making it very affordable.

The Picatinny rail is easy to mount and usually, this type of configuration does not transfer negative stresses and forces from the fired weapon to the rifle scope.

In addition, the Picatinny rail with its very long useable surface works well for mounting longer rifle scopes or to achieve optimum eye relief.

The durability and toughness are other big pluses for this solution.

Manufacturers of Popular Models

A majority of the Picatinny rings are fixed, but a number of best rated European manufacturers (EAW, MAK,..) have, in recent years, put a lot of effort into the development of detachable ring with100% repeatability, with which it becomes easy to remove the scope from the weapon without the use of tools.

No re-zeroing is needed with such mount options, but these models tend to be expensive.

Weaver and Picatinny Rings

Picatinny rail and weaver rail share one more thing. It is possible to use the Weaver ring and the Picatinny ring on the Picatinny-rails, but it is usually impossible to use the Picatinny ring on the Weaver base. The reason being the above-mentioned positioning and spacing of the slots.

Picatinny mounts have a 5mm recoil stop that goes into the rail slot and since
Weaver rail only has 3.8mm wide slots such rings do not fit on Weaver rails.

Due to this reason, the Picatinny-rails are popular and prevailing on the market in recent years and eventually, these options will completely oust the Weaver rail from the market.

Mauser M94 (1894)

About the Mauser

Mauser M94 (Swedish Carbine) Rifle Review

Mauser M94 can be chambered for the following calibres:

The rifle is available in the following variants: