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Chilean Navy Mausers M1895

32K views 87 replies 27 participants last post by  geladen 
#1 ·
Hello everybody. This is my first post. I have a Chilean Navy Mauser M1895 and I'm trying to find out how many there are out there. Kind of an informal survey of those that have them and their original serial number. There just isn't a lot available on the Internet about them. I'm hoping to create here a well of information for us to draw from. Also, if you have one please describe what configuration it is in, caliber (7x57mm or 7.62 NATO), numbers matching or not, condition. You know tell us about you rare little gem.

I will start us off. My Chilean Navy Mauser is a 95/61, meaning it was converted to 7.62 NATO in 1961. The serial number is 318. I bought it for $50 from a guy who was selling his grandfather's collection for his grandmother. This rifle had been stored in an attic for many years. The forearm of the stock was broken and a piece was missing. The wrist had a couple linear cracks and the butt had drying cracks. The bluing had all gone to motled grey. She was in pretty rough condition when I got her. I have since replaced the stock and obtained a replacement rear sight slider. I have taken her to the rangeand put 10 rounds of .308 through her and she shoots 3-4" at 100 yds with off the shelf ammo. This was my first antique firearm and I refer to her as the "Grey Lady" of my small collection. I just couldn't let her deteriorate to relic condition. She may not be the finest example of The Mauser art, but she is mine.

I forget to mention earlier that my Chilean Navy Mauser was made by Loewe. The numbers are not matching. The barrel is the 29" long rifle configuration.

So your turn, tell us what you have and its story...
 
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#3 ·
Hello geladen, thank you for asking. I'm including the crest, a star over an anchor is the symbol the Chilean Navy used while their Army used the Chilean Coat of Arms. I have a couple other pics I would like to post, but I haven't figured out how to do that from the iPad I'm using, yet.

 
#4 ·
Hello geladen. Thanks for the request for a pic. I tried to respond with a pic of the crest, a star above an anchor, but it appears to be waiting for a moderator to approve. Maybe because I'm new or maybe because to image was in the text and not an attachment. I haven't figured out how to do attachments to here from my iPad yet. I just thought I would send a reply without a pic in the event the one with the pic gets rejected. If it didn't show up, I wasn't ignoring your request.
 
#8 ·
As John said, your rifle is confirmed as Chilean Navy. Consider yourself lucky. I have only seen photos of the crest and I have never seen a Chilean Navy rifle for sale in either caliber.

It does not surprise me that John has two. Here is a photo of his attic:
;)
 

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#5 ·
Hi 2mnydgs,
Welcome to the Mauser Forum! The crest you described and the three digit serial number (without letter prefix or suffix) are certainly acharacteristics of a genuine Chilean Navy !895. I have only seen a few of these rare rifles, and they have had the features:

1. The crest is a 5-pointed start over a large fouled anchor

2. All have been refurbished, restocked and reblued. The butt plate was rebued but the bolt, cleaning rod and follower were left in the white.

3. The stocks have also been sanded and text imprinted on the riight side of the stock may have been there originally.

4. During refurbishment, repairs were made, and old mismatched numbers on the reciever and trigger guard assembly were neatly removed and re-stamped, and the stock was stamped with a crisp new Chilean start acceptance mark. It is quite possible that these may have been assembled in Chile from existing stores.

5.The stock was renumbered (#119) where the old number was, on the left side of the stock, just below the receiver ring. Same for the rematching of the numberis on the bolt handle.

6. I acquired my two from very large collections being auctioned as estate sales, between 1999 and 2008. The last owners died before they could pass on thier history unfortunately.

7. Both were Ludwig Loewe patent models M1895 long rifles with the third locking surface.

8. Both were 7 m/m.

9. The second Navy 95 I purchased came with a bayonet which fit the the Mauser bayonet bar and 7 m/m muzzle ring perfectly. It also has a two digit serial number, 98. The bayonet however is the triangular bayonet for the 11 m/m French Mle 1874 Gras infantry rifle. All French marking have been removed or perhaps were never there. It was made in Solingen by Alex Coppell.

Does your rifle appear to have been refurbished?
Regards,
John
 
#12 ·
9. The second Navy 95 I purchased came with a bayonet which fit the the Mauser bayonet bar and 7 m/m muzzle ring perfectly. It also has a two digit serial number, 98. The bayonet however is the triangular bayonet for the 11 m/m French Mle 1874 Gras infantry rifle. All French marking have been removed or perhaps were never there. It was made in Solingen by Alex Coppell.

Regards,
John
Any more to that bayonet story?
 
#6 ·
Thank you John Wall. No, mine was not appear refurbished like a Mosin does. I have a 1924 Spanish copy of a S&W M&P with better bluing. I think you're a lucky man, scoring your two (119 and 98). The receiver might have been reblued in '61, as it does not match the bluing on the barrel or the exposed part of the sight. I just looked at the back of the flip up sight and the bluing matches that of the receiver. I guess it's the high points that get the wear first.
 
#9 ·
Thank you jabber. #15 is pretty low. Sweet.
 
#10 ·
Geladen, I wish my attic looked like that! :)
 
#13 ·
Don't let geladen fool you. THAT is a pic of his attic. John keeps his collection in 75-80 guarded, climate controlled CONEX containers on some secret properties he owns.
 
#17 ·
Don't let geladen fool you. THAT is a pic of his attic. John keeps his collection in 75-80 guarded, climate controlled CONEX containers on some secret properties he owns.

MMan: I've never been in John's attic but I'm told he had a structural engineer in to do stress flow on it's floor to walls.....

Regarding the attic, the house is a well-built 12 room Victorian dating from 1876 which thankfully has a large walk-in space in 3 big rooms with flooring made of chestnut planks 18 inches wide. No CONEX containers...yet.
Regards,
John
 
#18 ·
John, thanks for sizing the pics and posting them. I hope others will post pics of there rifles and help deepen the pool of knowledge about them.
 
#34 · (Edited)
Observe, two Navy Mausers, one a long rifle and the other one a short rifle.
HTH
Okrana
Hi Okrana,
Many thanks for your information on the Navy rifles...an excellent find!! Is there any chance that pictures of the short rifle could be made? I wonder if there is any information on the conversion program in Chile?

Are there any Gunboards members in Chile on the Mauser Forum?
Regards,
John
 
#24 ·
Hi All
I have Chilean Navy rifle # 57, Loewe, 95 Action, 7 MM.Star over Anchor crest. condition is well used, good- very good.Complete mis-match, not renumbered to match. Mis-matched stock, is worn original finish with 1895 Chilean crest on left flat and ships name stamped on Rt. flat, " Blanco Encalada" over "50" in large letters. On butt plate tang its marked "B.E.C." over "3.C." over 241. I think I agree with John, that these were probably reworked and crest stamped in Chili.

Jim Petrie
 
#36 ·
A small addition: The "B.E.C." might denote "Barco (Or maybe "Buque") de la Escuadra Chilena" or loosely translating it, "Chilean Fleet Ship".

So far, 5 units of the Chilean Navy have carried that name; 1st. was a British-built armored frigate sunk in the Chilean civil war of 1891 (1st. military ship ever to be sunk by a self-propelled torpedo) and last is the frigate FF-15, built in the Low Countries and currently in service since 1993. That said, your rifle could have served in any of the other 3 ships, but probably did in # 2 or #3....my bet is for #2, a cruiser built in 1893 that remained in service with the Chilean Navy until 1945:



Hope you find this little data useful.
 
#26 ·
Thank you. She is the pride of my collection. The crest is on the lock screen of my cell phone. :)
 
#30 ·
Marzon, what is the serial number you rifle was originally given?
 
#32 ·
Wow, I've never heard of one that high before. The highest I've seen claimed was serial number 450.
 
#35 ·


I just happen to find one last week online. Don't know much about them. This one is in 7.62 and numbers don't match.
 
#37 ·
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