The 11 MM Mauser

The 11 mm Mauser

One of the earliest bolt action military rifles and of course the forunner of many great Mauser rifles to follow it was designed by the Mauser brothers. The model 71 was the beginning of a long and successful line of rifles. Designed by Paul Mauser and chambered for the hard hitting 11 X 60 cartridge it was originally a single shot. Later on it was modified with a tubular magazine and called the 71/84 and made until the 8 X 57 Commission Rifle officially replaced it in 1888. Like many of the black powder rifles of that period reserve units used it for years after it was replaced by newer weaponry. The Mauser idea was originated in 1867 on the basis of the Dreyse needle gun. The prototypes were based on the Wurttemberg muskets that were modified for metallic cartridges. They were known as the Mauser-Norris rifles because a Remington salesman by the name of Sam Norris had some input into the design. It was at first rejected by Austria-Hungry as well as the Wurttemberg state mostly because of the safety. In 1870 Paul and Wilhelm Mauser submitted an improved design which was approved in 1871 with the understanding that a safety would be provided. The design was officially adopted in March of 1872 and production began shortly afterward. The Bavarian Government ordered 100,000 in May of 1872 from the Amberg factory but they were unable to fill the order timely due to other commitments. Wurttemburg also ordered 100,000 units from the Mauser brothers in late 1873. The Spandau made rifles were produced in quantity in 1875 and presented to the Kaiser. In 1876 the Prussians ordered some 180,000 additional rifles from the Productionsgenossenschaft Suhl. Another order for 100,000 was submitted to the Osterrichische Waffenfabriks-Gesellschaft as well as 75,000 to the National Arms and Ammunition plant located at BirminghamEngland. The English guns had markings of NA & A.CO in a triangle but according to reports only about 6,000 were actually delivered. By 1877 the Osterrichische Waffenfabriks-Gesellschaft factory had made some 477,000 and delivered them to Prussia and Saxony. Also over 25,000 were sold to China as well as other small orders. The regular army rifle has a barrel of 33.65" while carbines sported shorter tubes of 29.5" and 19.9” were used for short rifles and carbines respectively. The model 71 & the 71/84 were manufactured until 1888 and are fairly common today for an antique. I pointed out the vast numbers that were manufactured to give you an idea of their popularity. They are reliable also which enhanced their desirability. If you want to start a collection of old military rifles this is a good place to start. Besides being numerous and fairly easy to find they aren’t real expensive.

It is a common type of bolt action of that period using the bolt handle as the single locking lug. For black powder or light smokeless types of ammo it is adequate. The bolt is easy to remove by a screw and dissemble for cleaning or repair. The bolt cocks on opening which is a good feature in my view. The 71/84 has a few design changes that were necessary for the repeating version. The magazine was a tubular affair capable of holding 9 rounds of ammo underneath the barrel. It was adopted in 1884 and used until 1888 but probably didn’t entirely replace the single shot model 71. There is a lever on the left side of the receiver that when pushed back enables it to be used as a repeater by allowing the bottom of the magazine to drop, giving you access to the tubular magazine. Because of smokeless ammunition developments in 1886 by France the 11 millimeter cartridges were rendered obsolete by 1888.

The cartridge is an 11 mm utilizing a .446 diameter bullet weighing 370 grains in most cases. The military load has a 386 grain bullet launched at 1425 feet per second. Handloads shouldn’t exceed that for best results. There are heavier and lighter bullets available for the handloader from 300 to 385 grains. Ammo supply is spotty though cases are available to the hand loader.   Smokeless ammo has been available until fairly recently and sometimes it can be found. Custom loaders are another source for loaded ammo for those who don’t roll their own.

While factory ammo can sometimes be found handloading is generally the best way to obtain shootable ammo. Cases are available from a couple of sources  Cast bullets can be had from the various sources as well as and probably a couple of other sources. Black powder or a substitute is a good way to start loading to ensure safety. They won’t generate high pressures and are safe given proper loading procedures. The only downside is the clean up afterwards. Black powder and Pyrodex require a through cleaning shortly after shooting to avoid rust and corrosion. I use hot water and dish soap and it works fine. Just be sure to dry it with a little heat and lightly oil to avoid rust. Clean Shot also works well and it can be treated as smokeless powder for clean up purposes. Clean Shot produces a little more velocity and pressure then black powder. All three powders should be slightly compressed for best results. Do not leave airspace with the black powders as that might blow up the gun. Smokeless powders can be loaded if you are careful but keep in mind that most of these rifles are well over a hundred years old and load accordingly. Also the steels used for them while good for its day doesn’t have the strength of modern types. As with shooting any gun safety glasses and ear protection should be used at all times. If you reload your own ammo you should have a through understanding of reloading procedures as you don’t have the margin of error that you might have with a modern gun. This is especially true when utilizing smokeless loads as just a little too much can spike the pressures to dangerous levels. I have loaded smokeless powder with complete satisfaction and I am available if you need info on that or any other info on the gun. It’s also a good idea to have a competent gunsmith examine the weapon for soundness. They were well made for their day but poor storage and other conditions including basement gunsmithing can render them unsafe to fire.

Shooting this cartridge is pretty much like other offerings of the period. Accuracy is good in a rifle that has a good barrel and a load it likes. At 50 yards accuracy can be very respectable often going into a 2” group with 3 to 5 shots. Younger eyes and a studier body can do the same at 100 yards. The ladder sights on my gun were fairly easy to use and are one of the better sights of that period. The double rifle I shot was decently accurate but seemed to have more recoil at least to me. The owner took it to Africa and bagged some game with it showing its effectiveness in the field. The cartridge would definitely be up to the task of bagging large game at reasonable distances given good loads and proper shot placement. Power wise the 11 mm would be equivalent to some of the Sharps rounds of the old west and no one complained about their lack of killing power on buffalo. The secret to their effectiveness is a heavy slow moving bullet at moderate velocity giving a lot of penetration. They don’t have to expand to be effective.

To me shooting these old guns present some interesting challenges to get them shooting. Sometimes you have to scrounge up the brass and bullets. You can’t just go to your local Wal Mart and purchase this ammo. There are a few small companies that provide ammo for such firearms but the best way to obtain ammo is to make your own.

When you go to the range and sit next to someone shooting an AR or AK you get some stares. While you can’t match them in firepower you definitely have the more interesting weapon at least in my opinion. There is something special about shooting a part of history. You can look at your weapon and wonder if it was used in a bygone war and did it shoot anybody? Also another advantage to these guns is they aren’t as regulated as modern weapons.