The name Mauser strikes a chord with any firearms enthusiast. The iconic Mauser brothers set the standard for what a bolt action rifle should be. Strong, safe, and accurate. These two mechanical geniuses took the world by storm with their rifles and had them adopted by countless countries.
Many great books have been written about Mausers, in fact, I have 12 books on my bookshelf that just cover the Mauser bolt action. Mauser Bolt Rifles by Ludwig Olson is one of the best.
Originally printed in 1976, it is on its 3rd edition and 15th printing. Many of the other great Mauser books reference Olson’s work presented here. This book is a great resource for those looking to gain in-depth knowledge of the various Mauser bolt action rifles. The 372-page book covers most of the models and variations and relies heavily on imagery to help tell the full story. This is the best introduction to the Mauser rifle in book form that I have found.
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Highlights
Imagery – There are 672 photos, diagrams, schematics, and drawings in this book. The text is great but the imagery really sets it apart. Although most of the photos are black and white, they are detailed enough to find what you are looking for. This also makes it very easy to navigate the book if looking for information on a particular model or variation.
Organization – The best part about this book is the way it is organized. It is in chronological order starting with the black powder Mauser designs. This gives you a great understanding of how the Mauser evolved and what features were deemed necessary and unnecessary. You get a great look at what was going through the Mauser brothers’ heads during the development of each model.
Information – The information in this book is invaluable. This book is not going to give you detailed collector information on different stamps and marking variations. While it does have some receiver markings, it is nowhere near as exhaustive as Mauser Military Rifles of the World. Instead, it gives you a look at the mechanical variations in a well-thought-out timeline. I find that this book tends to be my starting point when trying to identify a Mauser to find the correct parts. Especially with those Turkish Mausers that have so many different models and variations.
This book doesn’t just cover military Mausers. There are 76-pages on commercial sporters and cartridges, as well as a whole chapter on the different rimfire variations.
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Final Thoughts
This book is a great addition to any library. It is the perfect introduction to the various Mauser actions and will give you a solid foundation to build on. Some of you will find that this book has everything you wanted to know about the Mauser, while others will use it to jump into Mauser collecting. As I mentioned before, there are a ton of Mauser books on the market but I find this to be the most complete in covering them overall.
Written by: Kurt Martonik
Kurt is a Gunsmith, Reloader, Hunter, and Outdoorsman. He grew up in Elk County, Pennsylvania, where he became obsessed with the world of firearms. Following high school, Kurt enlisted in the United States Air Force as a Boom Operator, where he eventually rose to the position of Instructor. After his military service, he attended the Colorado School of Trades(CST) in Lakewood, CO for gunsmithing. Following graduation, he accepted a job at C. Sharps Arms in Montana, where he worked as a full time stockmaker and gunsmith.