Editing Mauser (section)

== History ==
King [[Frederick I of Württemberg]] founded the enterprise as Königliche Waffen Schmieden (literally: Royal Weapons Forges) on 31 July 1811. Originally located partly at [[Ludwigsburg]] and partly at Christophsthal, the factory was transferred to the former Augustine Cloister in [[Oberndorf am Neckar]], where Andreas Mauser worked as the master gunsmith.<ref name="Sportsman">{{cite web|title= Wilhelm & Peter Paul Mauser|url=http://sportsmansvintagepress.com/read-free/mauser-rifles-pistols-table-of-contents/historical-forward/|website= sportsmansvintagepress.com|access-date= 28 February 2017}}</ref><ref name="History" />  Of his seven sons who worked with him there, Peter Paul Mauser showed an outstanding ability to develop methods of operation that were faster and more efficient. His older brother Wilhelm assumed many of his father's duties as he became ill.<ref name="Sportsman" />

=== Early years ===
Peter Paul Mauser, often called [[Paul Mauser]], was born on 27 June 1838 in Oberndorf am Neckar, [[Württemberg]]. His brother  [[Wilhelm Mauser|Wilhelm]] was four years older. Another brother, Franz Mauser, went to America in 1853 with his sister and worked at [[E. Remington and Sons]].<ref name="Sportsman" />{{sfn|Olson|1976|pp=1–3}}

Paul was conscripted in 1859 as an artilleryman at the Ludwigsburg arsenal, where he worked as a gunsmith. By December 1859, he had so impressed his superiors that he was placed on inactive military service and assigned to the royal factory at Oberndorf. Paul engaged his older brother Wilhelm in working on a new gun system during their spare time after work. Paul was the engineer and designer, while Wilhelm took on the task of manager for their interests with the Oberndorf factory.<ref name="Sportsman" />

Paul's first invention was a cannon and its ammunition. During his entire career, he had a unique ability to produce both the gun and the ammunition for it. Following the success of the [[Dreyse needle gun]] (''Zündnadelgewehr''), Paul turned his energies to improving on that design and producing a new one. Paul and Wilhelm had separated due to differences during this time. After Paul developed a new turning-bolt design, Wilhelm was impressed enough to rejoin the business and succeeded in obtaining the financing to purchase machinery and continue development. While the original needle gun used a pin that pierced the base of the cartridge to ignite the primer in the middle, Mauser soon developed a needle that ignited the charge at the base, a superior design.<ref name="Sportsman" />

==== U.S. patent ====
Locally, the Dreyse needle gun had just been adopted, so the brothers turned to the Austrian ambassador to try to sell their own gun; the ambassador forwarded their new gun to Vienna for testing. It was here that Norris, an American, of the [[Remington Arms|Remington]] company saw the new Mauser rifle design. In 1867, Norris hired the Mauser brothers to go to Liège to work on a new design. Norris also stipulated that patents were to be taken out in his name and that a royalty would be paid to the Mauser brothers for rifles sold. Norris was convinced that he could sell the design to the French to convert their Chassepot rifles. The Norris-Mauser patent was taken out in the United States. Remington was outraged at this behavior by Norris and never made an effort to sell the new rifle.<ref name="Sportsman" />

Based on the Dreyse needle gun, Paul developed a rifle with a turn-bolt mechanism that cocked the gun as it was manipulated by the user. The rifle initially used a firing needle; a later version used a firing pin and a rear-ignition cartridge.{{sfn|Olson|1976|p= 3}} The rifle was shown to the Austrian War Ministry by Samuel Norris of E. Remington & Sons. Norris believed the design could be adapted to convert [[Chassepot]] needle guns to fire metallic cartridges. Shortly thereafter, a partnership was formed in  Oberndorf between Norris and the Mauser brothers.{{sfn|Olson|1976|p=4}} The partners went to [[Liège]] in 1867, but when the French government showed no interest in a Chassepot conversion, the partnership dissolved. Paul Mauser returned to Oberndorf in December 1869, and Wilhelm arrived in April 1870.{{sfn|Olson|1976|p= 5}} Before leaving Liège, the Mausers insisted that he submit the rifle to Royal Prussian School of Riflemanship. The results were impressive and Wilhelm was invited to the arsenal at Spandau.

==== Model M/71 ====
Paul and Wilhelm Mauser continued development of their new rifle in Paul's father-in-law's home.{{sfn|Olson|1976|p=5}} The Mauser rifle was accepted by the [[Prussia]]n government on 2 December 1871, and was accepted for service on 14 February 1872, after a requested design change to the safety lock.{{sfn|Olson|1976|p=5}} The Mauser brothers received an order for 3,000 rifle sights, but actual production of the rifle was given to government arsenals and large firms. The sights were produced at the Xaver Jauch house starting 1 May 1872. After an order for 100,000 rifle sights was received from the Bavarian Rifle Factory at [[Amberg]], the Mauser brothers began negotiations to purchase the Württemberg Royal Armoury. A delay in the purchase forced them to buy real estate overlooking the  [[Neckar|Neckar River Valley]], where the upper works was built that same year. A house in Oberndorf was also rented to fulfill the Bavarian order.{{sfn|Olson|1976|p=5}}

==== Acquisition of Königlich Württembergische Gewehrfabrik ====
The [[Königlich Württembergische Gewehrfabrik]] was acquired on May 23, 1874, after an agreement between the Württemberg government and the Mausers to produce 100,000 Model 71 rifles. The partnership of Mauser Brothers and Company was formed between the Württemberg Vereinsbank of [[Stuttgart]] and Paul and Wilhelm Mauser on February 5, 1874. By 23 May 1874, the Mauser partnership had three factories in Oberndorf.{{sfn|Olson|1976|pp=5–7}}

Wilhelm Mauser suffered from health problems throughout his life, which were aggravated by his frequent business travels. A combination of these led to his death on 13 January 1882.{{sfn|Smith|1990|p= 14}} The partnership became a stock company with the name of Waffenfabrik Mauser on 1 April 1884.{{sfn|Olson|1976|p=9}} The shares held by the Württemberg Vereinsbank and Paul Mauser were sold to Ludwig Löwe & Company on 28 December 1887, and Paul Mauser stayed as the technical leader.{{sfn|Olson|1976|p=9}} Ludwig Löwe & Company was fifty per cent owner of [[Fabrique Nationale d'Armes de Guerre]], a company formed in 1889 to manufacture Mauser rifles for the Belgian government.{{sfn|Olson|1976|p= 9}} [[Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken]] A.G. (DWM) formed on 7 November 1896 as a merger of Ludwig Löwe & Company A.G., Deutsche Metallpatronenfabrik A.G., Rheinisch-Westfälischen Powder Company, and Rottweil-Hamburg Powder Company.{{sfn|Olson|1976|p= 10}} Mauser A.G. was formed on 23 April 1897. After World War II, DWM was renamed Industrie-Werke Karlsruhe A.G. (IWK).{{sfn|Olson|1976|p= 10}}