Zastava M1899
Zastava Arms · Rifle · Out Of Production · 1899
Also known as: Serbian Mauser M1899, Model 1899 Serbian Mauser, Puška M1899, Mauser M1899
Overview
The Zastava M1899 is a Serbian bolt-action service rifle chambered in 7x57mm Mauser, built on the small-ring 1893/95-pattern Mauser action with a flush five-round staggered internal magazine loaded by stripper clip. Adopted by the Kingdom of Serbia in 1899 to replace its obsolete M1880 Mauser-Koka rifles, the original order of roughly 90,000 was manufactured under contract by DWM (Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabriken) in Germany, with delivery completed by the end of 1900. It served as Serbia's principal infantry rifle through the Balkan Wars and the opening campaigns of the First World War.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3900 g (137.6 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1235 mm (48.62") |
| Barrel Length | 740 mm (29.13") |
| Action Type | Bolt Action |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 5 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Internal |
| Muzzle Velocity | 700 m/s (2297 fps) |
| Effective Range | 500 m (547 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 2000 m (2187 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Rifling Twist | 220 mm (8.66") |
| Number of Grooves | 4 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 7x57mm Mauser · primary — also known as 7mm Mauser, .275 Rigby, 7x57
Features
- Firing modes: Repeating
- Feed systems: Stripper Clip, Internal Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Wing Safety
- Features: Small Ring Receiver, Flush Staggered Internal Magazine, Stripper Clip Loading, Tangent Leaf Rear Sight
Variants
- M1899/07 - Improved
- M1899 Carbine - Carbine
Service history
Operators
- Kingdom of Serbia · adopted 1899 · as Puška M1899
- Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
Conflicts
- First Balkan War (1912-1913)
- Second Balkan War (1913)
- World War I (1914-1918)
Production
Estimated total produced: 90,000 · Production years: 1899-1900
Original Serbian contract of about 90,000 rifles delivered by DWM by the end of 1900, with a further order placed in 1906; much of the stock was lost during the Serbian army's 1915 retreat to Corfu
Origin
Country of origin: Serbia
Designer: Paul Mauser
Discontinued: 1910
Notes
Although branded as a Serbian (later Zastava/Kragujevac arsenal) pattern, the 90,000 original M1899 rifles were built by DWM because Mauser's own Oberndorf plant was at capacity; the 7x57mm chambering was chosen partly for faster delivery. An additional order followed in 1906, and the improved M1899/07 and Gewehr-98-based Model 1910 succeeded it. Empty weight and length figures vary slightly between sources.
Background
Ian McCollum has likened the well-armed but outnumbered Serbs of 1914, fielding their modern 7x57mm M1899 Mausers against Austria-Hungary, to the Boers of the South African War - a small nation whose soldiers were dangerously good shots with first-rate Mauser rifles.