Paul Mauser

Peter Paul von Mauser (1838 to 1914) was a German weapon designer, manufacturer, industrialist and politician. Born in Oberndorf am Neckar in the Kingdom of Württemberg, the son of a man who made leather scabbards for the Royal Rifle Factory there, he and his brother Wilhelm became gunsmiths and founded the company Gebr Mauser, which took over the royal manufacture. Together they designed the Mauser Model 1871 rifle, the first metal cartridge weapon of the German Empire, with Wilhelm handling the business and Paul proving the more capable engineer. His bolt action designs led to the Gewehr 98 and Karabiner 98k, and he also designed the C78 revolver, the C96 pistol, one of the first semi-automatic pistols, and two high-performance rifle cartridges. Mauser rifles were adopted by Spain, Sweden, Belgium and many countries in Latin America. He sat in the Reichstag from 1898 to 1903 and lost his left eye in a cartridge explosion in 1901.