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Mauser Köln Grenade rifle

genkideskan

Active member
In the WTS Koblenz survived this grenade rifle. I know two more in collections.
Any informations?
 

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Grenade launching?

I'm not sure it's a grenade launcher... Looks more like a line throwing gun for shooting a line from ship to ship. Maybe a Kriegsmarine piece? No grenade sight, but I can't see the other side..
 
I agree, a line thrower, - have seen several for sale, and one really neat one based upon a 1914 Mauser Oberndorf receiver.

Not sure if these were made original or conversions, as i have seen nothing in books describing the modell, but this 1914 MO doesn't seem to have the typical fireproof or acceptance, which would indicate to me this receiver was never used for a rifle.

Not sure where I poached the pics, but off an internet auction site, I think in the UK or Germany?
 

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Very nice - some more excist. It is no line thrower. There are several dokuments surviving talking about grenade rifles. Mauser Köln received some systems for trials- these systems nerver where used in rifles. A register card of the Mauser Köln collection survived, too. With picture and clearly signed as Granat Gewehr. We wonder about the barrel thread and oval apertures.
The next trick is that Ive found some interesting pics showing very similar rifles used at the german 8cm Mortar in WW2. It is an aiming tube system. Look at the pics.
These training system fired a small 36mm diameter mortar bomb.
 

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Hello,
no idea what this is, but might be something like a grenade rifle. On Gew.98 basis?
Wolf
 

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Pretty cool pic Wolfgang!

Makes me have second thoughts about the line thrower, but Heidler's book doesn't have such a grenade launcher? At least not in his first book, - have not gotten his 2nd book.

I collect period pictures too and have never seen such a rifle, until your picture.
 
Looks to me from the picts. to be a sub cal. training devise...BILL
 

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Thanks, I look forward to Heidler's new book, he is first rate and deserves all of our support. A first class researcher!
 
Pretty cool pic Wolfgang!

Makes me have second thoughts about the line thrower, but Heidler's book doesn't have such a grenade launcher? At least not in his first book, - have not gotten his 2nd book.

I collect period pictures too and have never seen such a rifle, until your picture.

Paul ; in the picture it appears to be an 86 lebel action...not a gew98. So could it be an item captured form the french ?.
 
Not sure Bill? The picture is a very low-resolution picture and I honestly have no earthly idea?

Really outside of what I study, my files on French small arms are minimal, - I like the French Army of both World Wars (French politics were always another story though- France hasn't had good political leadership ever) but their small arms were butt ugly (imo).

I do have a neat little article from 1917 regarding the French instructing the AEF on the use of grenades, and it shows a few pics of French soldiers demonstrating the throwing of grenades and outlining their doctrine. But although the use of grenade rifles is outlined, doctrine mostly, no pictures of their equipment are shown.

I also have half a dozen images of improvised French grenade tossing devices (early war pics)- from the weird and primitive to the "looking more dangerous to the thrower than the target".

Anyway, nothing like this rifle variation?

BTW, Bruce Canfield's Gun Report article on the V-B (Viven & Bessiere) grenade is revealing in that it says the adoption of the AEF of the V-B was in July 1917, a couple months before the article I referred to above was written. So I assume the above article is about the V-B grenade? (not something like in Wolfgang's picture). Canfield doesn't say when the V-B was designed but I assume in 1916, as grenade rifles were used by the French at Verdun (according to the May 1917 article)
 

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Just an update, but Visier 2/2011 has an article, "Mauser-Katapultiergewehr für Handgranaten" by Michael Heidler& Andreas Skrobanek that shows this grenade launcher. Many cool pics and even another Mauser Oberndorf/1914 like I posted images of above. (one serial number off - imaged here is 686, in the article 687!)

Cool little article, and though I have not fumbled through a translation yet I saw some interesting comments that I could make out.
 
Without doubt French Lebel modified by German to flare gun !
Very well know piece by Flare Guns collector ...
Good eyes Wolfgang !
 

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