Belgian Mauser M1889
- Category
- Rifle
- Barrel
- 780 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.00 kg
- Introduced
- 1889
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Belgian Mauser M1889 is a bolt-action service rifle adopted by Belgium in 1889 and the design that launched Fabrique Nationale de Herstal, the company founded that same year to manufacture it. Chambered in the then-modern 7.65x53mm Mauser cartridge, it was the first Mauser to combine a single-column box magazine with stripper-clip charging, fed from a protruding five-round magazine ahead of the trigger guard. Its most distinctive feature was a thin sheet-steel jacket enclosing the barrel, intended to protect and prolong barrel life. The M1889 armed Belgian forces through both World Wars and remained in service in modernized 1889/36 form well into the 1940s.
The Model 1889 contract was the reason Fabrique Nationale de Herstal was founded, establishing the Belgian firm that would become one of the world's foremost arms makers. In 1914 the rifle famously equipped the Belgian defenders who slowed the German advance, earning it a reputation as a rifle that helped save Paris.
The barrel jacket, while distinctive, trapped moisture and promoted rust; later patterns abandoned it. The rifle was produced not only by FN but also by other Belgian and licensed makers including Hopkins & Allen during World War I.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- FN Herstal
- Category
- Rifle
- Country
- Belgium
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1889 to 1936
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 780 mm
- Overall length
- 1295 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.00 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Bolt action
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single action
- Capacity
- 5
- Magazine
- Fixed box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 610 m/s
- Effective range
- 500 m
- Maximum range
- 2000 m
- Rate of fire
- 10 rpm
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Barrel jacket
Stripper clip loading
Protruding box magazine
Open sights
Controlled round feed
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 1,612 rifles | 4.00 kg | 3.50 kg | Heavier than about 70% |
| Overall lengthAmong 1,557 rifles | 1295 mm | 1080 mm | Longer than about 90% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 1,659 rifles | 780 mm | 584 mm | Longer than about 80% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 1,611 rifles | 5 | 5 | Holds more rounds than about 60% |
Answers
Questions about the Belgian Mauser M1889
How much does the Belgian Mauser M1889 weigh?
The Belgian Mauser M1889 weighs 4.00 kg (8.82 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Belgian Mauser M1889?
The Belgian Mauser M1889 is chambered in 7.65x53mm Argentine.
How many rounds does the Belgian Mauser M1889 hold?
The Belgian Mauser M1889 holds 5 rounds, fed from a fixed box magazine.
How long is the Belgian Mauser M1889?
The Belgian Mauser M1889 is 1295 mm (51.0 in) long overall, with a 780 mm (30.7 in) barrel.
Who makes the Belgian Mauser M1889?
The Belgian Mauser M1889 is made by FN Herstal (Belgium). It was designed by Paul Mauser.
When was the Belgian Mauser M1889 introduced?
The Belgian Mauser M1889 was introduced in 1889 and discontinued in 1936.
How does the Belgian Mauser M1889 operate?
The Belgian Mauser M1889 uses a bolt action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- Belgian Army
- 1889
- Belgian Congo Force Publique
- Congo - Kinshasa
Provenance
Confidence in this record
78%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/belgian-mauser-m1889' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "belgian-mauser-m1889", "name": "Belgian Mauser M1889", "manufacturer": { "id": "fn-herstal", "name": "FN Herstal", "countryCode": "BE", "foundedYear": 1889, "website": "https://www.fnherstal.com", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:38", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:43:43", "version": "868b12ac455d24b965edddf486bafb1892f606961311b1ab9907556e3a23b075" }, "category": { "id": "rifle", "name": "Rifle", "description": "Long-barreled firearms designed for accurate shooting" }, "country_of_origin": "BE", "year_introduced": 1889, "barrel_length_mm": 780, "weight_empty_g": 4000, "action_type": "bolt_action"}