Serbian Mauser M1899
- Category
- Rifle
- Barrel
- 740 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.03 kg
- Introduced
- 1899
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Serbian Mauser M1899 is a bolt-action service rifle adopted by the Kingdom of Serbia in 1899 and chambered for the 7x57mm Mauser cartridge. Based on the Mauser Model 1895 pattern, it used a turning-bolt action feeding from a five-round integral box magazine loaded by stripper clip. Because the Mauser factory at Oberndorf was at capacity filling a Turkish contract, the full Serbian order of roughly 90,000 rifles was produced by Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabriken (DWM) of Berlin and delivered by the end of 1900. It served as the standard infantry rifle of the Serbian Army through the Balkan Wars and the First World War.
Serbia favored the 7x57mm Mauser, the same cartridge and small-bore smokeless concept that the Boers had used to devastating effect against the British in South Africa, giving the Serbian infantry a flat-shooting modern rifle on the eve of the Balkan Wars.
Many M1899 rifles were later rebuilt at the state arsenal in Kragujevac as the M1899/07. The M1899 cartridge predated the universal Serbian adoption of the rimmed conversions, and these early 7x57mm rifles are sometimes called the Mauser-Koka after the Serbian officer who oversaw the program.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabriken
- Category
- Rifle
- Country
- Serbia
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1899 to 1900
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 740 mm
- Overall length
- 1230 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.03 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Bolt action
- Firing mechanism
- Striker fired
- Trigger
- Single action
- Capacity
- 5
- Magazine
- Internal
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Walnut
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 700 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 2744 J
- Effective range
- 500 m
- Maximum range
- 2000 m
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.
- Charger loading
Five round integral magazine
Controlled round feed
Tangent rear sight
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 | 4.03 kg | 3.50 kg | Heavier than about 70% |
| Overall lengthAmong 1,557 rifles | 1230 mm | 1080 mm | Longer than about 80% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 1,659 rifles | 740 mm | 584 mm | Longer than about 80% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 1,611 rifles | 5 | 5 | Holds more rounds than about 60% |
Answers
Questions about the Serbian Mauser M1899
How much does the Serbian Mauser M1899 weigh?
The Serbian Mauser M1899 weighs 4.03 kg (8.88 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Serbian Mauser M1899?
The Serbian Mauser M1899 is chambered in 7x57mm Mauser.
How many rounds does the Serbian Mauser M1899 hold?
The Serbian Mauser M1899 holds 5 rounds, fed from an internal magazine.
How long is the Serbian Mauser M1899?
The Serbian Mauser M1899 is 1230 mm (48.4 in) long overall, with a 740 mm (29.1 in) barrel.
Who makes the Serbian Mauser M1899?
The Serbian Mauser M1899 is made by Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabriken (Germany). It was designed by Paul Mauser.
When was the Serbian Mauser M1899 introduced?
The Serbian Mauser M1899 was introduced in 1899 and discontinued in 1900.
How does the Serbian Mauser M1899 operate?
The Serbian Mauser M1899 uses a bolt action, and its firing mechanism is striker 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
- Kingdom of Serbia
- 1899
- Kingdom of Yugoslavia
- 1918
Provenance
Confidence in this record
82%
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/serbian-mauser-m1899' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "serbian-mauser-m1899", "name": "Serbian Mauser M1899", "manufacturer": { "id": "dwm", "name": "Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabriken", "countryCode": "DE", "foundedYear": 1896, "website": null, "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 03:43:46", "version": "7cfb751b3442f70419ba1766515e0f6e8c2499f702bd54086c3c8a69e42cd903" }, "category": { "id": "rifle", "name": "Rifle", "description": "Long-barreled firearms designed for accurate shooting" }, "country_of_origin": "RS", "year_introduced": 1899, "barrel_length_mm": 740, "weight_empty_g": 4030, "action_type": "bolt_action"}