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LOT 1455
Excellent and Rare Early
Production, Serial Number 47,
Solid Frame Mauser Model 1878 “Zig-Zag” Single Action
Revolver - Serial no. 47, 10.6 mm cal., 5 3/4 inch round bbl., blue
finish, walnut grips. Developed in 1878, the Model 1878 or C78 “Zig-Zag” revolver
was the first revolver designed and developed by the Mauser firm. This rare example
is the “Zig-Zag” in its earlier form, a solid frame, single action revolver with loading gate
feed, in contrast to the hinged top-break model. An unknown but certainly very limited
number of these solid frame revolvers were made for a short time in 1878 prior to the
introduction of the hinged frame model, of which two separate hinged frame designs are
depicted in German patents, issued a month apart between March and April of 1878 (2564
and 3903), with no known patents issued depicting the solid frame variation as seen here. A competitor to
be the first centerfire cartridge-fed handgun adopted by the German military, the C78 “Zig-Zag” scored high
marks in overall performance, though concerns about the complexity of the design led them to choose the
Model 1879 Reichsrevolver instead. At the heart of the mechanism is the combination of an angular track (the
titular “Zig-Zag”) machined into the side of the cylinder and a toothed reciprocating bar linked to the hammer,
which serves to both advance and lock the cylinder, in contrast to the more commonly seen pawl/sprocket and
stop arrangement. Additionally, the spring responsible for resetting the cocking bar also powers the hammer, replacing
the grip frame mounted leaf spring commonly seen in that era. For loading, the side gate also depresses the tooth of the
bar out of the cylinder track, permitting free spin of the cylinder, with a free-hand ejector pin stored in the cylinder pin to
remove the spent casings.
Fixed half moon blade front sight, integral notch rear sight, with “PATENT” on top of the rear area of the
barrel, two German “crown/V” proofs on the right, and “GEBr MAUSER & Cie OBERNDORF a/N” on the left
side of the frame, with a niter blue safety lever on the left behind the cylinder, and “47” on the front of the
frame, front face of the cylinder, cylinder pin, hammer and loading gate. The knurled hammer and serrated
loading gate are finished in fine case color, with a niter blue trigger, safety lever and screws, a pair of finely
checkered walnut grips, and a lanyard swivel ring on bottom of butt.
CONDITION: Excellent, retains 95% bright original high polish blue finish on the frame and barrel, 85%
original niter blue on the cylinder and safety lever, with some scattered light handling marks and a few
small patches of very minor surface pitting, 97% vivid original case colors on the hammer and loading
gate, and sharp markings and edges in the metal overall. Grips are also excellent with a few minor
handling marks and crisp checkering. Mechanically excellent. A rare and excellent piece of Mauser history
that would make a significant addition in any advanced military firearms collection!
Estimate: 30,000 - 45,000