O.V.S. marked Mauser from the 1890's

[Aussie_Perth]

Hi everyone

I would love to own an O.V.S Boer Mauser at some point in my life. Curious to see who owns some of them and see some pictures of it. Although I'm now a proud Aussie, I was born a proud Boer and will always be one.

Cheers
Aussie_Perth

[Bad Ass Wallace]

I don't have a Mauser but I do have a few old LE's and Martini Enfields of that period. It's funny that the Australian contingents to that war party were from individual State militias and not the ADF that we know today. I have a Qld marked LE (BSA 1900) and an Qld Enfield marked CCI (Calavery Carbine MK1)of 1898.

As part of the British Empire, the Australian colonies offered troops for the war in South Africa. Australians served in contingents raised by the six colonies or, from 1901, by the new Australian Commonwealth. Australians served mostly in mounted units formed in each colony before despatch, or in South Africa itself. The Australian contribution took the form of five waves. The first were the contingents raised by the Australian colonies in response to the outbreak of war in 1899, which often drew heavily on the men in the militia of the colonial forces.

Queensland had offered troops in July, and the same month Britain had requested the participation of New South Wales and Victoria. Each of the colonies ultimately sent between four and six contingents. The first groups arrived in South Africa between November 1899 and March 1900; the second between December 1899 and February 1900; the third between April and May 1900; and the fourth between May and June 1900. The 4th Tasmanian, 6th Queensland, South Australian, and Western Australian contingents did not reach South Africa until March–April 1901.

[Aussie_Perth]

Bad Wallace, in more than a 100 years since then, I still think our states operate like individual countries.
I hated history at school, but I'm now sorry that I haven't paid more attention.

[Bad Ass Wallace]

Bad Wallace, in more than a 100 years since then, I still think our states operate like individual countries.
I hated history at school, but I'm now sorry that I haven't paid more attention.

You can say that again, every time they have daylight saving the other states put their clocks forward 1 hour, and Qld puts its clocks back 23hrs!

[elk hunter]

AP,

I haven't ever owned or even seen Boer Mauser for sale but do know they are out there. I did see one last year in South Africa, the PH we hunted with had one. Interesting man and rifle, the wife let him shoot up the remainder of her 7 MM ammunition when we finished hunting.

Good luck with finding your Mauser.

[blikseme300]

The reason that many of us Boers dislike the Australians is that they were too often the people that were involved in the burning down of farm homesteads and forcing the women and children into concentration camps. More women and children died in these camps than all the Boer men killed in combat. I am a descendant of the war and camp survivors. The English dogs are just that, dogs. Forgive but never forget. "Ek sal vergewe maar nooit vergeet."

[Der Gebirgsjager]

I know what it's like to really want a certain firearm that is hard to locate. I really wish I could help you in your search for a Boer Mauser. There was a time when they were sold here in the States in great quantity. I remember looking at the photographically illustrated ads with interest and curiosity, but never acquired one myself, as I already owned a couple of ex-military rifles in 7x57mm. I recall that many of them had the owner's names and units carved into the stocks and some had very artistic carvings of animals, etc. Honestly, most of my fellow firearms enthusiasts shied away from the "trench art" stocks and wanted them to be "as-issued", but I believe that some began to collect them just for the carvings, and I imagine that there are some very nice collections. I haven't seen one in years, probably since the 1970s, although they must still be around. Unfortunately, even if I saw one at a gun show or advertised for sale it would be difficult or impossible to export to Australia. So, all I can do is to wish you well in your search and remind you of an old saying, "Everything comes to he who waits."

[Ballistics in Scotland]

I believe I have seen Boer Mausers on http://www.australianarmsauctions.com/ which were already in Australia. I don't remember whether they were OVS or ZAR (Orange Free State or Transvaal) or whether they were "Veld carved". That is indeed a feature of growing interest to collectors nowadays, and rumoured often to be faked. While the rifles of the main government orders are of good quality, rifles were also bought through all sorts of odd channels. So it is possible that a legitimate Boer government stamp will be found on inferior rifles, or those with other markings too.

I had a Webley revolver sent to me by www.trackofthewolf.com just a few weeks ago, so at least the American end of the export process for pre-1898 firearms is unchanged. A dealer unused to exporting might be hard to convince, though.

Great mistakes were made in the Boer War concentration camps - and rectified by public outcry and a takeover of central government control, which by the end of the was reduced the death rate to 2%, which was less than that of many European and American cities. The same mistakes were made in the British military camps, where deaths from disease were around twice as numerous as those in combat.

Colonel Deneys Reitz, commander of the First Battalion of the Royal Scots Fusiliers and a future Imperial cabinet minister, visited Dublin in uniform, while awaiting demobilisation after an extremely hard war in France. Rebellion was in the air, and he was visited in his hotel by several hard-faced Irishmen who invited him to travel for the good of his health. I don't know if he found it necessary to mention that he had almost certainly killed more British soldiers, in his teens than any Irishman who ever lived. He told them that in South Africa there were neither conquered nor conquerors, and they were a freer nation under the British Commonwealth than they had been under their own republics. The fate of pro-German rebellion in 1914 and pro-Nazi agitation in 1939 suggests that serious discontent was a minority view. Like Highland Scots, people knew they had gained something worth having.

[herbert buckland]

Boer Mauser,WR and Guedes rifles are often seen for sale in Australia.years ago it was hard to sell one that had a carved stock(almost all I have seen were carved with at least a couple of letters)today the carved stock ones bring more.A top book on Boer carvings and arms used by booth sides is Dave C George " Carvings from the Veldt,Vol 1,2,&3" hundreds of photos and lots of information

[Ballistics in Scotland]

A ZAR Guedes I once owned had no carving, but holes drilled through the stock for thick rawhide loops which had once been sling attachments. The original Steyr sling swivels were fine for an infantryman, but would have let the rifle slam against rider or mount on horseback. At least that one must have been issued and carried. I know a lot of them were still in store at the beginning of the war, probably because burgers thought accepting one would crab their chances of a Mauser.

[Multigunner]

I saw an article years ago about a large cache of Boer rifles found buried.
From the sound of it these were captured or surrendered rifles.
Could be the English buried the rifles because it was easier than storing them and placing guards over them. The Boers had a way of making off with weapons and other supplies even when guarded.

From the few photos none looked salvageable.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

I saw an article years ago about a large cache of Boer rifles found buried.
From the sound of it these were captured or surrendered rifles.
Could be the English buried the rifles because it was easier than storing them and placing guards over them. The Boers had a way of making off with weapons and other supplies even when guarded.

From the few photos none looked salvageable.

I've also read of a Guedes found buried with a canvas wrapper, suggesting a fairly ineffective attempt to preserve it. The location suggested that it was buried by a native, and I wouldn't be surprised if the British used them to arm natives for duty only marginally combatant, and would have taken them back afterwards.

I've also read an article on the full restoration of a very good Farquharson which had been in use as a shortened trap-gun - i.e. wired to bait in the open, probably after some similar history. Rifles which were just old and need unfamiliar ammunition went through hard times around much of the world.

[pietro]

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Here's one F/S (aka: google is your friend):

http://shop.pre98.com/SOLD-BOER-WAR-...-18-2012-4.htm


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