It is sometimes described as a Mauser with Mannlicher features, and sometimes the reverse. For sporting purposes, the most significant by far was the German Commission rifle of 1888.įor military collectors, the Gewehr ’88 is almost a cult object, and while it has been widely written about, it is also widely misunderstood. In the frenzy of rifle development in Europe between the arrival of smokeless powder in 1886 and the ultimate Mauser in 1898, several good military bolt rifles made their debut. They are both finely made rifles, and some of the Haenels especially so.įor most gun collectors, the era of sporting bolt rifles began with the Mauser 98.Įverything good and modern occurred after that, they believe, and nothing much before.
There are two answers to that question, and relative quality has nothing to do with it. What made the German import worth 50 percent more than this state-of-the-art lever rifle? And why, when Model 95s are prized by collectors, are Haenel-Mannlichers all but forgotten except for a few devotees of early custom rifles? By comparison, a Winchester Model 95 listed at only $17.50. In the 1902 Sears catalog, the price was $24.50.
Generally now known as Haenel-Mannlichers, these German bolt-action rifles were not cheap. Haenel (pronounced HY-nul), these rifles were the first steps in a trend that became a deluge: Bolt-action sporting rifles based on military actions. Variously listed as a Mannlicher, or a Haenel-Mannlicher, or sometimes just a C.G. In the years before 1914 one could find, tucked away in a corner of the Sears, Roebuck catalog, a listing for a bolt-action sporting rifle from Germany. The sight appears to have been fitted at the factory, but it is impossible to say for certain. Haenel-Mannlicher, circa 1909, fitted with a Lyman Model 36 receiver sight and Lawrence sling.
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