GUN FALL 2017
The live portion of this session begins on Tuesday, October 31, 2017.
EXTRAORDINARILY RARE MAUSER MODEL 1878 ZIGZAG SINGLE ACTION CARBINE. MAUSER ZIG-ZAG 51 10.6MM Cal. 10.6mm Rimmed. Blue finish with 18-5/8″ oct to rnd bbl, European style ramp front sight with matted top and 2-leaf rear sight in top flat at the receiver. Top flat of bbl is marked "WAFFENFABRIK MAUSER OBURNDORF A/NECKAR". Mounted with uncheckered, straight grain walnut stock and checkered horn buttplate embossed with the Mauser logo. Bottom of stock & bbl have factory sling loops. Left side of frame has a serrated thumb lever which locks the cylinder, functioning as a safety. Right side of the recoil shield has a loading gate since this is a very rare example of the early solid frame Zig-Zag action of which only about 100 examples were ever produced (the more common later pistols have a top break action for loading/unloading). The cylinder pin is spring loaded with a knurled end center pin that when removed is the empty case ejector pin for the cylinder. Cylinder is very unusual with Z-shaped grooves around outer diameter which are, in fact, rotating grooves for the cylinder. Cylinder rests on a pin which is in a groove and when the hammer is cocked it advances the cylinder to the next chamber for firing. All visible parts are matching numbered. No disassembly was effected to check for additional matching parts. This carbine is consecutively numbered to SN 50, located in the Oburndorf Germany City Museum Collection. While Zig-Zag revolvers are occasionally encountered in the U.S., carbines are pretty much unknown. This is an extraordinarily rare find, unlikely to be encountered again any time soon. CONDITION: Fine, all matching. Bbl retains 60-70% orig blue with the balance a mottled silver-brown patina. Frame retains 60-70% strong orig blue with cleaned areas on both bottom sides. Hammer retains bright case colors turning silver on top edge. Cylinder is mostly a blue-grey patina. Stock is sound with a very few, very light nicks and scratches and retains about 98% orig finish. Mechanics are fine. Strong bright bore with fine pitting. 52750-1 JRL (20,000-30,000)