In the late 19th century, the German Empire was putting more modern armament into military storage. In addition to the commission to develop a new infantry rifle, there was also one for the design of a firearm to replace those outdated pistols used by mounted units and officers. The first model was adopted in 1879, with a barrel length of 7 inches, and the officer model was introduced in 1883 with a 5-inch barrel. Both models were chambered for the same robust cartridge: a 10.6×25 rimmed case, and both shared the six-round cylinder.
The Reichs-Revolver was by no means modern for that era, however. Its single-action action was outdated even in its most operational days compared to the newer, modern double-action pistols, such as the British Adams and the French Chamelot-Delvigne M1873. The solid-frame revolver and laborious unloading process developed this archaic design further. The unloading entailed placing the pistol on half-cock, pulling the cylinder axis pin, and manually removing the spent cases process was far from ideal in combat situations, especially for mounted troops.
The disadvantages notwithstanding, the Reichs-Revolver saw extensive use in the German colonial campaigns of the late 19th century. During World War I, it remained in service with second-line and colonial units before giving way to the more advanced Luger P08 in 1908.
Running parallel to the development of the Reichs-Revolver were the concerted efforts of brothers Paul and Wilhelm Mauser, who were making great strides in the development of firearms. Collaboration between them brought about the creation of the Mauser C77 and the more famous C78 ‘Zig-Zag’ revolver. The so-called ‘Zig-Zag’ was an innovative design that solved the problem of misfires common to revolvers of that time because of its peculiar system of rotation of the drum. In the solution of Brothers Mauser, an additional element moved along zigzag grooves on the outer surface of the drum, providing reliable rotation and fixing of the drum in the shot moment.
The first revolver with this innovative system, the Mauser M1878 Zig-Zag No.1, was well-conceived but never reached great success in the market because of some small drawbacks and trends in the fashion for weapons at that time. Further improvement brought another model, the Mauser M1878 No.2, with the addition of a turning frame and a central extractor, which provided more practical reloading. However, its complexity and high manufacturing cost restricted its use.
The brothers’ models were not commercial successes, but they could leave their mark on fire-arm design nonetheless. Their system for the rotation of the zigzag drum was adopted in their standard production soon by other manufacturers and further influenced other models of revolvers. Innovation combined with technical skill describes the lasting legacy of the House of Mauser, well-documented and still celebrated by firearm enthusiasts and collectors alike today.
In a nutshell, the development of the Mauser revolvers-from the Reichs-Revolver to the Zig-Zag model- reflects a time of great technological change and adaptation in military firearms. These developments not only answered the immediate needs of the German military but also charted the course for future innovations in the design of handguns.