Chinese Mystery Mauser: Fake FN Model 30
Forgotten Weapons
•
11m
"Arming the Dragon" by Dolf Goldsmith is now available and shipping:
https://www.headstamppublishing.com/purchase/arming-the-dragon-by-dolf-l-goldsmith
One of the most common rifles in Warlord-era China was the Mauser Model 98 short rifle. Various Chinese armies bought large numbers of them from the Mauser, CZ, and FN factories, chambered predominantly for the 8mm Mauser cartridge. In particular, FN sold some 24,000 Model 24 Mauser rifles to China between 1930 and 1934, and another 164,500 Model 30 Mauser between 1937 and 1939. And, of course, several major Chinese arsenals set up manufacture of high-quality copies of these patterns.
As with pistol production in China at the time, crude artisanal rifle copies were made by a variety of small shops and craftsmen. These are of visibly poor quality, and DEFINITELY NOT SAFE TO FIRE. They are, however, really interesting - at least to me. Thanks to viewer Jason for loaning me this one to film, which is a copy of an FN Model 30.
Up Next in Forgotten Weapons
-
First Shots: FN's New High Power
Today I'm taking FN's new High Power out to the range for some first shots. I'm curious to see if it really is more comfortable to shoot than the original High Power, and if it can digest a wide variety of ammunition (something the originals were not great at)...
-
MSBS Grot: The Complete History of Po...
The MSBS Grot is Poland's current military service rifle, and has gone through several iterations in the many years of its development that led to its current 2nd generation form. It is best known in the US as a rifle designed to be interchangeable between standard and bullpup layout, although th...
-
Literature Review: Books on the MAS-36
Jean Huon recently released a new two-volume set of books specifically on the MAS-36. I figured that rather than look at it along, it would be more useful to compare it to the other books available on the MAS-36. So, here's a comparison of the five different books I am aware of with major materia...
