Uruguay first adopted a Mauser rifle in the 1880s, with the single-shot Mauser model 1871. After an abortive attempt to update those rifles to a small bore smokeless powder cartridge (the Dovitiis conversion), they opted to purchase Mauser 95s from DWM in the new (and excellent) 7x57mm Mauser cartridge. This was followed by an order of Model 98 Mausers in 1908, both standard rifles and short rifles. Today's rifle is an M1908 Uruguayan short rifle, one of 1,500 delivered in 1911, and one of 4,000 purchased overall by Uruguay.

However, there is more to this rifle than just being a rare variation of South American Mauser. In 1912, it was acquired by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company and put into their reference collection. Winchester wanted to stay current on rifle and ammunition developments elsewhere in the industry, and this rifle was specifically labelled as an exemplar of the 7mm "pointed" cartridge from DWM.