http://www.deactivated-guns.co.uk/detai ... hrower.htm I'm guessing it is as they say, some sort of grenade launcher made from a 98 model mauser, but does anyone have any records of it at all, or an offical name? or was this just a one off prototype?
Interesting and well preserved to say the least.If you remove the butt-stuck,you'd have a perfect Jawa blaster.
I have to admit though the thread on the muzzle end of the barrel confuses me slightly, it looks almost like it should be screwed into something, then perhaps secured by pushing a pole through the hole in the stock. Since tanks didn't exist in 1914 I can't imagine it was a kind of secure weapons port system. It looks quite big for a grenade launcher, maybe an attempt at making some sort of light semi-direct fire mortar? A lot could be answered if only we knew what was supposed to be screwed onto the end, or what the weapon was supposed to be screwed onto/into (if anything...) BTW Revere, counting rifle-grenades launchers bolt action grenade launchers pre-date modern style dedicated designs by a considerable number of years.
Obvious points to bring up - The hole throught the stock is very rough and 'unfinished', in contrast to the rest of the workmanship on the gun. The large ports in the barrel mean that whetever it was screwed into would not be some device like a muzzel brake. My best guess is that it is a prototype grenade launcher for a fortified building, designed to be mounted (screwed in) to a ball-mount or similar. It is screwed in so the barrel does not protrude, thus preventing any possible damage. The only drawback here is those side vents, which ensure low muzzel velocity and mean that most of the propellant gases are directed out the side of the gun (and thus kept inside the defensive structure). I would argue that the hole through the stock was done either during trials or possibly afterwards as a temporary mounting when on display. It does not look like it was deliberately manufactured with it.
Is it possible that this is a modification made to a 1914 Mauser rather than a purpose built prototype? So it could still be a prototype but using an existing Mauser? So it could be of later date? Or am i going miles off?