doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com DWM 1893 Sporter

I recently purchased a DWM 1893 model factory sporter in 7x57. This was discovered at Ron Peterson's gun shop in Albuquerque, NM. Hopefully my first photos will generate some additional information for comment.
The rifle has commercial proofs on the left front of the receiver and bolt handle. The bolt is the "round faced" type found on the 1895 and has the full length guide rail on the left receiver interior wall. Noteworthy is the thumb cut relief for stripper clip use and double-set triggers. Only major parts have a serial number; a tiny "57". The bolt, shroud, stock, butt plate, trigger assembly received the mark. The receiver ring is also marked 57; but on the bottom of the ring.
The rifle was used pretty hard and has been rebarreled at some time in its career with a spare military parts barrel. There are no proof marks of any kind, military or commercial on the barrel. It is only marked with a "7mm" about 6" forward of the receiver. The military barrel contour fits the original inletting very well. Sadly, the original sights and sling swivel were not re-installed. The owner elected to use a Williams aluminum receiver sight and front ramp. I've found a better looking steel Lyman SME to use instead. Headspace is excellent. The bore is a tight .2845 thru the grooves and has 6 lands/grooves!
I had corresponded previously with Mike Petrov on a DWM "Spitzer-Bullet" model 98. The 1893 has Oberndorf style raised panels and a cheekpiece, which the later rifle doesn't. However, the overall styling and checkering coverage on both is so similar it could have been done by the same craftsman.
Sorry, but it now appears I'll have to add the pix later.

Congratulations on your purchase, we look forward to seeing pictures.

Thanks Michael!!

Adding the photos to the post is very much appreciated. I've only seen two DWM factory sporters in my life and feel fortunate to have been able to acquire both of them. This rifle will receive minimal but careful restoration efforts; primarily replacing the chipped toe on the stock, cleaning the rust off exterior/interior metal surfaces, replacing the missing front sight blade, cleaning the checkering and hand rubbing the very dry stock with linseed.

Better pictures will be taken in future weeks, but feel free to add information or inquire about any details that I can provide.

Do you know who retailed the 1893 sporters? Would Hans Tauscher have done these as well.

This is a subject that I know little of but looks like something that would make a good research subject.

Alkali
Nice rifle. You are fortunate to be near Ron Pederson. He is a hi quality individual. He did the barrel on my 7mm Manlicher Schoenauer. One of the best individuals I have ever done buisness with. Is your 93 like the mil. rifles does it cock on closing? I didn't think they were very strong compared to the 98s
untill they started showing up rebarreled to 308. You have a very nice rifle in an excelent caliber. Thanks for sharing.
Tom

Michael -
As far as retailing the 1893 sporters in the U.S.A., it is at least possible that Hans Tauscher could have brought some in. I've not uncovered any info at all to suggest that he did so. Tauscher first surfaces as a possible DWM agent in 1897 demonstrating the 1893 Borchardt pistol to the US Army. He was most noted for later promoting the acceptance and sale of the Luger pistol for trial purposes to the Army.
The DWM cartel was established on November 7, 1896 through a merger of Ludwig Lowe and three other firms. Tauscher certainly seems to have gotten in on the ground floor of marketing efforts, at least in the USA.
Since the Gew.98 entered German Service April 5, 1898, most of the action design features were already determined even as the 1893/95 contract rifles were still being manufactured. As Oberndorf sporters were being offered as early as 1903 (and probably sooner), it is hard to imagine DWM not also getting on the '98 action bandwagon as soon as possible.
So, my conclusion is that these DWM 93/95 sporters were offered for only a short period of time. They may have been just a "cleanup" effort to utilize excess parts on hand (again, conjecture).

http://forums.gunboards.com/showthread.php?191106-Whats-the-story-of-the-mauser-manufacturers

http://www.landofborchardt.com/tauscher-article.html