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EXTRAORDINARILY RARE MAUSER MODEL 1878 ZIGZAG SINGLE ACTION CARBINE.

Currency:USD Category:Antiques / Firearms & Armory Start Price:12,500.00 USD Estimated At:25,000.00 - 40,000.00 USD
EXTRAORDINARILY RARE MAUSER MODEL 1878 ZIGZAG SINGLE ACTION CARBINE.
SN 30. Cal. 10.6mm Rimmed. Blue finish with 18-5/8" oct to rnd bbl, German style ramp front sight with matted top and 2-leaf, one standing, rear sight in top flat at the receiver. Mounted with uncheckered, straight grain walnut stock and checkered Mauser horn buttplate. Bottom of stock & bbl have factory sling loops. Left side of frame has a serrated thumb lever which locks the cylinder. Right side of the recoil shield has a loading gate since this is a very rare example of the early solid frame Zig-Zag action of which only ca. 100 examples were made (the commoner, later pistols have a top break action for loading/unloading). The cylinder pin is spring loaded with a knurled end center pin that when removed is the empty case ejector pin for the cylinder. While Zigzag revolvers are occasionally encountered in the U.S., carbines are pretty much unknown. Cylinder is very unusual with Z-shaped grooves around outer diameter which are, in fact, rotating grooves for the cylinder. Cylinder rests on a pin which is in a groove and when the hammer is cocked it advances the cylinder to the next chamber for firing. This is an extraordinarily rare find, probably never to be encountered again. PROVENANCE: Collection of Dr. Geoffrey Sturgess. CONDITION: Extremely fine, all matching. Bbl & frame retain most of their orig factory blue with some cleaned spots on the right side of the front sight ramp and right side of bbl about mid-point; there are other small scattered spots of light surface rust; inside standing breech of the frame is lightly pitted; hammer retains strong case colors. Cylinder retains most of its strong orig finish with scattered spots of pitting. Stock is sound with a few light handling & storage nicks & scratches and retains most of its orig varnish. Buttplate has a couple of small bug bites. Mechanics are crisp, brilliant shiny bore, may be unfired. 4-52071 JR393