I was reading the book Mauser Bolt Rifles by Ludwig Olson recently and noticed an interesting Mauser sporting rifle. On page 229 there is a rifle labeled Drueckjagdbuechse (driven game rifle). It is described as "short and handy, designed for fast shooting at short ranges". The rifle has a fairly standard looking stock, except for a schnabel type wood forend. The barrel however, is only 19.69" long. It's equipped with a standing leaf rear sight and barrel band front sight. I also noticed another unusual feature, no sling swivels on the barrel or the stock.

I can find no other text about this rifle in the book. Was this a type of sporting Mauser offered by the factory, or just a one off example ? Has anyone ever seen another similar to this ? I was wondering could it be just a Mauser model M (mannlicher), but with a half stock in place of the full stock ?

Wyatt