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I believe the model is listed as "459" ???

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No. “459” was a gauge number, lead balls to the imperial pound, according to the 1895 proof table supplement. See Jon Speed’s “Mauser Archive” book, page 213. It stands for a bore/land diameter of the barrel between 5.5 mm = .217” and 5.75 mm = .226”. Although the gauge numbers went out of German use in 1912, replaced by mm numbers, The Mauser factory continued to mark them additionally until WW2, reasons unknown.
Ooops, already posted this info above, seven years ago!

Edited by kuduae (10/08/22 04:01 AM)

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