RauMauser

"Deutsche Wertarbeit in der Verteidigung."
— RauMauser advertisement slogan

Why fix what isn't broken? Some of history's greatest weapons have their origin in the second world war, and the tactics of conducting battle have changed little in the 600 years since then. Though drones and robots and space weapons now join soldiers on the battlefield, wars are still won by boots on the ground. RauMauser takes the best of history's weapons, especially formerly German weapons, and updates them for today's battlefield, while also reproducing accurate replicas for collectors and enthusiasts.

About

History

Mauser was a German arms manufacturer of a line of bolt-action rifles and semi-automatic pistols since the 1870s. Mauser designs were built for the German armed forces. Since the late 19th and early 20th centuries, military Mauser designs were also exported and licensed to a number of countries, as well as being a popular civilian firearm. The Mauser name has historically been licensed by other companies on intermittent occasions, however the original company Mauser has since changed ownership many times over the centuries until its origins were lost entirely, split or merged into countless arms manufacturers that eventually evolved into some of the trans-stellar corporations we see today.

RauMauser, roughly translating to "Lunar Firearms", was founded by Gunther Mauser (2438-2514) who spent his early life living in a lunar colony on Earth's moon in the Sol system. According to his autobiography, as a child, he was fascinated by military history, namely World War 1 and World War 2.

The colony militia where he lived until the age of 27 was equipped at the time with cheap semi-automatic weapons that were unreliable in battle and would frequently fail if exposed to lunar dust. The colony, in spite of being so close to Earth, was a frequent target for small groups of pirates, and by the time local military could respond, the pirates were usually gone. Gunther, whose father was a gunsmith in the colony, realized that the delicate polymer and electronic firearms and energy weapons being sold to the colonists were simply not suited for the rugged environment. He looked to history, namely to the original designs of the Mauser rifle series and Luger pistol in order to find a solution. With some updates to the designs for the sake of modernization, Gunther was able to build his first prototype while still complying with Sol laws that otherwise prohibit the private manufacture of semi-automatic rifle caliber weapons, or semi-automatic pistols over 8 rounds capacity. He built what was essentially a replica of the historic weapons. During a pirate attack in late 2459, the weapon proved its abilities in battle when all other firearms in the colony had overheated or outright failed, while Gunther's weapons were still firing.

The colony militia quickly became interested in the young man's designs and began funding the production of more, but without any means of automated manufacturing, the guns were only produced in limited numbers, all by hand in Gunther's workshop. It wasn't until his designs caught the attention of a visiting investor that Gunther was able to go into mass production. Gunther passed away in the year 2514 after suffering a sudden heart attack, and his company was passed on to his board of directors who have kept it in business to this day.

Present Day

RauMauser now produces quality firearms for both military and private ownership across the galaxy. Their most popular weapons include bolt action 7.62mm rifles, and the 9mm Luger pistol, as well as newer models like the Strahlpistole (popularly known as the Energy Luger). These weapons are most often purchased by colonists, collectors, and mercenaries. RauMauser weapons are especially popular in systems where gun laws are restrictive against 'assault' style weapons, or high capacity weapons.

Allegedly, the company is currently working on a design for a new crank-recharging energy rifle, and has partnered with NanoTrasen to test the new prototypes.