In 1933 the famous Mauser firm demonstrated
a new submachine gun for consideration by the German Army (Reichswehr).
1933 marked the date that the Nazis came into power and the restrictions
on armaments production that had been enforced by the Versailles Treaty
were no longer adhered to, and although this SMG appeared simultaneously
to this, it is likely that it had actually been developed in secret in the
preceding years. The Mauser SMG followed the Bergmann pattern, with a
tubular receiver, jacketed barrel, and horizontal magazine feed. The
internal bolt and guided return spring were also based on the Bergmann
type. The barrel was screw-threaded to the receiver for easy removal, and
this would suggest that multiple barrels were made to accommodate
different cartridges. As it is, a known surviving example is chambered in
9x23mm Steyr, probably intended for Austrian export.
The furniture of the Mauser SMG deviates from the Bergmann rather
noticeably. It does not use a rifle-type stock but rather a pistol grip
and oddly inclined butt. The butt, like the barrel, is screw-threaded
directly onto the receiver and acts as the end cap - the gun cannot fire
without it attached. Also unlike the Bergmann, the Mauser features a fire
selector switch on the left side of the pistol grip, giving automatic,
single-fire, and safety settings. The sights are similar to the M.P.28,II,
with an adjustable tangent rear sight and single post front sight. An
interesting point to note is that only half of the length of the barrel
jacket is perforated, and the other is partially covered by an extended
wooden fore-end.
The Mauser Model 33 submachine gun
disassembled.
The Mauser 1933 SMG was offered for a brief period in the early - mid
1930s, but no sales materialized in that window of time and Mauser had
considerably more success with their automatic "Schnellfeuer"
machine-pistol; even though the Schnellfeuer was technically inferior to
an actual submachine gun, Mauser clearly saw it as more profitable than
this SMG and decided to give it greater priority.
