# A question about a certain type of rifle **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 15, 2022, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-a-certain-type-of-rifle/959497 "2022-02-15T03:40:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2022, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-a-certain-type-of-rifle/959497/1 "2022-02-15T03:40:54Z")
I have a dachshund named Mauser. He is not named for the German bolt action rifle but for a dog in a story that WAS named for the rifle. I don’t actually know that much about firearms, so if I was to name a dog for an American firearm, what would be the closest type to the German Mauser? Silly question, but it might be fun to holler for your dog calling “Here Remington/Winchester/whatever!” ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2022, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-a-certain-type-of-rifle/959497/2 "2022-02-15T03:43:09Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > I don’t actually know that much about firearms, so if I was to name a dog for an American firearm, what would be the closest type to the German Mauser? Off the top of my head, [the Garand.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1_Garand) ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2022, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-a-certain-type-of-rifle/959497/3 "2022-02-15T03:53:18Z")
Or Springfield. [1903](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1903_Springfield) if you want to get specific, [1861](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springfield_Model_1861) for _real_ old school. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2022, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-a-certain-type-of-rifle/959497/4 "2022-02-15T03:58:51Z")
If you chose Ruger he could say his own name. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2022, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-a-certain-type-of-rifle/959497/5 "2022-02-15T04:56:12Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > Or Springfield That or Ruger would be my choices. Springfield is more in line with Mauser though. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2022, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-a-certain-type-of-rifle/959497/6 "2022-02-15T05:02:47Z")
This is only tangentially related, but is/was there a gun manufacturer whose name rhymed with Mauser, or am I misremembering? No, I’m not mixing it up with Luger and Ruger. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2022, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-a-certain-type-of-rifle/959497/7 "2022-02-15T05:54:54Z")
We want pics of Mauser the dachshund! ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2022, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-a-certain-type-of-rifle/959497/8 "2022-02-15T06:23:08Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > This is only tangentially related, but is/was there a gun manufacturer whose name rhymed with Mauser, or am I misremembering? No, I’m not mixing it up with Luger and Ruger. Sig Sauer > **[SIG Sauer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SIG_Sauer)** > > Several sister companies that design and manufacture firearms use the brand name SIG Sauer \[ɛs iː ɡeː ˈzaʊ̯ɐ\]. The original company, Schweizerische Waggonfabrik (SWF), later Schweizerische Industrie-Gesellschaft (SIG), went through several selloffs, leaving the SIG Sauer brand spread over several companies. The original SIG is now known as SIG Combibloc Group and no longer has any firearms business. > L&O Holding is the parent company of the German SIG Sauer GmbH & Co. KG, the Swiss SIG Sauer AG, ... ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2022, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-a-certain-type-of-rifle/959497/9 "2022-02-15T12:19:32Z")
“Mauser” is not the name of a rifle, but is the name of an arms manufacturing company. If you say “Mauser rifle” that usually refers to the Mauser Gewehr 98 (Mauser rifle model of 1898) often abbreviated as G98, or its successor the Mauser Karabiner 98 kurz (Mauser carbine model of 1898 short - for those that aren’t gun people, carbine just means a shortened rifle) often abbreviated K98 or K98k. The G98/K98 was such a good design that the U.S. immediately switched its focus from the Krag Jorgensen rifle (which had only been in production for a few years) to producing the Springfield Model 1903. If you look at a Springfield 1903 it is literally a copy of the Mauser design. The parts aren’t interchangeable but they are almost identical in design, with just a few minor changes here and there. The Japanese copied the Mauser design and created the Arisaka Type 99. Like the Americans, the Japanese didn’t copy it exactly but the basic design is identical with a bunch of minor changes and tweaks. The Russians copied the basic design but made more significant changes like rotating the bolt around, creating the Mosin-Nagant. And of course the basic Mauser design lives on to this day as the working action of most modern hunting rifles. If you are looking to name your dog after the American equivalent of the Mauser rifle, you would obviously go with “Springfield” since the Springfield rifle (Springfield model 1903) has literally been nicknamed the “American Mauser”. If you are looking for an equivalent name that captures a company’s influence in weapon design, Remington or Winchester might actually be a better choice. ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2022, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-a-certain-type-of-rifle/959497/10 "2022-02-15T12:42:34Z")
I feel like Mauser would be a better name for a cat. (I’ll show myself out) ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2022, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-a-certain-type-of-rifle/959497/11 "2022-02-15T14:45:40Z")
Thanks so much for the replies. I hope I don’t have to choose a new name any time soon but having some options is okay. The current Mauser is approaching ten years old, I got him when he was five, from a shelter. ---
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2022, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-a-certain-type-of-rifle/959497/12 "2022-02-15T15:05:00Z")
I’d suggest “Derringer,” given the size of a dachshund. Or Thompson/Tommy gun? Or, given my experience with the neighbour’s dachshund, Burp Gun? This is a euphemism–the neighbour’s dog fires from the other end. ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2022, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-a-certain-type-of-rifle/959497/13 "2022-02-15T15:58:26Z")
The first name that came to mind is “Remington”, but then is that the name of a gun or just the manufacturer? If you wanted to name your cat after ammunition, “Minnie” comes to mind. Or “Dumdum”. ---
**Author:** ![gdave](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gdave/32/3683_2.png) [@gdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gdave)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2022, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-a-certain-type-of-rifle/959497/14 "2022-02-15T15:58:29Z")
> [@Kropotkin](#): > > I’d suggest “Derringer,” given the size of a dachshund. A dachshund is on average about 21"-25" long. A Mauser G98 barrel is 29.1", so a big dachshund. A Mauser K98 has a barrel length of only 23.2", right in the range of average daschshund body length. Of course, that’s body length vs. barrel length, not overall length, so I guess if you mounted the dachshund on a Mauser stock, it’d be a pretty good match… ---
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2022, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-a-certain-type-of-rifle/959497/15 "2022-02-15T16:02:49Z")
The difficulty lies in the confusing, dual use of the word “muzzle.” The dog has, as it were, a muzzle at both ends, one for biting, one for “firing out of.” It may take a skilled veterinarian/armourer to do this right. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2022, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-a-certain-type-of-rifle/959497/16 "2022-02-15T20:18:30Z")
The UK/Commonwealth equivalent would be the Enfield, again multiple models thought the SMLE No. Mk III is probably the most iconic (it would be a dog with a very short muzzle because the stock goes almost all the way down). The 1903 itself was supplemented with the M1917 “American Enfield” pretty quickly, so that was the main one used in WWI. And still is used today(!) by the Danish arctic sled dog unit, as (semi)autos can freeze up and polar bears are scary. Dachshunds are temperamental and need an appropriate name, Howitzer maybe. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2022, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-a-certain-type-of-rifle/959497/17 "2022-02-15T20:21:21Z")
Hold out a doggie treat and he’s a Mannlicher ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2022, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-a-certain-type-of-rifle/959497/18 "2022-02-15T20:23:41Z")
Manufacturer. Or **was** , years of mismanagement effectively killed it off last year, and the future will mean it’s a brand name made by someone called Roundhill Group LLC while the ammunition is Vista Outdoors. The electric shaver company has the same origins as well as a typewriter and early computer company which in full circle was contracted to make M1 Carbines during WWII. Minié, though it’s pronounced minnie for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2022, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-a-certain-type-of-rifle/959497/19 "2022-02-15T20:25:21Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > I don’t actually know that much about firearms, so if I was to name a dog for an American firearm, what would be the closest type to the German Mauser? Well, it doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, but the 1903 Springfield has a Mauser action and is probably the closest thing to it we had (I think it was modeled after the Model 1998 Mauser in fact). Not sure I’d want a dog named Springfield though… ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2022, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-a-certain-type-of-rifle/959497/20 "2022-02-15T20:38:06Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > The UK/Commonwealth equivalent would be the Enfield, again multiple models thought the SMLE Do you really want to name your dog “Smelly”? 😉 (Note to non-gun nerds: SMLE = Short Magazine Lee-Enfield, but it is often pronounced “smelly”) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-question-about-a-certain-type-of-rifle/959497.md?page=2)