King Frederick I founded the enterprise as Königliche Waffen Schmieden (literally: Royal Weapons Forges) on 31 July 1811. The Gewehr 98 in particular was widely adopted and copied, and is the foundation of many of today's sporting bolt-action rifles.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Mauser designs were also exported and licensed to many countries which adopted them as military and civilian sporting firearms. Their line of bolt-action rifles and semi-automatic pistols has been produced since the 1870s for the German armed forces.
Mauser, originally Königlich Württembergische Gewehrfabrik ('Royal Württemberg Rifle Factory'), was a German arms manufacturer.
