Mauser 7 mm Cavalry Carbine used by Boer Commandos, 1899

In South Africa the British Army were for the first time in opposition to combatants armed with modern European weapons. The Mauser carbine and rifle were very accurate and sophisticated weapons and British losses were often heavy in set-piece actions against the Boers.

The Mauser carbine was loaded by means of clips of five rounds which enabled a faster rate of fire than the British Enfield rifle. One characteristic of the Boer soldiers, sometimes copied by the English, was their habit of carving names and actions on the woodwork of their weapons. After the war such carved items became much sought after as tourist souvenirs.