Developed in 1878, the Zig-Zag revolver was the first handgun designed and developed by Paul Mauser and his firm, while still operating in partnership with Wilhelm Mauser as the Mauser Brothers (prior to 1884). A competitor to be the first centerfire cartridge-fed handgun adopted by the German military, the 1878 scored high marks in overall performance, though concerns about the complexity of the design led them to choose the 1879 Reichsrevolver instead. A number are believed to have seen service as privately purchased military sidearms, though. At the heart of the mechanism is the combination of an angular track (the titular 'Zig-Zag') machined into the side of the cylinder and a toothed reciprocating bar linked to the hammer, which serves to both advance and lock the cylinder, in contrast to the more commonly seen pawl/sprocket and stop arrangement. Additionally, the spring responsible for resetting the cocking bar also powers the hammer, replacing the grip frame mounted leaf spring commonly seen in that era. For loading, the barrel assembly is hinged at the rear of the top strap, automatically pushing the hammer back to the safety notch when opened, with the closure latch doubling as the lever for a star-pattern extractor assembly. Sights are fixed, with "GEBR. MAUSER & Cie OBERNDORF a/N. WURTTEMBERG.1878.PATENT." on top of the barrel rib, "crown/crown/U" on the left side of the barrel shroud, and matching partial serial number "47" on multiple components. With a pair of finely decorated hard rubber grip panels with foliate scroll border around checkered panels.

Fine, with 60% plus original blue finish, showing areas of brown and gray patina, scattered spotting and handling marks, edge wear, and some takedown lines on the left side of the frame. Bright case colors are present on the hammer, with the break lever turning silver, and the cylinder, safety, and other small parts showing 60% of the original niter blue. Grips are also fine, with some overhang at the bottom of both panels, warping of the right panel near the top, and chipping at the corners. Mechanically excellent.