Developed in 1878, the C78 or Model 1878 "Zig-Zag" revolver was the first handgun designed and developed by Paul Mauser and his firm. 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 Reichs revolver instead. 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" on top of the barrel rib. Matching full and partial serial number on various components and handwritten inside the gutta percha grip panels with raised dragon and floral themed decorations.

Excellent, retains 90% original nickel finish with a few scattered small patches of light pitting, some light handling marks and otherwise crisp barrel markings and edges. Grips are also excellent with some light handling marks and defined edges. Mechanically excellent.