Dreyse needle gun
Paul's first invention was a cannon and its ammunition. During his entire career he had a unique ability to produce both the gun and the ammunition for it. Following the success of the Dreyse needle gun ("Zündnadelgewehr") Paul turned his energies to improving on that design and producing a new one. Paul and Wilhelm had separated due to differences during this time. After Paul developed a new turning-bolt design, Wilhelm was impressed enough to rejoin the business and succeeded in obtaining the financing to purchase machinery and continue development. While the original needle gun used a pin that pierced the base of the cartridge to ignite the primer in the middle, Mauser soon developed a needle that ignited the charge at the base, a superior design.