Description
All matching numbers including bayonet!
Known among collectors as the ‘Portuguese Mauser’, the Mauser–Vergueiro was a bolt-action rifle designed in 1904 by José Alberto Vergueiro, an infantry officer of the Portuguese Army & manufactured in Germany by Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken (DWM). It was developed from the Mauser 98 rifle with the introduction of a new bolt system derived from the Gewehr 1888 & Mannlicher–Schönauer. Initially it used the 6.5×58mm Vergueiro, a cartridge developed specially for it & later was changed to 7.92x57mm (8mm Mauser).
The weapon replaced the Kropatschek m/1886 as the standard infantry rifle of the Portuguese Army in 1904 & it remained in service until it was replaced by the Portuguese contract Mauser 98k in 1939. In Portuguese service the weapon was officially designated Espingarda 6,5 mm m/1904 (“Rifle 6.5mm m/1904”).
A total of just 100,000 rifles were produced for Portugal. An additional 5,000 Mauser–Vergueiro rifles, chambered in 7×57mm Mauser, were produced in 1906 for Brazil’s Federal Police, using leftover components from the Portuguese order & issued in the cities of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. In 1915, 20,000 of Portugal’s Mauser–Vergueiro rifles were sold to South Africa, which had insufficient British supplied Lee–Enfield SMLE rifles to supply all of its troops.
In Portuguese & South African service it was used in combat in WW1 along with several later colonial campaigns. The German colonial troops in East Africa also used Mauser–Vergueiro rifles, captured from the allied forces in combat. In WW1, the Portuguese Expeditionary Corps on the Western Front used British weapons & equipment for logistical reasons so did not use the Vergueiro in combat on the Western Front.
In 1939, after the Portuguese Army had received their Kar98k’s as part of the Portuguese contract the 7.92×57mm Mauser cartridge was adopted across the board & many if not most of the remaining Mauser–Vergueiro rifles were modified to chamber the new standard cartridge. Along with the modified calibre, the barrels were also shortened & had the distinctive Portuguese sight protector fitted. The modified rifles were called Espingarda 8 mm m/1904-39 & this is what this rifle is. Markings on the modified rifles remained unchanged with the exception of the caliber designation “6.5” being stamped over on some rifles with two “X” marks. This was apparently done by individual Portuguese armorers rather than as standard practice. This rifle does not have the X marks, with 6.5 clearly unchanged & visible.
In this configuration, the 7.92x57mm Mauser–Vergueiro rifle was kept in limited use in the Portuguese Army alongside the Kar98k until the middle 1960s, mainly in some Overseas units.
These are an excellent choice for service rifle comps & are very collectable in their own right, especially in this condition.
This particular rifle is all matching including the bayonet in its original scabbard & has a very nice tiger stripe in the wood which has the usual dings but is in excellent condition, as is the rest of the rifle as can be seen in the photos.
Do your own research & you will know if this is for you. Please view the photos carefully & make your decision based on what you see as they form the main description & override all written information. Ask for more if desired.
We think we have described it accurately & correctly but do not claim to be infallible so if we have got anything wrong, it is unintentional & are happy for feedback from people who know more than we do.
Whilst we check these out for serviceability, the warranty has expired & this is sold on an ‘as is’ basis. As with all used guns, we recommend you have this checked by a suitably qualified person prior to shooting.
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