Just received (after a month-long mixup in shipping) this Portugese Mauser-Vergueiro M1904 in 6.5 x 58mm. The Mauser-Vergueiro was an interesting rifle - the Portugese army wanted the Mannlicher-Schoeneuer (see above) but couldn't afford it, so they went with a native design that combined a simplified Mannlicher-style bolt and receiver with a Mauser style magazine and stock. It's very rare to find original M1904s, as almost all were converted to 8mm Mauser and had the barrel shortened in 1939.
What makes this extra special is the DMGLM mark on the stock, which stands for Direçao General Militar de Lorenço Marques, the main military depot in Mozambique when it was a Portugese colony. That makes it one of the approximately 2000 Vergueiros used in the East African Campaign of WW1. As Portugese troops on the Western front carried British equipment, the ones used in East Africa are the only Vergueiros that were ever actually used in combat.
Interestingly, as the Germans in Africa fought what was basically a guerilla campaign after being cut off from Europe, they quickly ran out of ammo for their Mausers and Gewehr 88s and had to use captured arms. Mostly they used long Lee-Enfields taken from the British, but their favorite were captured Vergueiros. I guess because the German Askaris tended to be fairly small and appreciated the lighter recoil.
08-05-2010, 01:36 AM
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