1891 argentine mauser engineer carbine
Production switched to aluminum grip, mid-1893, after producing 40,000 brass grip bayonets. Brass-gripped bayonets were made 1892–93. They went ahead with the brass grip scales, initially, so as not to further delay production. However, the prototype bayonets turned out heavier than the Argentines liked, so they made a number of design changes (thinner blade, slimmer hilt, and others). The grip metal is an alloy of aluminum, with 6 percent copper.Īrgentina opted for the 15.75 inch blade, after seeing that Chile was going to adopt a shorter (10-inch blade) bayonet for their Mausers. The aluminum grip scales were part of an effort to lighten the bayonet. According to Webster's well-documented book on Argentine Military Rifles: There has been a lot of fiction spread regarding the brass grips being for the Navy, for NCO's, and the like. Most have aluminum alloy grips, like this example. The rifle with which this example was issued was made in 1900 by Deutsche Waffen-und Munitionsfabriken (DWM). I have tried this blade with an identical scabbard from a Steyr M1871/84 and the result is exactly the same. The blade on this bayonet will not quite insert fully, leaving 1 or 2 mm. The scabbard appears to be an Austrian M1888, which was also used on M1871/84 bayonets made by Steyr for export. Both bayonet and scabbard are numbered alike, indicating that they were paired during service (somewhere). This example’s scabbard is a replacement. The bayonets would have been supplied with the standard German leather-body scabbard. This example also has "1.c" stamped into the wood grip. It is possible that the AC mark may be related to Argentina's inspection process. This replaced the earlier "E.N" Ejército Nacional (National Army) property mark. The "RA" inside an oval is an Argentine property mark, representing República Argentina. Both examples have the same “RA” mark on the pommel and "AC" mark on the lower spine. This example has no maker mark remaining on the ricasso, however, another example observed was marked, Weyersberg, Kirschbaum & Co. According to Webster, these were never issued to the Army and those remaining in military stores were sold to Peru. Some may have been used by the Provincia de Buenos Aires (Province of Buenos Aires). The 5,000 bayonets were on-board ship for Argentina by March 1, 1892, 18 days after the contract was signed (1892 was a leap year).Īn Argentine collector indicates that his contacts confirmed that the bayonets furnished included both M1871 and M1871/84 types. The contract specified inclusion of a “sabre-bayonnette German M88.” Rifles and bayonets were inspected in Germany by the Argentine Comisión de Técnica Armamento before being crated for shipment. German M1888 Commission Rifle.Ĭolin Webster’s research, published in, Argentine Mauser Rifles 1871–1959, documents Argentina’s urgent 1892 contract to purchase 5,000 German M1888 Commission Rifles from Ludwig Loewe & Co. The bayonet can be attached under this forecap.Knife bayonet used with the 8 mm. Mauser 1909 cavalry carbine: shortened variant, with a straight grip stock and a forecap that covers all the barrel.Mauser 1909 sniper rifle: version with a German-made scope and a bent-down bolt handle.Some Argentine Mauser 1909 rifles and carbines without crests were sold to Paraguay during the Chaco War. The Model 1909s were replaced by FN FALs without having seen combat. The main producer in Germany was Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken that delivered 200,000 rifles while around 85,000 rifles were manufactured by the Fabrica Militar de Armas Portatiles, governmental plants in Rosario and Santa Fe. The M1909 was also able to use the bayonet of the Mauser 1891 it replaced. Among other modifications, the Lange Visier sight was replaced by a tangent leaf sight. The Mauser 1909 was a slightly modified copy of the Gewehr 98.