Model 1904 Vergueiro-Mauser (Portuguese Mauser)

Bolt-Action Service Rifle.

Portugal | 1904

"The M1904 Vergueiro-Mauser was a Portuguese play on several European rifle designs including the Mauser and Mannlicher."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 10/15/2022 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

The Model 1904 Vergueiro-Mauser was a conventional bolt-action service rifle of Portuguese origin. It entered service in 1904 and was used by the host country for some thirty years as a frontline weapon before being replaced by a more modern design. The type saw combat service during World War I (1914-1918), the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), the Battle of Timor (1942-1943), and even into modern clashes like the Northern Mali Conflict (2012-Present) - such was its relatively modest reach.

Developed by one Jose Alberto Vergueiro, the weapon took on the magazine box design of the German Mauser rifle and combined it with the German Gew 88-style bolt system through the Austro-Hungarian Mannlicher interpretation. This resulted in a local solution to better fit the local requirement. Since the 1890s, the Portuguese Army was trialing various rifle designs to meet the task - including a stock of 1,000 Mannlicher-Schonauer rifles as well as German- and Spanish-originated Mausers. In the end, all proved too expensive for the nation to purchase en masse for its front-line forces - leading to adoption of the M1904 Vergueiro-Mauser instead, these used to supplant the in-service Model 1886 "Kropatshcek" rifles which lacked the capability to fire more modern smokeless, high-velocity cartridges.

The new rifle's form was largely traditional for its time with a full-body wooden stock making up the forend, frame, grip handle, and shoulder stock. Buried within the body were the high-tolerance metal working components that integrated the manually-actuated bolt handle system through a split-bridge receiver design. Locking lugs were set at the detachable bolt head and these would seat into the receiver. The chamber supported the proprietary 6.5x58mm rimless cartridge and a five-round internal box magazine (fed by "stripper clips") was used that included a magazine floor plate release ahead of the trigger guard. The trigger was protected in an oblong loop in the conventional way. A single band was used to combine the wooden forend to the barrel assembly. Sighting devices were set over the frame (tangent leaf rear) and at the muzzle. Sling loops were featured under the shoulder stock and under the forend.

Beyond a stacking hook, the muzzle section was also home to a bayonet support for the mounting of a 11.8-inch-bladed Close Quarters Battle (CQB) solution.

As completed, the rifle had a running length of 48.15 inches and weighed 8.4lb when empty. The rifle could be sighted from 200 to 2,000 meters.

The rifles proved quite reliable and serviceable once in widespread circulation for Portugal and were known generically as "Portuguese Mausers" by outside observers while recognized internally as the "Espingarda 6,5mm m/1904". The long-form gun also begat a shortened, lighter weight version known officially as the "Carabina 6,5mm m/1904".

About 5,000 examples were produced for Brazilian governmental security in 7x57mm Mauser chambering in 1906 to add to the 100,000 or so full-length rifles manufactured for Portugal proper. Captured examples in East Africa by Germany were also rechambered to accept the 7x57mm Mauser cartridge and these saw some action in The Great War. After the Portuguese shift to the German Mauser 98k infantry rifle in 1939, the M1904 Vergueiro-Mauser was rechambered, in turn, to the 7.92x57mm Mauser cartridge to produce the "M1904/39" designation complete with 23.6-inch barrel. These were known formally as "Espingarda 8mm m/1904-39".

Official use of the rifles continued into the 1960s and their reach is such that random examples continue to appear in far-off conflicts even today.

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Physical
The physical qualities of the Model 1904 Vergueiro-Mauser (Portuguese Mauser). Information presented is strictly for general reference and should not be misconstrued as useful for hardware restoration or operation.

1,225 mm
48.23 in
O/A Length

735 mm
28.94 in
Barrel Length

8.71 lb
3.95 kg
Weight

Manually-Actuated Bolt-Action System of Operation.
Action

6.5x58mm Vergueiro; 7x57mm Mauser
Caliber(s)

5-round internal magazine
Feed

Iron Front and Rear.
Sights

Performance
Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Model 1904 Vergueiro-Mauser (Portuguese Mauser). Information presented is strictly for general reference and should not be misconstrued as useful for hardware restoration or operation.

12
Rounds-Per-Minute
Rate-of-Fire

2,350 ft/sec
716 m/sec
Muzzle Velocity

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Model 1904 Vergueiro-Mauser (Portuguese Mauser) Bolt-Action Service Rifle. family line.

Model 1904 - Base Series Designation; long-form rifle model.

"Portuguese Mauser" - Generic overseas naming.

Espingarda 6,5mm m/1904 - Official rifle designation.

Carabina 6,5mm m/1904 - Official carbine designation.

Espingarda 8mm m/1904-39 - Official designation of rechambered Model 1904 rifles to 7.92x57mm Mauser; 23.6in barrel length.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Model 1904 Vergueiro-Mauser (Portuguese Mauser). Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national small arms listing.

Contractor(s): State Factories / Jose Alberto Vergueiro - Portugal

[ Brazil; Imperial Germany; Portugal; South Africa ]

Design Qualities
Some designs are single-minded in their approach while others offer a more versatile solution to requirements.

Recognition
Some designs stand the test of time while others are doomed to never advance beyond the drawing board; let history be their judge.

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2

Going Further...
The Model 1904 Vergueiro-Mauser (Portuguese Mauser) Bolt-Action Service Rifle. appears in the following collections:

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