Portugese Princess - Mauser Vegeriuro

[Bad Ass Wallace]

I've never seen one in the original chambering, but the ones converted by DWM to 8x57 Mauser are beautiful rifles. Spent the morning one which has a 'mint' bore. Loaded with a Saeco 190gn cast bullet over 28gns 2206, there was no problem regularly hitting the 10 & 9 ring on a standard pistol target at 60m.

My local dealer has a crate of 20+ that haven't been fired for over 30 years!

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Wow! Even "down under" treasures turn up. That one seems in really nice condition. Congratulations on a good find!

[Uncle Grinch]

I just love these butter smooth actions! Got two, one is original matching 8mm and the other has been worked over into a Euro-Sporter that's now a 7x57.

[TNsailorman]

I have read and heard about them for over 50 years but I have yet to see one in person. james

[Multigunner]

"one is original matching 8mm and the other has been worked over into a Euro-Sporter that's now a 7x57. "

I would certainly like to see that rifle. I like the older European sporters.

[Scharfschuetze]

Here's one that is all matching with an excellent bore and metal finish. The wood is dark, but not dinged up too much and it even has the issue muzzle and front sight guard. The Portuguese Royal Crest on the receiver ring is as nice as any of the South American Mauser crests. I really like the sights on these rifles. They are very easy to use and much better than the normal Mauser visier and korn sights. It's a very accurate rifle to way out yonder with the Turkish 8mm ball ammo.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

It is Mauser-Vergueiro for anyone who needs to Google it, and it isn't a Mauser at all, owing more to the German Commission 1888 and the Mannlichers. But they are well-built rifles, and the accuracy doesn't surprise me.

Most of the 8x57 conversions were done in a hurry in 1939, when General Franco was getting into bad company. Portugal and Britain have the oldest military alliance in the world, but the Portuguese troops on the Western Front in the First World War had Lee-Enfields, for logistical reasons. Similarly though, the South Africans bought a large number of 6.5mm. Vergueiros when they fought as allies of Portugal in Africa.

[Uncle Grinch]

I can tell you from experience, the bolts are easy to take apart, but it take three hands to reassemble them! I have to go to YouTube each time.

[Uncle Grinch]

"one is original matching 8mm and the other has been worked over into a Euro-Sporter that's now a 7x57. "

I would certainly like to see that rifle. I like the older European sporters.

If I could figure out how to resize on this iPad , I'd post a picture!

[Texas by God]

It is Mauser-Vergueiro for anyone who needs to Google it, and it isn't a Mauser at all, owing more to the German Commission 1888 and the Mannlichers. But they are well-built rifles, and the accuracy doesn't surprise me.

Most of the 8x57 conversions were done in a hurry in 1939, when General Franco was getting into bad company. Portugal and Britain have the oldest military alliance in the world, but the Portuguese troops on the Western Front in the First World War had Lee-Enfields, for logistical reasons. Similarly though, the South Africans bought a large number of 6.5mm. Vergueiros when they fought as allies of Portugal in Africa.

I know they are not a Mauser but weren't they manufactured by MauserWerke/Orbendorf in 6.5 caliber for Portugal?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[Scorpion8]

Cool. Lets see a picture of the receiver crest, please.

[Uncle Grinch]

Ok, I did some research and hopefully found out how to resize iPad pictures. This rifle started out as a bare action, I had Mike McCabe rebarrel it, add the sights and work the action and replace the bolt. Been working on fitting it to the stock, which was made by "inthe10ring" over on mausercentral.net.

[bedbugbilly]

That sort of makes a person drool! Very nice!

[james23]

There are a few of those guns that show up from time to time. I bought one in the original 6.5 x 58 mm at the local small town hardware store. The owner has a pretty good selection and used to do a lot of buying and selling. For under $100 bucks its was mine. At the time neither of us really new what it was beyond a mauser. Finally got some reformed 270 brass and fired it after having it for 20 years.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

I know they are not a Mauser but weren't they manufactured by MauserWerke/Orbendorf in 6.5 caliber for Portugal?

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There mightn't be a simple answer to that one. On paper the Portuguese and a much smaller number of Brazilian rifles had been were made by DWM, founded by the Loeuwe family who had already been involved in rifle manufacture under their own name. I think some of the earliest true Mausers for Brazil were marked "Loeuwe". But Loeuwe transferred their large interest in the Mauser company to DWM, so it is entirely possible that some or all were made in a Mauser facility
.

[Texas by God]

Thank you Ballistics. I used to have a Mauser article collection printed as a magazine(NRA publications) that I miss sorely because now I must rely on memory and that seems to be a hit or miss endeavor.
Best, Thomas.

[Scharfschuetze]

Cool. Lets see a picture of the receiver crest, please.

Here is the crest. I believe that it is for King Carlos.

[nvbirdman]

A guy in our gun club offered one of these as a prize in a shooting contest. It lives in my safe now.

[EDG]

Ludwig Loewe became DWM in 1896. Since these rifles are designated 1904 models they would have all been manufactured by DWM.

While the design is a Portuguese Heinz 57 mix of Mauser magazine and Mannlicher bolt the manufacturing was done in Germany and it was chambered for German developed cartridges.

Note this example does not have the gas vent hole drilled in the receiver so it is still in 6.5X58P Mauser caliber.



Note Ludwig Loewe markings on an 1891 Argentine Mauser manufactured before 1896.

[JeffG]

I have one of these rifles, matching numbers, etc. beautiful rifle, has the sling with it. The barrel has some external pitting under the wood. I've kept it to mild cast loads and no factory or jacketed ammo. The action is smooth. Like was noted, reassembling the bolt requires a visit to YouTube. The original caliber markings are xx'd out.