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.
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