Portuguese M 1885 Guedes/ M 1886 Kropatcheck bayonet (ABCN1259-1)(K373)(JN157-1)
Guedes-Castro M 1885 single shot rifle and Kropatcheck M 1886 repeating rifle. cal.8 x 66R. Serial number: QQ 373. Excellent bright finished fullered yatagan blade with Austrian makers name: Steyer 1886 very crisp on the blade spine and the Austrian flower marking on the reverse ricasso. Very good bright finished pommel and crossguard. Muzzle ring with cock comb and quillon: MRD 15,5 mm. Very good+ wooden grips riveted to the blade tang. There is some small damage around the rivets only.
Excellent blackened steel scabbard with Austrian style frog stud and a serial number BB 826. No serieus dents to the scabbard.
The Portuguese M1886 Kropatscheck repeating rifle, Cal. 8 x 66R was made by OEWG in Steyer, Austria. OEWG delivered somewhat more than 40.000 rifles after Portugal canceled their order for the single shot Guedes-Castro M1885 rifle. They did not cancel their order for the yatagan blade style bayonets, which they now used with the Kropatcheck rifles. The rifles and bayonets were used a very long time, from 1886 till 1910, merely and very intensive in the Portuguese colonies Angola, Mozambique and East Timor and it is known that they also were used in WWI. Therefore you seldom find these rifles and bayonets in an Excellent condition.
