Spanish M43 Mauser rifle
This is my Spanish M1943 Mauser rifle in 7.92 x 57mm, made in 1945 at the La Coruna arsenal for service with the paramilitary police force the 'Civil Guard'-the cartouche on the buttstock is the crossed sword and fasces symbol for the guard.
The M1943 Mauser was adopted as a replacement for the various previous models of rifles that had survived the Spanish Civil war 1936-39. Supplies of German weapons during the war had led to the decision to adopt the 7.92 calibre round to replace the 7mm used since the 1890s. The rifle itself is based on the Standard Short Modell rifles that had been obtained from Germany in the early 1930s in the old 7mm. An unusual feature is the auxilliary bayonet lug mounted on top of the standard 'H' lug to allow use of the older pattern bayonets as well as the 84/98 clone German type bayos for the M43. It was replaced in service by the CETME 7.62mm Nato assualt rifle from the early 1960s on.
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-haven't shot it but may do in the future-the attached are 2 bayos that fit the rifle-the extremely old fashioned looking M1941 that was supposed to double as a bolo machete but like most of these sort of things was useless for the task and heartily disliked by the troops and the Chilean M1895 bayo-typical of the older Mauser export examples that will fit on the auxiliary lug.
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