6.5×58mm Vergueiro

The 6.5×58mm Vergueiro is a centerfire rimless cartridge designed in 1904 specifically for the Mauser-Vergueiro, chosen as service rifle of the Portuguese Army. It was adopted to replace the rimmed 8×60mmR Guedes and 8×56mmR Kropatschek Corto cartridges originally filled with blackpowder, which had been used with Kropatschek rifles procured in the mid-1880s. Smokeless powder allowed for a higher velocity round and further calibre reduction to 6.5 mm, a step already taken by other European countries, e.g. Sweden (6.5×55mm Swedish) and Italy (6.5×52mm Carcano).

6.5×58mm Vergueiro
TypeRifle
Place of originPortugal
Service history
In service1904-1939
Used byPortugal
Union of South Africa
WarsWorld War I
Production history
DesignerJosé Alberto Vergueiro
Designed1904
Specifications
Case typeRimless, bottleneck
Bullet diameter6.65 mm (0.262 in)
Neck diameter7.56 mm (0.298 in)
Shoulder diameter10.94 mm (0.431 in)
Base diameter11.88 mm (0.468 in)
Rim diameter11.78 mm (0.464 in)
Rim thickness1.32 mm (0.052 in)
Case length57.85 mm (2.278 in)
Overall length81.50 mm (3.209 in)
Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/type Velocity Energy
155 gr (10 g) FMJ 2,347 ft/s (715 m/s) 2,000 ft⋅lbf (2,700 J)
Source(s): Rifles and Machine Guns[1] MUNICIOC.org [2]

It remained the service rifle cartridge until the Karabiner 98k replaced the Mauser-Vergueiro pattern in 1939.[1] The round was also used for sporting purposes, manufacturers like DWM and Kynoch offered it until the 1960s.

In military use the common projectile weighs 155 grains and travels at up to 2,400 feet (730 meters) per second. A lot of the Mauser-Vergueiro rifles were later rechambered to accept the standard 7.92×57mm cartridge of the newer Mauser 98k pattern.[2]

See also

References

  1. Johnson, Melvin M., Jr. (1944). Rifles and Machine Guns. New York: William Morrow & Company. pp. 89 & 384.
  2. "6.5x58 Mauser Portugués - MUNICION.org Cartridge Collection (spanish)". J. Camerón. Archived from the original on 6 April 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
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