Research published in 2016 by Anthony Vanderlinden in his book, FN Mauser Rifles, infers that this bayonet may have been made for Brazil. If so, it is unclear how to distinguish between Brazilian and Uruguayan examples of this bayonet.

M1904 bayonets have a shorter hilt than M1908 and later Mauser bayonets, so only fit on M1904 Mauser rifles.

The M1904 was adopted by Brazil for use by the paramilitary police force in the (then) national capitol of Rio De Janeiro. The ricasso marking is the Brazilian national crest, over "F.P.D.F." (Força Pública Distrito Federal).

It is believed that DWM built around 5,000 M1904 rifles chambered in 7 mm. ca. 1907 using parts left over from the Portuguese contract. The maker of the bayonet is not known. No actual production records have been found.

The Brazilian M1904 sword bayonet is historically-significant in two ways:

1) as the last bayonet ever designed with the graceful double-curve yataghan blade; and,

2) as the only yataghan sword bayonet produced for a Mauser rifle.

The comparison image at left illustrates how the M1904 bayonet's scale is mid-way between the M1880 Comblain (or French M1866) bayonet and the Cadet Comblain Yataghan. The M1904's overall length equals the M1880 Comblain's blade length, while the Cadet Comblain's overall length equals the M1904's blade length.

These bayonets were made from 1908–1914 by several German blade makers. This example was made by Simson & Co. of Suhl, Germany. The firm of Alex Coppel also made bayonets.

The German-made scabbard has a leather body with brass mounts.

"FI" is an abbreviation for Fabrica de Itajuba, the Brazilian state arms factory. This identifies the scabbard as a Brazilian-made replacement scabbard. These later scabbards have a leather body with blued steel mounts.

Brazil obtained 100,500 7 mm. M1908/34 Police Carbines with bayonets from the Czechoslovak Republic in 1937. The carbines and bayonets were made at Československá zbrojovka a.s., Brno. There is a tiny circle-Z export mark on the crosspiece. Some of these carbines were subsequently rebarreled to .30-06 caliber at Fabrica de Itajuba.

Construction is similar to the M1908, except for the longer blade and the grip scales are secured by screw bolts.

This scabbard is unusual, in that the brass mounts are salvaged from an earlier M1908 scabbard, rather than the blued steel mounts normally found on M1908/34 scabbards.

Crosspiece (left):"Z" inside a circle

Pommel (top): "β" (beta) inspection mark

Scabbard (topmount): "3002" and "4"

Scabbard (frog stud): "F" and "1" (remains of old M1908 serial number)

The bayonet and scabbard are similar to the Belgian M1924 Mauser Export bayonet, which was widely used in South America during the 1930s. The grip scales are secured with screwbolts vs. the rivets found on many South American Mauser bayonets.

The M1935 rifle was closely patterned after the M1908 rifle. It is believed approximately 8,000 were produced by Mauser for Brazil 1935-38. Serial no. 7910 was the highest observed until a Canadian collector recently reported to me that he has rifle serial no. 7984. Produced under a commercial contract, the rifles carry the famous Mauser “Banner” trademark. These rifles and bayonets are uncommon today.

Brazil received 11,000 Model 1949 production rifles from 1954-56. This was the final production order for the Model 1949 rifle. Model 1949 rifles were used by the Brazilian Navy and Marines.

Brazil opted for a modification of the M1924 Short Mauser export bayonet. The M1924/49 Short bayonet is identical to the Mauser version, except for the much larger muzzle ring.

Research published in 2019 by Wayne Johnson in the revised and expanded second edition of his book, The FN-49, documented that Brazil was the only Model 1949 purchaser that adopted the M1924/49 Short bayonet.

Indonesia and Venezuela used the M1924/49 Long sword bayonet with their Model 1949 rifles.

Argentina, Belgium, Colombia, (Belgian) Congo, Egypt, and Luxembourg all used the Model 1949 knife bayonet. Colombia also modified M1912 Mauser bayonets for use on the FN Model 1949.

This example has the M1965 spring catch and a black paint finish. The scabbard is plastic, with an integral cotton web belt hanger.

The snap fastener on the belt frog is marked "Eberle." Eberle S.A. is a Brazilian firm that manufactures, among other things, textile fasteners. The identification of this bayonet as having been made by IMBEL is based on the identification of the belt hanger's fasteners. IMBEL is an abbreviation for Industry Material Bélico do Brasil (Military Material Industry of Brasil), the State arms factory formerly known as Fabrica de Itajuba.

FN-FAL Bayonets Page

This example would have been produced in the 1980s. The bayonet is unmarked, with a black paint finish overall.

The scabbard has a plastic body, with an integral nylon web belt frog. The throatpiece is positioned so the socket faces outward. The belt frog has the U.S. M1910-style wire belt hanger. Both the copper-plated glove fastener and rivets used on the belt hanger are marked "Eberle."

The SAR–48 bayonet is unusual in being of late manufacture, but having the M1963 serrated spring catch.

FN-FAL Bayonets Page

The MQ M968 is a variant of the .30–06 caliber Mauser M954 rifle and is used by the Brazilian Army for basic training. It is unofficially referred to as the "Mosquefal" due to modifications that enable it to use the ammunition and rifle grenade accessories of the FAL assault rifle.

The MQ M968 bayonet is a modification of earlier M1908 knife bayonets used with the 7 mm. Mauser M1908 rifle. The blade was cut down from 11.75 in. (298 mm.) to 6.50 in. (165 mm.). The original hooked crosspiece was replaced by a straight crosspiece with a much larger muzzle ring. All of the metal was bead-blasted and parkerized. The wood grip scales are secured by screw-bolts.

The scabbard has a plastic body, with an integral nylon web belt frog. The belt frog has the U.S. M1910-style wire belt hanger. The hilt strap button is made of copper.

The scabbard is patterned after those produced in Brazil for the FAL Type C bayonet. However, this scabbard was made especially for use with the MQ M968 bayonet. The MQ M968 scabbard has a rectangular throatpiece, instead of the semi-circular throatpiece used for the FAL Type C bayonet.

Snap (belt hanger):  "Eberle"