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Post by nerdthenord on Mar 5, 2024 3:56:38 GMT
I've noticed in a lot of the popular publicity photos from the Mexican revolutionary era of the early 20th century that there are more than a few swords being prominently worn by revolutionaries. They mostly look like military sabers to me, but the pics are sometimes too low resolution to tell. Anyone know what models would have been popular in Mexico at that time? I know the Mexican army had a bunch of material support from Imperial Germany at that time, and I suspect most of those swords would have been captured from the army. Side note, while almost every kind of firearm in use at the time was used, the most popular long arms were lever action rifles in .30-30 and Mauser 1902 rifles, with the .30-30 and 7x57 Mauser rounds being pretty easy to get, while more esoteric sporting rounds for carbines were often harder to find. The most popular handguns were apparently the numerous off-brand copies of Smith and Wesson top break models of the era.
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Post by squalembrato on Mar 5, 2024 21:32:35 GMT
A lot of the old photos of Pancho Villa and his Dorado cavalry and of Emiliano Zapata show that the most popular handgun was actually the Colt Single Action Army model 1873, the "Peacemaker" either in .45 Long Colt or .44-40 that could also be used in Winchester Rifles. Most of the peons in the infantry had a variety of large machetes--not sabers.
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Post by nerdthenord on Mar 5, 2024 23:24:33 GMT
A lot of the old photos of Pancho Villa and his Dorado cavalry and of Emiliano Zapata show that the most popular handgun was actually the Colt Single Action Army model 1873, the "Peacemaker" either in .45 Long Colt or .44-40 that could also be used in Winchester Rifles. Most of the peons in the infantry had a variety of large machetes--not sabers. Cool. I’d wager a good chunk of the best photos still around were meant to show forces at their best equipped, and not necessarily reflect the average revolutionary. I read Villa particularly enjoyed Brisby gripped 1873 SAA revolvers. I saw pictures of a regular 1873 revolver that belonged to a revolutionary general, and the .44 caliber marking was still readable.
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Post by larason2 on Mar 6, 2024 18:38:38 GMT
I wish I knew a bit more about this myself. I am Mexican, born in Mexico. Which photos are you referring to? A lot of the machetes used in Mexico were either locally produced (sometimes not even of hardened steel!), or coming even from colonial times. That's why you see that many of them have been worn down or resharpened to the point they are practically unidentifiable. Some of the ones that weren't ground down are clearly from the colonial era, sometimes with a different handle. Even today, a lot of inexpensive machetes are produced there, and there is a huge market for them in Mexico, but also elsewhere. It's possible there were some German swords that made their way through, but it's unlikely a lot of the revolutionaries had them until they became the new government. I'd like to see the pictures of the revolutionaries and the swords you mention if you have links. Most of the pictures I've seen they are only wearing guns and bullets! Here's a picture of one I found online: www.alexautographs.com/auction-lot/mexican-army-machete_B054B5093AYou see it's probably a local supplier of some sort, and they just stamped "Republica Mexicana" on the side, and a serial number. This is what most men in the field used, and this kind of machete is still used today, and still produced by local suppliers in the same manner as 100 years ago.
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Post by nerdthenord on Mar 9, 2024 23:10:36 GMT
I wish I knew a bit more about this myself. I am Mexican, born in Mexico. Which photos are you referring to? A lot of the machetes used in Mexico were either locally produced (sometimes not even of hardened steel!), or coming even from colonial times. That's why you see that many of them have been worn down or resharpened to the point they are practically unidentifiable. Some of the ones that weren't ground down are clearly from the colonial era, sometimes with a different handle. Even today, a lot of inexpensive machetes are produced there, and there is a huge market for them in Mexico, but also elsewhere. It's possible there were some German swords that made their way through, but it's unlikely a lot of the revolutionaries had them until they became the new government. I'd like to see the pictures of the revolutionaries and the swords you mention if you have links. Most of the pictures I've seen they are only wearing guns and bullets! Here's a picture of one I found online: www.alexautographs.com/auction-lot/mexican-army-machete_B054B5093AYou see it's probably a local supplier of some sort, and they just stamped "Republica Mexicana" on the side, and a serial number. This is what most men in the field used, and this kind of machete is still used today, and still produced by local suppliers in the same manner as 100 years ago. I’ll try to get on that soon, I’m stuck in bed ATM sick unfortunately
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