Mannlicher M1895

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with
Dutch Mannlicher M1895
.

Mannlicher M1895
en bloc clips or (stripper clips in M95/24 and M95M variants)
SightsRear V-notch flip-up sight and front post (telescopic sight on sniper variant)

The Mannlicher M1895 (German: Infanterie Repetier-Gewehr M.95,

FÉG
in Budapest.

Originally they were chambered for the round nosed 8×50mmR cartridge, but almost all of the rifles were rechambered to accept the more powerful and longer range spitzer 8×56mmR cartridge in the 1930s.

Method of Operation

The M1895 is unusual in employing a straight-pull bolt action, as opposed to the more common rotating bolt-handle of other rifles. It combines a two lug rotating bolt head, similar in construction to that found on a

Mauser rifle with a pair of helical grooves cut in the bolt body to turn the back and forth movement of the bolt handle and body into the rotational movement of the bolt head. The extractor performs both the usual function, and also has a tail attached which interfaces with slots on the cam surfaces of the bolt head to prevent the bolt head from rotating as a result of the striker's spring pressure once it has been unlocked.[5]

The angle of the cam surfaces in the bolt and bolt body is different from the angle at which the locking recesses are cut in the receiver of the rifle, the result is that the first 20 mm (0.79 in) of travel of the bolt body results in the rotation of the bolt head, but with only about 3 mm (0.12 in) of rearward movement, this gives a mechanical advantage to the system and accomplishes primary extraction of the spent casing from the chamber.

The result of this is that the user can pull the bolt back and forth in two movements rather than the up-back-forward-down of conventional turn bolt rifles. It is consequently renowned for combining relatively high rate of fire (around 20–25 rounds per minute) with reliability and sturdiness, although this requires decent care and maintenance. During Austro-Hungarian trials in 1892, rifles survived torture testing of firing 50,000 rounds without any form of lubrication.[6]

The rifle is loaded by means of a five-round

en-bloc clip, which when loaded with cartridges, is pressed into the magazine of the rifle, where it is retained and acts at the feed lips of the magazine. When the last of the five rounds has been chambered, there is no longer anything retaining the clip in the magazine and it falls out a port in the bottom due to gravity. [1]
There is a button in the front of the trigger guard which allows the user to eject a partially or fully loaded en-bloc clip from the magazine when the bolt is open to unload the weapon. The clip will be ejected from the weapon quite energetically as the full force of the follower spring will be pressing against it.

The rifle is not designed to be loaded by any other means but with an en-bloc clip. Attempts to individual feed cartridges into the rifle in absence of proper en-bloc clips may cause damage to the extractor as it is not designed with enough travel to overcome the large rims of the

8x56mmR
cartridges used in the M1895 unless they are fed under the extractor from the en-bloc clip.

History

Isonzo front
in 1917 (colorized).

The M1895 was initially adopted and employed by the Austro-Hungarian Army throughout World War I, and retained post-war by both the Austrian and Hungarian armies. The main foreign user was Bulgaria, which, starting in 1903, acquired large numbers and continued using them throughout both Balkan and World Wars. After Austria-Hungary's defeat in World War I, many were given to other Balkan states as war reparations. A number of these rifles also saw use in World War II, particularly by second line, reservist, and partisan units in Romania, Yugoslavia, Italy, and to a lesser degree, Germany. Post-war many were sold as cheap surplus, with some finding their way to the hands of African guerrillas in the 1970s[citation needed] and many more being exported to the United States as sporting and collectible firearms. The M1895 bolt also served as an almost exact template for the ill-fated Canadian M1905 Ross rifle, though the later M1910 used a complicated interrupted-thread instead of two solid lugs.

Ammunition

en-bloc clip

The M1895 was originally chambered in the 8mm M.1893 scharfe Patrone (

8×57mm IS was never a standard cartridge of the Bulgarian military.[8] These conversions are prized by collectors for their relative scarcity and chambering in a commonly available round, but suffer from a fragile extractor
and a lack of replacement parts.

Variants

For the post World War I conversions see Conversions.

Rifle

The "Infantry Repeating-Rifle M1895" (German: Infanterie Repetier-Gewehr M1895) was the basic variant. It was chambered for the 8×50mmR Mannlicher cartridge. Its iron sights were graduated 300–2600 paces (225–1950 m). It was used during World War I by the majority of the Austro-Hungarian Army troops.

Stutzen

This stutzen or short rifle (official designation German: Repetier-Stutzen M1895; "Repeating-Stutzen M1895") was mainly used by special troops (i.e. storm troops) during World War I. It chambered the 8×50mmR Mannlicher cartridge. Its sights were graduated 500–2400 paces (375–1800 m).

Weight: 3.09 kilograms (6.8 lb)
Length: 1,003 millimetres (39.5 in)
Barrel length: 500 millimetres (20 in)

Carbine

The carbine (official designation German: Kavalerie Repetier-Carabiner M1895; "Cavalry Repeating-Carbine M1895") was chambered

Mannlicher M1890 carbine. The sights were graduated 500–2400 paces (375–1800 m). Although it originally didn't have bayonet lugs
, during World War I it was fitted with stutzen-like front barrel band with bayonet lugs after mounted cavalry units were found ineffective.

Weight: 3.4 kilograms (7.5 lb)
Length: 990 millimetres (39 in)
Barrel length: 480 millimetres (19 in)

Sniper rifle

Sniper rifle variant.

The main difference from the standard rifle and sniper was the telescopic sight mount. The scope was mounted slightly to the left so the rifle could be fed by the

en-bloc clip. Approximately 6,000 long and short barreled sniper rifles were made in the years 1915–1918.[9]

Conversions

The Mannlicher M95/30 conversion.

The M95/30 was a conversion in the

Steyr-Mannlicher during 1930–1940. These rifles carry the letter S meaning Spitzer stamped on the barrel. Main modification was the rechambering to 8×56mmR cartridge. Other changes were the conversion of ladder sights from the older pace unit to meters and addition of a brass front sight protector. Many long rifles were cut down to Stutzen length. Most of M95/30s were sent to Bulgaria during 1938–40, where front sight protectors were removed.[10]

1890 model
. The rest are various 1895 models.

The 31.M or M95/31 was a conversion done in the

FÉG in Budapest and carry the letter H meaning Hegyes Töltény (pointed bullet) stamped on top of the chamber. The conversion included rechambering to the new 8×56mmR pointed bullet cartridge, new metric ladder sights and the addition of a front-sight protector. Long rifles were cut down to carbine length and designated 31/a.M. A small number were rechambered but were not cut down for the Hungarian Governmental Guards; these had special long bayonets.[11]

The M95M or M95/24 was a conversion to

Kingdom of Greece by the German forces during World War II and were mistakenly attributed Greek origin.[12][13]

Hungarian use and modifications during World War 2

Hungarian reservist with a Mannlicher rifle, 1940.

After 1938, Hungarian soldiers in rifle companies were reequipped with the new 35M rifle, but the most of troopers (machine gunners, supply troops, pioneers, gunners, messengers etc.) were still equipped with Mannlichers. In mid-1940 the Royal Hungarian Defense Forces ('Magyar Királyi Honvédség', the name of the army at the time) had 565 thousand rifles. Of this, 105 thousand were new 35M. and the rest were Mannlicher, by variants:

  • 100 thousand 95M (7.62 chambered, purchased from Germany, used in second-line units)
  • 11 thousand 89/90M (given from Austria in return for debts)
  • 349 thousand 31.M (old rifles converted to 8x56 standard and post-war FÉG production)
    • Carbine length rifles were designated as 31.a.M, and these were regularized in the machine gun companies, artillery batteries, recon and signal units. The precise proportion of 31M and 31.a.M variants is not known.[14]

During 1941, 30 thousands of 95M rifles were converted to the 31.AM standard (note: name changed to AM from a.M.). After 1941only 35M (and its Mauser-chambered version) were produced, so the number of Mannlichers decreased continuously. In addition to the losses, the significant wear and tear of the already quite old weapons also played a big role in this. Mannlichers remained the almost exclusive type of rifle in some formations, e.g. pioneer and artillery units used 31.Ms until the end of the war. This led to numerous issues during the battles of 1945, as weapon jams were highly prevalent. Most of these problems arose from the rapid and repeated firing, which caused already worn-out weapons to jam due to thermal expansion. If a soldier attempted to forcefully open the lock, it could potentially crack. After 1945, a few pieces were still used by the re-established military, border guard and police units, but they quickly wore out. Moreover, the majority of rifles belonging to civilians (hunters, guards) were confiscated by the communists. So, interestingly, more 31M rifles remained intact in the surrounding countries than in Hungary.[14]

Summary

Source:[15]

Cartridge Length Weight Sling Swivels Bayonet Lug Notes
Rifle Model 1895 8×50mmR 128.2 cm (50.5 in) 3.63 kg (8.0 lb) Under Yes
Carbine Model 1895 8×50mmR 100 cm (39 in) 2.95 kg (6.5 lb) Side No 7 in (18 cm) gap between front and rear barrel bands
Stutzen Model 1895 8×50mmR 100 cm (39 in) 3.13 kg (6.9 lb) Under Yes 5 in (13 cm) gap between front and rear barrel bands
Carbine Model 1895 with Stutzen lug 8×50mmR 100 cm (39 in) 3.18 kg (7.0 lb) Side Yes 7 in (18 cm) gap between front and rear barrel bands
Carbine-Stutzen Model 1895 8×50mmR 100 cm (39 in) 3.22 kg (7.1 lb) Either Yes 5 in (13 cm) gap between front and rear barrel bands
Stutzen-Carbine Model 1895 8×50mmR 100 cm (39 in) 3.27 kg (7.2 lb) Both Yes 7 in (18 cm) gap between front and rear barrel bands
Rifle Model 1895/30 8×56mmR 128.2 cm (50.5 in) 3.63 kg (8.0 lb) Under Yes
Stutzen Model 1895/30 8×56mmR 100 cm (39 in) 3.22 kg (7.1 lb) Either Yes
Stutzen Model 1895/30 from Long Rifle 8×56mmR 100 cm (39 in) 3.22 kg (7.1 lb) Either Yes Long rifle rear sight
Rifle M95M and M95/24 7.92×57mm 110 cm (43 in) 3.86 kg (8.5 lb) Both Yes

Accessories

Bayonet

NCO bayonet (top) and enlisted men bayonet (bottom).
Scabbard and frog.

There were two main variants of the

F.G.GY.
Bayonets were originally not serial numbered.

Late in World War I resources were limited and they started manufacturing replacement (German: Ersatz) bayonets. These were fast to produce, cheap and made completely out of metal.[16]

Night sights

A set of rear and front Luminous Sights M.1916.

A number of Model 1916 night (Luminous) sights were issued during World War I.[17] The rear night sight is a small brass plate that is placed underneath the rear sight leaf. The front sight clamps around the rifle's front sight base.[18]

Wire destroyer

A Drahtzerstörer or "wire destroyer" device for Mannlicher type firearms was also sometimes issued with the rifle during World War I. During assaults, when soldiers would run into barbed wire obstacles, the "wire destroyer" would grab one of the wires and the soldier would shoot through it. It could only be used with a mounted bayonet.
Various other improvised wire destroyers existed, some originally designed for the

Eastern front were easily modified to fit the M95. Some were also crafted by military blacksmiths.[19]

Users

Bulgarian soldier with a fallen comrade during the First Balkan War
Hungarian soldier with a Mannlicher 31.M in World War II.


  •  
    First World War as war reparations.[20]
  • First Austrian Republic: In service from October 1918 to the Anschluss.
  •  
    Dissolution of Austria-Hungary in 1918. Mainly saw action during World War I as the standard-issue rifle of the Austro-Hungarian Army
    .
  •  
    Budapest. Approx. 83,000 long rifles and 2,000 carbines were imported. These can be identified by a Bulgarian lion crest stamped on chamber and the manufacturer's name on the left side of the receiver.[9] M95s, including guns captured by the USSR, were used by the post-war People's Republic of Bulgaria.[3]
  •  Czechoslovakia: Czechoslovakia had about 200,000 Mannlicher M95s in their possession. The Zbrojovka Brno factory manufactured an unknown number of M95 barrels, stocks and barrel bands before switching to Mauser series production. Most were sold to Bulgaria in the 1930s, but some remained in storage until World War II.[21]
  • Sudetendeutsches Freikorps[22]
  •  Finland: Finland obtained approximately 2300 rifles during the 1920s in the 8×50mmR Mannlicher caliber. They were marked SA and are valuable among collectors.[23]
  •  
    8×50mmR caliber (though some M95/30s have been found in Ethiopian storage).[24] Some ex-Italian carbines were also used until 1946.[3]
  •  Nazi Germany: Used by German police and Volkssturm during World War II.[25][26]
  •  
    8×57mm IS and after the Axis occupation of Greece in April 1941 arrived at the disposal of the Wehrmacht under the designation Gewehr 306(g).[27]
  •  Kingdom of Hungary: After the dissolution of the dual monarchy the Hungarian part received its share of M95s.
  •  
    Italian Front and received as war reparations.[28] By 1937, over 200,000 M.95s in the original caliber were stockpiled in Italian East Africa.[29] They were predominately used by colonial troops. These are often marked AOI for Africa Orientale Italiana. Rifles captured by the British were shipped to India as trainers.[30]
  •  Kenya: very limited numbers[3]
  • Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization: Supplied by the Kingdom of Bulgaria.[31]
  •  
    Polish-Soviet War and more were received by armed police in the 1920s.[33]
  •  Qing dynasty: The elite Wuwei Corps was equipped with a significant number of imported Mannlicher rifles.[34]
  •  Francoist Spain: During the Spanish Civil War, the Soviet NKVD Agency supplied the Republican Forces in Spain with 20,000 Mannlicher Wz.95 rifles and carbines purchased from the Polish Ministry of Defense. The rifle shipment did not reach its intended users; it was captured by Franco's Nationalists. Most Spanish Civil War weapons ended up on the U.S. surplus market during 1959–62. These guns may have additional Spanish Civil War markings and various graffiti.[35]
  •  Kingdom of Romania: Purchased during the Balkan wars, later obtained from Russian or Romanian captures. Initially issued to second line troops.
  •  
    First World War, captured rifles were widely used in the Russian army because of the lack of domestic rifles and cartridges for them.[36] Russian captured rifles may carry a Cyrillic letter П (P). Russian efforts to convert their service rifle, the turning bolt-action Mosin–Nagant to self-loading action were unsuccessful, that's why they decided to alter the straight-pull Mannlicher M1895 rifle, but arrived to the conclusion that development of automatic rifles requires a different approach by inventors.[37]
  •  Kingdom of Serbia: Captured during the Balkan Wars from Bulgaria and Austria-Hungary during World War I, also received as war reparations in original caliber. Passed on to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
  •  West Ukrainian People's Republic: was in service Ukrainian Galician Army.
  •  Yemen[38]
  •  Kingdom of Yugoslavia: Yugoslavia inherited a great number of Mannlicher rifles from territories that were part of Austria-Hungary up to the end of First World War and from the Kingdom of Serbia. Rifles in original configuration were used by the Gendarmerie. Around 122,000 were converted to 7.92×57mm Mauser caliber as M95M and M95/24.[39] Some were used by the post-war Yugoslav People's Army.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ Scarlata, Paul (20 November 2014). "Russian rifles of the great war, revolution & civil war—part I". Shotgun News. Archived from the original on 27 September 2015. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  2. ^ "spanishcivilwar1". Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Moschetto M95 carbine postwar". wwiiafterwwii.wordpress.com. 20 May 2015.
  4. ISBN 0-89689-241-7
    . Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  5. ^ "Steyr-Mannlicher Modell 1895 rifle - Arms of the First World War - Royal Armouries collections". Royal Armouries collections. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  6. ^ "Mannlicher Model 1895 Infantry Rifle". MANOWAR'S HUNGARIAN WEAPONS & HISTORY.
  7. ^ "Yugoslavian Mannlicher M.95 Rifles and Carbines". Manowar's Hungarian Weapons & History. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
  8. ^ "Bulgarian Mannlicher M.95 Rifles and Carbines". Manowar's Hungarian Weapons & History. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
  9. ^
    ISSN 0353-9628
    .
  10. ^ "Mannlicher M95/30 Rifles and Carbines in Austria Hungary".
  11. ^ "Mannlicher 31M Rifles and Carbines - Hungarian Weapons".
  12. ^ "Serbia Yugoslavia Mannlicher M95 Rifle and Carbine".
  13. ^ "Yugoslavian M95M and M95/24 Rifles". Archived from the original on 9 March 2018. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  14. ^ a b Dombrády, Lóránd (1993). "A Magyar könnyű fegyverzet gyártása 1938 és 1944 között" [Production of Hungarian Light Weapons between 1938 and 1944] (PDF). Hadtörténelmi Közlemények (in Hungarian). 106 (4): 76–117 – via EPA.
  15. ^ "A Guide to Mannlicher's Straigh Pull Rifles : : C&Rsenal". Archived from the original on 27 March 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  16. ^ "Austrian Ersatz Bayonets". Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  17. ^ Ortner, Mario Christian (2006). Storm Troops. Militaria Verlag.
  18. ^ "Mannlicher M95 Rifles and Carbines Accessories". hungariae.com. 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  19. ^ Ortner, Mario Christian (2006). Storm Troops. Militaria Verlag.
  20. ^ "Mannlicher M.95-type Rifles and Carbines, Albania". Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  21. ^ "Czech Mannlicher M.95-type Rifles and Carbines". Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  22. Firearms News
    .
  23. ^ "Finnish Mannlicher M.95-type Rifles and Carbines". Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  24. ^ Scarlata, Paul (1 March 2009). "Ethiopian military rifle cartridges: Part 2: from Mauser to Kalashnikov". Shotgun News.
  25. ^ "German Mannlicher M.95 Stutzens & Carbines". Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  26. ^ "Small arms of the Deutscher Volkssturm part I: Nazi leaders, many of whom already had their tickets punched for Argentina, preached last-ditch resistance to the German people, and provided a motley assortment of tools for the purpose. - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com.
  27. ^ "Greek Austro-Hungarian Mannlicher M.95 Rifles and Carbines". Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  28. ^ "Mannlicher M95-type Rifles and Carbines". Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  29. ISBN 9780764345838
    .
  30. ^ "Rifle: Austro-Hungarian Steyr-Mannlicher M.95". C&Rsenal. Archived from the original on 22 December 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  31. ^ Parmeniov (30 January 2023). "Mannlicher Rifle - Most Popular Gun of the Macedonian Insurgents". History.mk. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  32. ^ "Karabin i karabinek 8 mm wz.1895 "Mannlicher" – Kampania Wrześniowa 1939.pl". Kampania Wrześniowa 1939. Retrieved 5 June 2012.
  33. ^ "Mannlicher Yasnikov M.95-type Automatic Rifle Prototype". Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  34. ISBN 9781782004073
    .
  35. ^ "Polish Austro Hungarian Mannlicher Rifles and Carbines". Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  36. ^ А. Б. Жук. Энциклопедия стрелкового оружия: револьверы, пистолеты, винтовки, пистолеты-пулеметы, автоматы. М., АСТ – Voyenizdat, 2002, p. 587
  37. ^ "Mannlicher Yasnikov M.95-type Automatic Rifle Prototype". Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  38. ^ Small Arms Survey (2003). "Living with Weapons: Small Arms in Yemen". Small Arms Survey 2003: Development Denied. Oxford University Press. pp. 173–174. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 November 2010.
  39. ^ "Rifle: Yugoslavian Mannlicher M95M and M95/24". C&Rsenal. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2014.

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