Back on the milsurp (military surplus for those not in the know) train, I have this Steyr M95 carbine. This design came about during Austria's transition from black powder to smokeless powder in the late 19th century. This is another of the straight pull military actions and the only one to see real wide adoption and issue. After WW1 the Austrians were limited to how many long rifles they could have, but post war treaties were very generous with carbines (they were seen as secondary and police weapons at the time). This didn't bother Austria because they liked having a carbine/universal short rifle as opposed to a long rifle. Thus many were cut down to carbine length when the Austrians changed calibers to the 8x56 in the 30s.
Billy's Gun Thread 1.0
- Thread starter Peridot
- Start date
Now this... This is the current "crown jewel" of my collection. I spent 3 years hunting for one and was lucky enough to get it at the price I did.
This is a Winchester M1895 Russian Contract rifle. The last gasp of a lever action military rifle, the Russians would buy almost 300,000 of these in 1915 because, as mentioned earlier, they needed rifles. These later went to fight in the Russian Civil War, the Spanish Civil War, and the Winter/Continuation war(s). These were highly coveted by the troops that used them and I can understand why. They're extremely well made, with a level of quality that exceeds any other service rifle I've handled.
This is a Winchester M1895 Russian Contract rifle. The last gasp of a lever action military rifle, the Russians would buy almost 300,000 of these in 1915 because, as mentioned earlier, they needed rifles. These later went to fight in the Russian Civil War, the Spanish Civil War, and the Winter/Continuation war(s). These were highly coveted by the troops that used them and I can understand why. They're extremely well made, with a level of quality that exceeds any other service rifle I've handled.
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Now today I'm gonna post two rifles, because they're more or less the same as far as history goes. This is the famous, or perhaps infamous, Gewher 98 and Kar98(az). A pair of Mauser 98 rifles. This is Paul Mausers last, and greatest iteration of the Mauser and was the one finally adopted by Germany in 1898. There is too much history for me to into great detail, so I'm going to post a couple videos about them to supplement my post.
Many people argue that the Mauser 98 is the perfect bolt action infantry rifle. And while these pre-WW1 examples are very, very nice, I would disagree. But that's an argument for another day.
Many people argue that the Mauser 98 is the perfect bolt action infantry rifle. And while these pre-WW1 examples are very, very nice, I would disagree. But that's an argument for another day.
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Today I'm bringing a Peruvian 1891 Mauser. These were essentially copies of the Mausers provided to Argentina except for the use of Lange Visir sights (the roller coaster sights). In fact these were originally produced for Argentina and best the Argentinian crest.
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Ok so it's been awhile but this is the newest, anf probably rarerst of my guns so far. Only 4000 of these were made to supplement the Portugese marines and some colonial troops. But that makes them pretty rare and very esoteric. So perfect for me, in addition to being Mannlichers.
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are these guns rare? how do you find this stuff
A lot of them are fairly rare. I find then online at auctions or talking to other collectors. I don't have anything uber rare though, like trials guns or prototypes, but those arent things I'm usually interested in either. I usually try to find the earliest as issued configuration (because rifles are modified and updated over time) and if a rifle was used in a war as a primary or substitute standard then I also want one with a initial war year (1914 or earlier for WW1 for example). It's not always feasible though, like finding a Lebel that hasn't had a M93 conversion is probably impossible.
It's been awhile since I posted in this. But since I got something new and rare, I figure now is as good a time as any.
This is a Belgian 1889 Mauser rifle. The first smokeless powder Mauser to be adopted by a military force. Also the first rifle to use a stripper clip system to load the magazine, which was a revolutionary thing in and of itself at the time. It was also the first rifle to be chambered in a Mauser cartridge, the 7.65x53mm. While the 8x57 is known as a Mauser today, that is a Mauser cartridge in retrospect. The 7.65 is basically the 308 Winchester 60 years early. Lastly, this rifle and the 1900 pistol are the guns that led to the foundation of the Belgian conglomerate FNH, current maker of almost all military arms for America today (And a bunch of other countries). This particular rifle however was made by Hoepkins and Allen of Connecticut during the first World War, because Belgium was obviously occupied and FN, despite being technically German owned, had shut it's doors.
This is a Belgian 1889 Mauser rifle. The first smokeless powder Mauser to be adopted by a military force. Also the first rifle to use a stripper clip system to load the magazine, which was a revolutionary thing in and of itself at the time. It was also the first rifle to be chambered in a Mauser cartridge, the 7.65x53mm. While the 8x57 is known as a Mauser today, that is a Mauser cartridge in retrospect. The 7.65 is basically the 308 Winchester 60 years early. Lastly, this rifle and the 1900 pistol are the guns that led to the foundation of the Belgian conglomerate FNH, current maker of almost all military arms for America today (And a bunch of other countries). This particular rifle however was made by Hoepkins and Allen of Connecticut during the first World War, because Belgium was obviously occupied and FN, despite being technically German owned, had shut it's doors.
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Going through this thread I noticed I haven't posted my newest Arisaka, my Type 99.
This came about in WW2, when the Japanese standardised on a universal short rifle (though around 80k long rifle versions exist) and upgraded from the 6.5x50 Arisaka cartridge to the 7.7x58 (essentially a rimless copy of the 303 British). One of the best bolt action rifles of all time, it has a lot unique features such as a monopod and "anti aircraft" sights, and was the first service rifle to utilize chrome lining of the bore to prevent corrosion.
This came about in WW2, when the Japanese standardised on a universal short rifle (though around 80k long rifle versions exist) and upgraded from the 6.5x50 Arisaka cartridge to the 7.7x58 (essentially a rimless copy of the 303 British). One of the best bolt action rifles of all time, it has a lot unique features such as a monopod and "anti aircraft" sights, and was the first service rifle to utilize chrome lining of the bore to prevent corrosion.
