1897 Austro Hungarian M95 Short Rifle

[Badger]

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[gunnerasch0]

My first Mannlicher was an 1886 that my cousin and I shared purchase of in mid 60s for likely $20 or so at a gun store.
Ammunition was available from the Shotgun News advertiser DAVES FOR GUNS. He had both the Austrian military rounds in the single column five round enbloc clips in boxes of two clips as well as the Remington UMC boxer primed in twenty round boxes. AIR cost was about $4-5 a hundred. Last time I saw the military rounds at a gun show they were a dollar or so each.
FWIW I did get an 11mm mould from GAR when they went out of business. I have done a little reloading using dies from England and the Rem cases. I don't like using black powder, think I used 4198 for reloads. I have looked into making new cases from 348 Winchester and 8x50R Lebel brass, don't recall the results.

Later on I had a M95/24 purchased from Springfield Sporters in 1966 or so. Price was $10.

Since then I got a bunch of the 8x56R short rifles from century in late 90s.
I also picked up an 88/90 at a gun store in Fall City WA, they didn't know what it was.

I know of a guy in OR that rebarrels the M95s with Remington 30 caliber barrels chambered with his 308x54R reamer. That's
a reamer for 7.62x54R but has a smaller diameter forward end resulting in a rifle that has a 30 caliber bore, uses 7.62x54R brass but won't chamber that high pressure berdan primed Russian/iron Curtain 7.62x54R ball. One of these days...

[WayneLBurnham]

Those alternate chamberings are interesting - as is the original 8x50R.

Yet the 8x56R carbines are available in stunning condition in several versions for under $100. I owned my first for maybe 8 years before I ever shot it and am now completely taken with the super handy and decently accurate little gun. I intend to pick up a number more for good value investments and as gp utility rifles for car trunks, boats, shooting and hunting leases, etc. My emergency breakdown rifle in my daily driver is now this carbine, replacing a longer and heavier Czech mauser.

One online source I recently saw had the new Prvi Partisan boxer for about $17/box. I think Grafs had similar - and several American manufacturers are making it too - Hornady comes to mind, IIRC. A buck a round for a decent high powered big bore rifle round is typical or even low in non-military sporting cartridges. I am thinking of even scoping one or more of them as I acquire them.