M1886 Kropatschek Short Rifle

[oldfoneguy]

I put this in the Mauser section because it is a virtual copy of the M71/84.

I've had this since I was 23 years old but didn't fire it until I was in my 30's. Got it through the mail when that was still a thing because of its age and lack of ammo availability. Learned a lot by taking it from dark and non functional to ready for action as you see it now. The magazine was frozen in place and jammed, the feed ramp didn't work, broken rear sight and the stock was black with ???

It's a Kropatschek Short Rifle, not a carbine and certainly not a full size infantry rifle. Made by Styer in 1889 this is the lowest production of the Kropatschek series. It was issued primarily to noncoms. It's about a foot shorter than the infantry rifle and 4+ inches longer than the carbine. It also has the profile of the infantry rifle, not the full to the muzzle stock of the carbine.

It's all matching except the bolt and few parts of that match the bolt body. It has a functional magazine shutoff and 8 round tube magazine. I believe this series of rifles may have the first ever use of aluminum in a firearm. The feed ramp spring of all things is made of aluminum and is commonly broken because of this. I was seriously lucky to find one to make my gate functional.

It becomes seriously muzzle heavy when fully loaded and with the bayonet attached it becomes a handful. I could only imagine the full size rifle! This became a great companion to the original bayonet I bought when I was 13 and is a sweet wall hanger display.

There is an ingenious system of disassembly that simply by removing the cleaning rod and sliding out a pin the entire magazine assembly can be removed. There is an abundance of clear cartouches and stampings that were invisible until the stock was cleaned. That probably preserved them.

The only time I fired it was with Chilean surplus BP ammo dated to WWI era. Some were click... bangs some fired right off and accuracy of course was not great, and that was it. Got that out of my system and never fired it again. That was over 40 years ago and I doubt any of that over 100 years old ammo would still function but you never know. All that I have left are a few loose rounds and the newest boxes which are unopened and date to 1919.

The pictures went all over the place and not in the order I placed them but you'll get the general idea.

[browningautorifle]

Interesting little piece. This would be the one we were talking about, you found you had already the bayonet when you bought the rifle?

[oldfoneguy]

Interesting little piece. This would be the one we were talking about, you found you had already the bayonet when you bought the rifle?

Yes Jim, in fact I did an edit on the post to include that fact.

[browningautorifle]

I was probably that same age when I bought the same bayonet. At the time it was affordable and a complete mystery as to what it fit. The internet was decades away then so searching was into books that also didn't exist yet... Long years before I found out the bayonet model...and I have no idea who ended up with that blade.

[Salt Flat]

Oldfoneguy, You did a great job of preserving that rifle. Just an awesome museum piece. Are the parts interchangeable with the m7184 or just similar? Salt Flat

[oldfoneguy]

Oldfoneguy, You did a great job of preserving that rifle. Just an awesome museum piece. Are the parts interchangeable with the m7184 or just similar? Salt Flat

I don't have an actual 71/84 so I really don't know. There are enough visual differences between the two for me to give you a definite maybe?

[oldfoneguy]

I was probably that same age when I bought the same bayonet. At the time it was affordable and a complete mystery as to what it fit. The internet was decades away then so searching was into books that also didn't exist yet... Long years before I found out the bayonet model...and I have no idea who ended up with that blade.

Jim I didn't know that I had the bayonet that fit until about 2 years after I bought the rifle.

I started trying the few bayonets that I had at the time. A Chassepot, a Gras, an Argentine, an M6 and the Kropatschek. Of course none of the others fit but I wish I had a picture of my expression when that thing clicked on, fit perfectly and didn't rattle. I went to the library at lunch the next day to look it up and sure enough! I was on a cloud because things like that don't happen to me. Well this once.

[MAC702]

I've had my M71/84 for several years, but haven't done anything with it yet. Even the previous guy had never gotten any ammo for it, but I have kept my eye open all this time. I just recently bought an estate of ammo and components, and he had .43 Mauser! So, I just last week pulled the rifle out and ordered the missing front sight. And now I will finally do a thorough cleaning and get it out to the range this winter. I will try to take as nice of pictures as you did to share.

[oldfoneguy]

I've had my M71/84 for several years, but haven't done anything with it yet. Even the previous guy had never gotten any ammo for it, but I have kept my eye open all this time. I just recently bought an estate of ammo and components, and he had .43 Mauser! So, I just last week pulled the rifle out and ordered the missing front sight. And now I will finally do a thorough cleaning and get it out to the range this winter. I will try to take as nice of pictures as you did to share.

I look forward to your write up. The Kropatschek was the new thinking towards the smaller 8mm caliber bullet in the fullsize case. Longer range and flatter shooting than the German 43 and the British and American 45 calibers still commonly in use.

Yes this is the time of the year for these big nasty rounds. A heavy jacket and bulked up clothing are the best way to deal with these beasts. I rarely if ever shoot the 45-70 between May and November.

[Aragorn243]

I have a Kropatschek and M71/84 but did not know they were essentially the same rifle. Both buried in the safe so unlikely I'll be comparing them anytime soon