Mannlicher M1895

Not to be confused with Dutch Mannlicher M1895.

Infanterie Repetier-Gewehr M.95 Gyalogsági Ismétlő Puska M95 (Infantry Repeating-Rifle M95)
Mannlicher M1895 Rifle. From the collections of the Swedish Army Museum.
Type	Bolt-action rifle
Place of origin	Austria-Hungary
Service history
In service	1895–1945 1895–1918 Austria-Hungary
Used by	See Users
Wars	Boxer Rebellion First Balkan War Second Balkan War World War I Russian Civil War Austro-Slovene conflict in Carinthia Revolutions and interventions in Hungary Second Italo-Ethiopian War Spanish Civil War Second Sino-Japanese War Sudeten German uprising 1938 World War II
Production history
Designer	Ferdinand Mannlicher
Designed	1895
Manufacturer	1896–1918: Œ.W.G. in Steyr 1897–1918: F.G.GY. in Budapest 1918–1920: Zbrojovka Brno
Produced	1896–1920
Number built	approx. 3,500,000
Variants	See Variants
Specifications (M95 Long Rifle)
Weight	3.78 kilograms (8.3 lb)
Length	1,272 millimetres (50.1 in)
Barrel length	765 millimetres (30.1 in)
Cartridge	M95: 8×50mmR Mannlicher M95/30 & 31.M: 8×56mmR M95/24 & M95M: 8×57mm IS
Action	Straight-pull bolt action
Rate of fire	approx. 30–35 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity	M93 (8×50mmR): 620 m/s (2,000 ft/s) M30 (8×56mmR): 720 m/s (2,400 ft/s)
Feed system	5-round en bloc clip (stripper clip in M95/24 and M95M), internal box magazine
Sights	Rear V-notch flip-up sight and front post (telescopic sight on sniper variant)

The Mannlicher M1895 (German: Infanterie Repetier-Gewehr M.95, Hungarian: Gyalogsági Ismétlő Puska M95; "Infantry Repeating-Rifle M95") is a bolt-action rifle, designed by Ferdinand Ritter von Mannlicher that used a refined version of his revolutionary straight-pull action bolt, much like the Mannlicher M1890 carbine. It was nicknamed the Ruck-Zu(rü)ck (German slang for "back and forth") by Austrian troops and "Ta-Pum" by Italian troops who even wrote a song about it during The Great War.

The M1895 is unusual in employing a straight-pull bolt action, as opposed to the more common rotating bolt-handle of other rifles. It consequently renowned for combining a high rate of fire (around 30–35 rounds per minute) with reliability and sturdiness, although this requires decent care and maintenance with an extractor that is vulnerable to breakage due to a lack of primary extraction.

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

History

Austro-Hungarian Stormtroops armed with Mannlicher M95 Stutzens at the Isonzo front in 1917 (colorized).

It 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 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 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

Round nosed 8×50mmR cartridges

Spitzer bullet 8×56mmR cartridges

Five cartridges in an en-bloc clip

The M1895 was originally chambered in the 8mm M.1893 scharfe Patrone (8×50mmR Mannlicher) cartridge. Between the world wars, both Austria and Hungary converted the majority of their rifles to fire the more powerful 8×56mmR round.
Yugoslavia converted at least some of their captured M1895s to 7.92×57mm Mauser, fed by stripper clips instead of the original model's en bloc clip system. This conversion was designated M95/24 and M95M. The M95/24 is often mistakenly attributed to Bulgaria, but 8×57mm IS was never a standard cartridge of the Bulgarian military. 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 WWI conversions see Conversions.

Rifle

The (German: Infanterie Repetier-Gewehr M1895; "Infantry Repeating-Rifle M1895") was the basic variant. It was chambered for the 8×50mmR Mannlicher cartridge. Its iron sights were graduated 300–2600 paces (225-1950m). It was used during World War I by 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 WWI. It chambered the 8×50mmR Mannlicher cartridge. Its sights were graduated 500–2400 paces (375-1800m).

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: Kavaliere Repetier-Carabiner M1895; "Cavalry Repeating-Carbine M1895") was chambered 8×50mmR Mannlicher and used by cavalry units of the Austro-Hungarian Army as a replacement of the Mannlicher M1890 carbine. The sights were graduated 500–2400 paces (375-1800m). Although it originally didn't have bayonet lugs, during WW1 it was fitted with stutzen-like front barrel band with bayonet lugs after mounted cavalry units were found ineffective.

Sniper rifle

Sniper rifle variant.

The main difference from the standard rifle and stutzen was the telescopic sight mount. The scope was mounted slightly to the left so the rifle could be fed by en bloc clip. Approximately 6,000 long and short barreled sniper rifles were made in the years 1915–1918.

Conversions

The Mannlicher M95/30 conversion.

M95/30 was a conversion in the First Austrian Republic by 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.

31.M or M95/31 was a conversion done in the Kingdom of Hungary. Rifles were converted 1931–1935 by 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 addition of a front-sight protector. Long rifles were cut down to carbine length and designated 31/a.M. They weren't used for much time and were withdrawn to storage when the new 35M rifle was introduced. Some were reissued during WW2. A small number were rechambered but weren't cut down for the Hungarian Governmental Guards, these had special long bayonets.

M95M or M95/24 was a conversion to 7.92×57mm cartridge by the Kragujevac Arsenal in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. These rifles feature Yugoslavian M24 Mauser barrels, sights, similar handguards and are fed by 5-round stripper clips. Their extractors are prone to breakage when being fired single-shot. Some of these rifles were found in the Kingdom of Greece by the German forces during WWII and were mistakenly attributed Greek origin.

Summary

Various Mannlicher rifles and carbines. The long rifle on far left is an 1888 model and the carbine in the middle is an 1890 model carbine. The rest are various 1895 models.

	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

Standard (top) and NCO bayonet (bottom).

Scabbard and frog.

There were two main variants of the bayonet; the first one was the standard bayonet, the second one was the NCO variant that featured a hooked quillion and a golden lanyard. The overall length was 360 millimetres (14 in) and the blade was 248 millimetres (9.8 in) long. The bayonet was unusual in that the edge faced upwards when mounted on the rifle. Majority of them were made by Œ.W.G. and F.G.GY. Bayonets were originally not serial numbered.

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

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. 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.

Wire destroyer

A Drahtzerstörer or "wire destroyer" device for Mannlicher type firearms was also sometimes issued with the rifle during WWI. 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 deisgned for the Mosin–Nagant rifle that were captured on the Eastern front were easily modified to fit the M95. Some were also crafted by military blacksmiths.

Users

Bulgarian soldier with a fallen comrade during the First Balkan War

• Albania: Approx. 4000 rifles were ordered by the Albanian Revolutionary Committee in 1911. Albania also received a number of rifles after First World War as war reparations.
• First Austrian Republic: In service from October 1918 to the Anschluss.
• Austria-Hungary: In service from 1895 to Dissolution of Austria-Hungary in 1918. They saw a lot of action during World War I as the primary weapon of the Austro-Hungarian Army.
• Kingdom of Bulgaria: Starting in 1898 Bulgaria began importing M95 Mannlicher rifles, in the beginning exclusively from Steyr and later also from 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.
• Czechoslovakia: Czechoslovakia had about 200,000 Mannlicher M95s in their possession. The Zbrojovka Brno factory manufactured an unknown amount 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 WW2.
• Sudeten German Party
• Finland: Finland obtained approximately 2300 rifles during the 1920s in the 8×50mmR Mannlicher caliber. They were marked SA and are valuable among collectors.
• Nazi Germany: Used by German police during WW2.
• Kingdom of Greece: Greece had a number of M95/24 and M95M rifles chambered for the 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).
• Kingdom of Hungary: After the dissolution of the dual monarchy the Hungarian part received its share of M95s.
  

  Hungarian soldier with a Mannlicher 31.M in World War II.
• Kingdom of Italy: Captured on the Italian Front and received as war reparations. M.95s in original caliber were used by colonial troops in Italian East Africa, these are marked AOI for Africa Orientale Italiana. Rifles captured by the British were shipped to India as trainers.
• Ottoman Empire
• Second Polish Republic: Received by armed police in the 1920s.
• Portugal
• Qing Dynasty: The elite Wuwei Troop was equipped with a significant amount of imported Mannlicher rifles.
• Francoist Spain: During the Spanish Civil War, the Soviet NKVD Agency supplied the Communist 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 the Reds, 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 graffity.
• Kingdom of Romania: Issued to second line troops.
• Russian Empire: During the First World War, captured rifles were widely used in the Russian army because of the lack of domestic rifles and cartridges for them. 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 diffenrent approach by inventors.
• Kingdom of Serbia: Captured during the Balkan Wars from Bulgaria and Austria-Hungary during WWI, also received as war reparations in original caliber. Passed on to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
• State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs: Used in the Austro-Slovene conflict in Carinthia, passed on to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
• Turkey
• Kingdom of Yugoslavia: Yugoslavia inherited a great amount of Mannlicher rifles from territories that were part of Austria-Hungary up to the end of First World War and from Kindgom 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.

See also

• Mannlicher M1890 Carbine
• Mannlicher M1888
• Weapons of the Austro-Hungarian Empire
• M1895 Lee Navy – An American straight-pull rifle
• Ross rifle – A Canadian straight-pull rifle

External links

• M95, M90, and identifying marks
• Modern Firearms – M95/30 (M1895)
• Photogallery of carabine Mannlicher M.95