WW1 Era Mannlicher M95 Rifle

[Gildwiller1918]

This is my newly acquired Mannlicher M95 rifle, this particular one was made in the Budapest factory. It has the Imperial acceptance stamp of W-n with an eagle between “18” This is the year the rifle was accepted into service. M95 rifles in general do not have a lot of stamps on the parts. I have highlighted the stamps present, the Budapest stamp is the most prevalent, with the M.95 designation slightly faded. Only main issue I had with this rifle was the front barrel band with bayonet lug, on this rifle the bayonet lug was ground off, but since these rifles are plentiful, I found a period replacement easy enough. The sling is a modern reproduction.

The rifle came out of long-term storage in Ethiopia and was quite dirty and required a lot of cleaning to get it to look as it does now. The stock was remarkably in decent shape as were the metal parts. Unlike other Ethiopian surplus rifles I have encountered, this one does not have Ethiopian stamps or markings, at least none that I have been able to see so far. Around 3.5 million of these rifles were made in its service life, with many other nations being supplied with the standard long rifle or the many carbines and variants. The standard infantry long rifle weighed a little over 8 pounds, and was about 50 inches in length, although long it does not feel overly heavy. The stock is not as thick and bulky as other period rifles. The rifle is also unique as it has a straight pull bolt, similar to the Canadian Ross Rifle. The rifle used rimmed 8x50mm cartridges on an en bloc style clip, which would fall out of the magazine well after the last round was used. The Ethiopian purchased M95’s were kept in the original WW1 8x50R caliber while those remaining in Europe were mainly rechambered post war to the 8x56R caliber. 

[72 usmc]

Gildwiller1918 

I am glad to see yours was not wire wheel cleaned by the smucks. Most get bores like this.  You are lucky... Are you one of the few that got  the AOI stamp?

 The M95 is also a favorite of mine, makes me want to put together some info on my $12 dogs.  I got way too many in the 1960s. The long rifles are a pleasure to shoot, but the carbine is a brutal beast that kicks like a mule. If on blood thinners your shoulder is black & blue after five shots with the Nazi ammo in 8x56R.  And the hard to find 8x50R  ammunition is just as bad.  My shooters are chambered in the easy to find ammunition in 8x56R.   My collectors are WW I bring backs in 8x50R and are rarely fired.  Here are some nice history links to add. Now I got to find some  of my old photos. I got an m95  drill rifle too.

 

The Mannlicher Model 95 Straight Pull Magazine Rifle, 2001 Cruffler.com

http://www.cruffler.com/Features/SEP-01/historic-september01.html

 

MANOWAR'S HUNGARIAN WEAPONS & HISTORY

http://www.hungariae.com/Mann95.htm

 

THE M95 STEYR MANNLICHER RIFLE: A BARGAIN BOLT ACTION FROM WWI (VIDEO)

05/24/2013 11:15 AM | by Chris Eger Guns.com

https://www.guns.com/news/2013/05/24/the-m95-steyr-mannlicher-rifle-a-bargain-bolt-action

 

 

Shooting ouch !

 

 And a sniper carbine M95

 

[Gildwiller1918]

Mine does not have the AOI stamp, virtually no markings on the stock at all, which is weird, it may have been sanded off possibly, but it was in decent condition for its age. 

[72 usmc]

 

  M1895 Mannlichers

 

Back in the day, during the late 1990s, SOG and AIM (older U. S. milsurp dealers) had tons of M95 carbines that were dumped onto the U. S. market for around $80 a carbine, but the long rifles were always a harder find. Few buyers really wanted the odd straight bolt shooters. The carbines came in original used condition and like-new arsenal rebuilt condition. The $15 reverse blade bayonets were also plentiful, but sold separately.

In the late 1980s, SOG sold original 8x56R ammo in Nazi marked, odd shaped boxes for $2.25 per box to go along with their carbine sales. The ten rounds of ammo came on two enblock Mannlicher clips that were needed to fire the Mannlicher. I must have purchased over 500 boxes. Now those boxes sell at $30 a box because people want the enblock clips. The Nazi marked boxes and the Nazi marked cartridges are sort of collectors items. Guys at the range always want a few empty cartridges from me to save for display. I save the boxes and Mannlicher clips to reload with all the loose Bulgarian 8x56R ammo that I have in tins.

The M95 carbines are brutal to fire due to the kick, worse than a Russian M44, or about the same as a British Enfield No.5 Jungle carbine. Yes, 30 years ago they were fun. Now, if on blood thinners your shoulder is black & blue after about ten shots. Recoil is fierce. As a result, I sold off the carbines.

The upper carbine is one of the like-new arsenal refurbished carbines from AIM. The lower one is original condition. 

stocks redone like new

 More recently sold carbines had a nasty import mark placed on the left side of the receiver. Early ones lacked import marks.

 

 

In contrast, the M95 long rifle in 8x56R is a pleasure to fire and ammunition was cheep back then. I avoided the 8x50R examples since that original surplus ammunition was always harder to find. The shooter of an original chambered M95 had to reload their own and use Mosin 7.62x54R reformed brass. Producing ammunition from Mosin brass is a bit involved. No one makes factory contemporary ammunition for the 8x50R Mannlicher cartridge.

Another concern with Mannlichers is the tricky bolt. When most of the cheap M95 straight pull carbines came on the market, most needed some work. You had to use the dime trick to hold open the bolt or adjust some things (as shown below). The website, Ryngate.org, is long gone and the author, Gorzasas, may be dead. The source certainly disappeared from the scene of M95 Mannlichers. I have not seen this source in years. Most made a paper copy of the information. I stumbled upon an old link for this information that readers may find useful: please review and make a paper copy of this information if you own an old M95:

http://gorzsas.org/M95/index.html

Here is a video for the dime trick on a worn bolt: ( on a new or good condition bolt when the bolt head is pulled out it should stay in place so it can be inserted into the receiver. If worn, it does not lock and you use the dime trick)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXOSGRXguXM

 

I have four M95 long rifles. All are chambered in 8x56R, they have no import marks, and are beaters/shooters. The original caliber of the 1895 Mannlicher is 8x50R. In 1930s the Austrian government updated the M95s by re-chambering to the 8X56R cartridge. In addition, the sights were changed from the “schritten” measurement to meters. During the mid 1920s, a good number of long rifles began to be modified into short carbines by cutting the rifles down to carbine length. This resulted in many more carbines than long rifles. Ammunition is now approaching $2-3 a round in the United States, the carbines kick like a mule, and most do not like the stiff straight pull. Consequently, M95 carbine variations are easy to find for sale, but the long rifles are very difficult to find.

The large “S” or “H” chamber marking indicates a rifle or carbine has been re-chambered from 8x50R to 8x56R. Not all were marked. If you own a 1895 Mannlicher and it is not marked with the large “S” or “H” mark there is an easy method used to check what ammunition it chambers. A way to confirm if it is an 8x50R or an 8x56R chamber is to use a dummy 8x56R cartridge. Another way would be to use a new brass, unfired and resized, empty 8x56R brass PPU case  ( Prvi Partizan Ammunition Co.- Serbia) and fit it into the rifle with the bolt removed. The round is easier to fit when the bolt is removed. The 8x56R cartridge will not chamber in the 8x50R rifle. The 8x56R cartridge is longer and only chambers in a 8x56R gun. If the empty case or a dummy round fits, then the next step is to try loading the dummy cartridge from the enblock clip with the bolt in the gun. The bolt should close and then you have confirmation that you own a 8x56R gun. If the cartridge does not go in all the way (does not chamber), you own a 8x50R gun still in its original format. I should state that an original 8x50R cartridge will chamber in an 8x56R rifle, but it should not be fired.

The Mannlicher must be fired utilizing the enblock Mannlicher clip to avoid cracking the extractor. They do make a M95 Mannlicher Single Round Adapter Sled for both the 8x50R and 8x56R guns.

This is a quote from the seller’s description: “The Steyr rifle uses a controlled feed mechanism where the bolt picks up a cartridge and it moves upwards into the extractor claw on the face of the bolt. Forcing the bolt over the cartridge will result in a broken extractor.The sled loading block fits right in the internal magazine just like a complete loaded en-bloc charger. It will lock in by the en-bloc clip latch when placed in so it will not fly out when being used and once you are done using it you then depress the en-bloc release button and it will come right out. The block fits inside the internal magazine very nicely but may be a little loose or snug.  Once inserted just put the round on the bed of the adapter and push the bolt forward as you would do with any single shot rifle. As mentioned, the block allow a controlled feed mechanism where the bolt picks up a cartridge, moves upwards into the extractor claw on the face of the bolt as it is chambering when closing the bolt and just like it does when using an en-bloc so that you not break the extractor.”

These are handy devices for single fire that can be purchased if you do not utilize the original five round enblock Mannlicher clips.

 

 

The six serial number locations on a matching rifle are as follows:

Receiver and Barrel - The complete serial number markings are found on the left front, lower receiver just above the wood line and on the left side of the barrel near the receiver. They should match.

Bolt - The serial number can be at three locations: stamped on the top of the ball, stamped on the bolt stem, or electro written on the top of the rear strap. Generally, only the last two or three digits are used on the ball or strap. However, the entire number can be stamped on the bolt stem.

Stock - The complete serial number is generally stamped on the left side of the lower buttstock parallel to the buttplate. If the stock is reused it has two serial numbers on the left side. The older number is lined out. If the stock is reused three times the left side shows two lined out former serial numbers and the new serial number is then stamped on the right side. Variations exist.

Some stocks may have a large 1/2 inch tall capitol letter indicating the wood type: A=Maple, N=Walnut, R=Elm, and K=Chestnut.

Hand Guard - The hand guard has the last two or three digits of the serial number stamped on the left side below the sight.

Barrel Band - Front barrel band has the last two digits of the serial number stamped on the left side behind the stacking hook.

 

All three examples that I own have been arsenal redone. They have undergone arsenal conversion to 8x56R. All examples have different additional serial numbers on the stocks suggesting they have been redone or repaired at least 3 times. Budapest marked receiver guns generally should have “R” marked parts and the Steyr marked receivers should have “K” marked parts on matching rifles. Most of the arsenal refinished stocks and re-blued metal found on M95 carbines indicate that the rifle is rebuilt like new, resulting in redone/refinished stocks and a mix or “R” and “K” marked small parts. Most had the serial number electro written on the upper bolt strap and the bolt was like new.

The recent imports of M95 carbines (around 2004-2012) all contain new replacement bolts correctly electro written to match the rebuilt rifle. In contrast, the long rifles seemed to be well used lacking a blue and exhibiting the original finish on the stock after its 1930 conversion. Most exhibit a well utilized patina on both the metal parts and the stock. Generally, on non-arsenal rebuilt rifles or carbines that are found in the 8x50R chambering, the smaller parts remain all matching to the maker.

All of my examples are fully functional except for the drill rifle. Two of mine are from a Woolworth's barrel of old junk surplus rifles obtained back in 1962 when I was a teen. I still own these two and they shoot fine.

In the United States, the F. W. Woolworth Company (referred to as Woolworth’s or a five & dime store) was a retail company that originated in 1879 and ceased operation in 1997. The store pioneered the “five-and-dime” store model that sold all sorts of retail items from toys to sporting goods. Every kid went to the dime store for toys, comics, and a sit me down ice cream cone or hot dog. Back in the late 1950s, surplus WW II items were cheap and sold by all sorts of retail stores.

In the basement of the Woolworth’s store was the sporting section that had fifty gallon cut down barrels filled with real surplus junk firearms that were for sale as wall hangers or to make into lamps. Back then my goal was to find the longest rifle I could pick out in order to hang it on the wall of my room. There was an assortment of Gew 98s, Carcanos, Mannlichers and other old Mausers filling the barrels. I loved the odd straight bolt design. I decided to spent my paper route cash, but since I was under 16, Dad had to make the purchase for me. They were $10 each. I selected two M95s. Seventy years later, I now know that I should have grabbed some war bond Gew 98s with the rods in the barrel. I had my .410 shotgun for rabbits, but these were my first real military rifles. Later in the early 1990s as an old guy, I purchased another Mannlicher, a 1938 rebuilt M95 rifle from SOG for 79 bucks. It is a great shooter. Then around 2005, I found a $30 useless M95 drill rifle. An odd rifle one does not see very often. I figured I need more useless junk so I grabbed it for the stock not realizing what a find I had just made.

 

 

Battle Worn Dogs

Rifle 1

This is a Steyr 1917 "S" converted to 8x56R. It still had the original sling on it when found in 1962 in the Woolworth’s junk barrel of surplus rifles. There is no re-blue to the metal, this Mannlicher retains the original metal finish. It also has the original worn stock finish, although the stock has three serial numbers indicating use on three different rifles. Two are found lined out on the left side and the matching serial number is stamped on the right side. The hand guard finish matches as do the surface dents, but the serial number on the hand guard does not match the receiver or stock serial number. All parts have a “K” stamp except for the trigger/magazine group which has an “R”. Some parts have been replaced during the rifle’s history. The matching serial number is electro written on the top strap of the matching bolt. The price paid was $10 in 1962. At that time no bayonets were available. I still own this rifle.

 

Rifle 2

This rifle is a Budapest 1915 "S" converted to 8x56R and is similar to the first long rifle. This specimen was also found with the original sling on it in the Woolworth’s junk barrel of surplus rifles. I wanted one of each maker. Each has a different sling variation. There is no re-blue to the metal, it retains its original worn metal finish. The original stock finish is present, and the stock also displays three serial numbers. Two on the left side are lined out; the matching serial number is stamped on the right side. The hand guard finish is close, but has a lighter color than found on the lower stock. This hand guard is a non matching replacement and its serial number is not matching to the rifle. However, all metal parts on this rifle have a “R” stamp. The matching serial number is stamped on the top of the ball on the matching bolt. The bolt is heavily pitted. Price paid was $10 in 1962.

 

 

 

Rifle 3

My third M95 is a Steyr 1919 "S" converted to 8x56R that was rebuilt like new in 1938. Arriving with an incorrect sling, it was purchased from SOG around 1998-1999. Fortunately, it has no import mark or new dot matrix serial number added. This is a re-blued, all matching, surplus M95 long rifle. The metal finish was all arsenal redone while the stock appears to not have been subjected to an arsenal refinish. The original stock finish consists of a very dark and oil soaked wood. Although the stock has three serial numbers, two are found lined out on the left side. Like seen on the others, the matching serial number is stamped on the right side. The hand guard finish/color matches as well as the dent pattern between the hand guard and lower stock. The serial number on the hand guard does match the receiver and the stock’s serial number. All metal parts have a “K” stamp. There are no mix or “R” and “K” stamped parts. The bolt is like new and has a matching serial number that is electro written on the top strap of the bolt. Not too long ago, the purchase price was $79, how times change (current values are around $300-500) and the demands for the M95 long rifles has increased.

 

 

 

Rifle 4

Finally, my M95 Mannlicher Steyr drill rifle is an odd piece. The Mannlicher de-mills are genuine military drill or training rifles that do not fire. They seem to be hard to find when actually looking for an example. They are type specimens that are collectibles in their own right. I have observed more than a few that have been made into lamps, but intact M95 drill rifles are now rarely found at gun shows.

My drill rifle remains in original finish, however it is modified so it does not fire a live round. Such a modification is found on all drill M95 long rifles. The top of the chamber has a cutaway in front of the receiver markings. The cut out slot removes the date markings and conversion letter “S” or “H”. No metal rod or barrel plug is found on my specimen. The bolt and magazine functions. An enblock Mannlicher clip of dummy rounds can be inserted. However, the bolt has been modified; it has no firing pin, the bolt face has been milled, and the firing pin hole welded shut. The rifle will not fire a live round. All metal parts retain the “K” markings. The stock retains its original condition. The bayonet mount and sling hooks are present and functional.

 

 

 

 

Here are some views of 8x56R ammunition.

 

Some Bulgarian 8x56R in tins was also east to obtain in the 1990s.

Here are views of some 8x50R ammunition.

Some additional information: (see GoexFFF)

 Source: https://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=694573

Quote

I think there are some other points I should also add to all of our other gibberish.

For now, since there are a lot of variations one will encounter, like Czech made BRNO M.95's, Polish reworks..etc. I'll touch only on what are the most common encounters of the Österreichisch-Ungarische (Austro-Hungarian) M.95.

When you're looking at the M1895 straight-pull Mannlicher, be it an M.95, M.95/30, 31.M or M.95/34, there are some basic points to keep in mind so that you know what it is you're actually looking at.

I know I'm going to repeat myself as I mentioned some stuff before and in addition to some of Marcus' good info...but just to condense it all, we'll start with what the difference is in why it's an M.95, M.95/30, 31.M or M.95/34.

M.95 - These will be original un-converted, un-refurbished pieces that are still chambered in the original WWI 8X50mmR or "M.93 O-Patrone" cartridge. A correctly matched M.95 will only be serialized on the receiver, bbl, LEFT side of the butt-stock and often on the top hand-guard under the rear ladder leaf sight with the last two digits of the serial. Bolts were not serialized. Original M.95 8x50mmR rear ladder sights were graduated to 500-2400 schritt (or "steps").

M.95/30 - Austrian converted beginning in 1930 to the 8x56mmR, or "M.30 S-Patrone" cartridge. This Austrian conversion is noted by a large "S" stamped on the top of the chamber ring on the barrel, which stands for "Spitzgeschoss" or quite literally "Pointed Bullet". M.95/30's also received a taller front sight and a new rear ladder sight graduated to 300-2000 meters to compensate for the new and more powerful M.30 (8x56mmR) cartridge.

31.M Puska - This was the Hungarian's re-designation of their newly converted M.95 to 8x56mmR. Which the adoption of the new 8x56mmR for the Hungarians began in 1931. Hungarian converted 31.M will be stamped with a large "H" on top of the barrel/chamber ring, much like in the same manner of the Austrian "S" stamp. This "H" stamp stands for "Hegyes Tolteny", also quite literally translates to "Pointed Bullet". 

M.95/34 - The M.95/34 are all the M.95/30 and 31.M 8x56mmR conversions..etc that were sent to Bulgaria after WWI from Austria and Hungary in addition to all of the Bulgarian M.95 contract rifles that remained in Bulgaria and went through the 1930's Bulgarian refurbishment and rebuild process. No where else was this designation of "M.95/34" used but from Bulgaria and is found in Bulgarian manuals of the time. Part of this rebuild, the Bulgarian's re-stamped numbers on M.95/30, 31.M parts such as bands, stocks, barrels and or the receivers. Bolts were also commonly electro-penciled to match. So, whenever you encounter stamped bands, stamped or electro-penciled bolts or serial numbers on the RIGHT side of the Butt-stock...etc, these are all signs of the Bulgarian post-war ownership and the M.95/34 rebuild.

Alright, clear so far? http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/images/smilies/smile.gif 

Now, onto the basic configurations of the M.95.

First, is the Repetier-Karabiner: or "Carbine". This configuration will have a set of sling swivels mounted on the side only. One side swivel on the lower band, and one side swivel in the wrist. There is also a 7" distance between upper and lower bbl bands. Original M.95 Repetier-Karabiner upper bands had no bayonet lug or stacking rod. Original lug-less/rod-less Karabiner bands are VERY scarce. Later, Karabiner upper bands received a bayonet lug, literally welding or braising on a lug to the band. These lugged Karabiner bands are also quite uncommon to find, as just prior to WWI, most rifles were fitted and updated with Stuzten upper bands that had stacking rods and bayonet lugs.  

Next we have is the Repetier-Stutzen:
This configuration will have a set of sling swivels mounted on the bottom side only. One bottom swivel on the lower band, and one bottom swivel on the butt-stock. There is a 5" distance between upper and lower bbl bands. Original M.95 Repetier-Stutzen upper bands all had stacking rods and bayonet lugs.

Next, is the Repetier-KarabinerStutzen:
This configuration will have 3 sets of sling swivels as well as side sling-bar. One bottom swivel on the lower band as well as a fixed side sling-bar. One side swivel in the wrist and a bottom swivel on the butt-stock. There is a also a 5" distance between upper and lower bbl bands. Repetier-KarabinerStutzen also have the Stutzen upper band with stacking rods and bayonet lugs.

Now, the Repetier-StutzenKarabiner: 
This configuration is just like a Repetier-Karabiner Stutzen, having with 5" between bands. But rather than a fixed side-bar lower band, it will carry side & bottom swivels on lower band band, a side swivel in the wrist and a bottom swivel on butt-stock. This will also carry a Stutzen lugged and stacking rod upper band.

And finally, the Repetierkarabiner mit Stutzenring:
This configuration is simply a Repetier-Karabiner having 7" between bands with a side swivel on the lower band, side swivel in the wrist and fitted with a Stutzen lugged/stacking rod upper band.

Clear as mud? I know it's a lot to take in but I promise I'm almost done. http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/images/smilies/wink.gif 

Long rifles and cut downs:
It's quite obvious when you encounter a long rifle, so I'll touch briefly on how to spot a cut-down long rifle. Note, that just about ALL Repetier-Stutzen, Repetier-KarabinerStutzen, Repetier-Karabiner, Repetier-Karabiner mit Stutzenring, and Repetier-StutzenKarabiner had short ladder rear leaf sights and wedged mounted front sights. The tell-tail signs of a cut-down long rifle will be a short rifle bearing long ladder leaf sights and a banded front sight. Also note that sometime during a rebuild, a short Karabiner/Stutzen type was re-barreled with a long rifle barrel bearing a banded front sight. A quick check of the serial number on the receiver and barrel will determine this if they match, not just along with the same number, but also same style of font. As noted before, the Bulgarians would commonly scrub the non-matching number and force-match barrels on their M.95/34 rebuilds and it's obvious when the number fonts don't match the original receiver numbers.

Now, one might ask "My short rifle has a long rifle banded front sight, but the rear ladder sight is short...what gives?"

There are two possible scenarios to this - 
1.) It has been made from a cut-down long rifle, and during its modification to a short rifle, it was fitted with a short ladder rear sight. 
2.) During WWI, to speed up barrel production for carbines, banded long rifle front sights (as opposed to the dovetailed/wedge mounted carbine sights) were also known to have been used on some new carbine barrels. 
So it doesn't necessarily always mean that a particular short rifle with a banded front rifle sight, bearing also a short ladder rear sight was made from a long rifle.  

Nevertheless, IMO, that doesn't affect the beauty of these rifles. 

Receiver markings and part letters.
STEYR marked receivers are pieces made in Austria.
Parts you find that are stamped with the letter "K" are all Austrian made.
Austrian acceptance stamps on top of the bbl/chamber-ring will bear the stamp of W-n (Austrian eagle) and the last two digits of the year of that specific rifle's acceptance. 
The "W-n" stamp stands for Wiener-Neustadt located south of Vienna in the state of Lower in North-East Austria.

BUDAPEST marked receivers are pieces made in Budapest, Hungary.
Parts you find that are stamped with the letter "R" are all Hungarian made.
Budapest acceptance stamps on top of the bbl/chamber-ring will bear the stamp of BP, a single shield or double shield (the double shield starting with the change of Monarchy in 1916 after the death of Emperor Franz Josef) and the last two digits of the year of that too, specific rifle's acceptance.

There are many M.95 that were built in Budapest but were accepted in to service in Austria. 
So it's not uncommon to find a Budapest made rifle bearing the Austrian Wiener-Neustadt "W-n (eagle)" acceptance stamp.

There are also early, late and Ersatz (substitute standard) style of parts such as sling swivels, cocking pieces, inner structures of butt-plates, top guards...etc. Though, we'll save that for another day if the need arises. http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/images/smilies/wink.gif  
But ALL parts from both Austria and Hungary M.95, whether early or late style are interchangeable. And it's also common to find "K" and "R" marked parts mixed with each other.

Bulgarian crested receivers are A-H made pieces under contract for Bulgaria and the design was exactly the same.
Correct Bulgarian contract rifle bolts however, will have a gas relief hole in the top forward portion of the bolt-body.  

 

Buttplate Unit markings list from 2008, Gunboards member  (Prez1981)

https://www.gunboards.com/threads/serial-numbering-unit-markings-on-a-h-army-mannlichers.55001/

 A more comprehensive list is found here for marking identification: (this is worth a print out to save)

http://thinlineweapons.com/Hungariae/Markings.htm#:~:text=Unit Marks%3A

A unit marked buttplate. Always check the buttplate top.

 

[72 usmc]

M95 bayonets are also odd. The shapened edge of the blade faces upward toward the axis of the bore.  

 

[72 usmc]

 Here are some better photos of the ammunition. Note the view that shows the size of the brass cartridge difference between the 8x56R  vs  8x50R. Case size is different .

 

The 8x56R cartridge will not chamber in the 8x50R rifle. The 8x56R cartridge case is longer and only chambers in a 8x56R gun.  An original 8x50R cartridge will chamber in an 8x56R rifle, but it should not be fired.

 

 

The Nazi box and how it is packaged is shown below. 

 

Headstamps on some of the stuff I had on my shelf . 

The above is steel case 1943

 

The above is the Nazi 1938 ammo in the box.

 

The  above is 1938 Bulgarian in the tin.

 

 

This view is the 8x50R cartridge 1935

[72 usmc]

The most common original sling is the early hook and loop sling. They are now some what hard to find. Photos are from Libertytreecollectors reference photos. The sling varied in length for 40 to 56 inches, some were two piece. It appears a damaged sling was sewn onto another damaged sling to make a working sling. 

 

Some M95s are found with later web slings. 

[Gildwiller1918]

I saw an early model sling for sale recently, costs more than the rifle did! But I will keep an eye out, thinking about getting one of the carbines as well.