M95 stutzen clips?

Mausermolt

New member
anybody have a M95 stutzen? ive been thinking about buying one and did a little bit of reserch, sounds like the ammunition is almost non-existant.any reloading data/supplies out there? and ive herd that they are clip fed? when i handled one a wile ago it looked like a regular box mag. any info for me please?
 
I never heard of a Steyr mannlicher being called a stutzen. I'll look and see if I can find a couple. I have about 400 rounds or Nazi marked ammo on clips and I usually try to save the clips when I shoot, but it's been awhile since I took my M95/30 out.
 
There were various versions of the M95: infantry rifle, carbine for cavalry and the stutzen for artillery troops and alpine troops. And on top of that there was a so called "Karabinerstutzen", where the sling could be fixed both under the barrel and on the side.
 
The M95 Stutzen was the short rifle-or carbine, if you prefer-for support troops, artillery, engineers, anyone who wasn't infantry in the Austro-Hungarian Army. It comes in two calibers, the original 8MMx50R, and the later 8MMx56R. AFAIK the clips are the same. Check the top of the chamber for a large "S", if yours is so stamped, it is chambered for 8MMx56R.
 
@SIGSHR
You are almost right in everything you write, instead of the fact that there was a carbine for cavalry indeed, with the slings on the side. It differs from the stutzen, which had the sling under the barrel. My particular gun is, funny enough, a combination of both, that's why I know.
Of course the difference in chambering is very important. Mine is a 8x56R manufactured in Budapest. It is marked with an S, which stands for "Spitzgeschoss". The old 8x50 cartridges had ogival projectiles.
 
While not particularly common or cheap, 8x56R ammo is out there as it is currently loaded by Prvi Partizan and Hornady. As for being clip-fed, the Steyr M95 uses Mannlicher clips similar to those used on the Carcano, Berthier, and Mauser Gew. 88 Commission rifles. Rather that the cartridges being stripped out of the clip and into the magazine in the more conventional fashion, a Mannlicher clip is inserted along with the ammunition as a unit into the rifle not unlike the En Bloc clips used in the M1 Garand. Unlike the Garand, however, the clip simply falls out of a hole in the bottom of the magazine when the last round is chambered rather than being ejected out the top of the action after the last round is fired.

Without the clips, most rifles using the Mannlicher clip system are essentially single-shots as the magazine has no way to retain the cartridges without the clips. This is because the magazine itself has no feed lips as that function is accomplished by the clips. The good news is that Mannlicher clips, like stripper clips and En Bloc clips are reuseable and can be used dozens, if not hundreds of times before problems are encountered. The most common problems with Mannlicher clips is that they get bent to the point that they no longer hold the cartridges tightly, but they can usually be bent back into serviceability quite easily.
 
The clip system in the M95 is quite painful, that's right. I always struggle with mine bending them into shape. Usually I get tired of it and I end up with a single shot rifle at the range. On top of that, in the war, because of the open bottom of the magazine, the weapon was prone to malfunction because of dirt. There is a common joke amongst shooters in Austria: No wonder that we lost WWI with that rifle :p However, the straight pull design was quite revolutionary at that time and allowed a high rate of fire. (But if you have to look for your clip in the mud before being able to reload it ... :( )
 
I own one. the ammo is non existent. every once in a while you'll find someone that found a stash of surplus but for the most part it's gone. you only have one option for factory ammo and that is PRVI and that is very hit or miss on availability. I pieced together a reloading sheet from a number of websites, I've only tried a handful and some are to be approached with caution. also, not a standard box mag. you need the enblocs just like an M1 garand needs enblocs. there is a hole cut in the bottom of the magazine that the enbloc drops through once the last round is chambered.
View attachment 8x56R.txt
 
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