steyr 95

S

salvadore

Moderator
Has anyone had any experience with the Steyr 95 carbine that J&G is marketing. The Shotgun News ad says they are in excellent condition, but their on-line ad says they are excellent condition with dark bores. This makes them not excellent condition, right? Anyway am looking for another cast bullet rifle and wonder if anyone here can tell me what they are like.
 
A gun can have a dark bore and be excellent.

NRA ANTIQUE FIREARM CONDITIONS STANDARDS said:
FACTORY NEW: All original parts; 100% original finish; in perfect condition in every respect, inside and out.

EXCELLENT: All original parts; over 80% original finish; sharp lettering, numerals and design on metal and wood; unmarred wood; fine bore.

FINE: All original parts; over 30% original finish; sharp lettering, numerals and design on metal and wood; minor marks in wood; good bore.

VERY GOOD: All original parts; none to 30% original finish; original metal surfaces smooth with all edges sharp; clear lettering, numerals and design on metal; wood slightly scratched or bruised; bore disregarded for collectors firearms.

GOOD: Some minor replacement parts; metal smoothly rusted or lightly pitted in places, cleaned or re-blued; principal letters, numerals and design on metal legible; wood refinished, scratched bruised or minor cracks repaired; in good working order.

FAIR: Some major parts replaced; minor replacement parts may be required; metal rusted, may be lightly pitted all over, vigorously cleaned or re-blued; rounded edges of metal and wood; principal lettering, numerals and design on metal partly obliterated; wood scratched, bruised, cracked or repaired where broken; in fair working order or can be easily repaired and placed in working order.

POOR: Major and minor parts replaced; major replacement parts required and extensive restoration needed; metal deeply pitted; principal lettering, numerals and design obliterated, wood badly scratched, bruised, cracked or broken; mechanically inoperative; generally undesirable as a collector's firearm.
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My M95 is the hardest recoiling rifle I own. I still have a couple hundred rounds of 7.92x56R ammo with 1930's dates with waffenamps. The last time I shot it, about 4 years ago every round was sure fire. It's gotten a little hard to find though.

I recently read an article detailing how 7.92x56R ammo can be made from 7.62x54R brass and standard 8mm bullets so you can feed it.
 
I have two. One Steyr, and one Budapest. Both probably VG condition with bright bores.
As chack said, they kick like a mule. I don't shoot them a lot, and still have about 300 rnds. of the '30's ammo he mentioned. 10 rnds. in a box on en-bloc clips. (needed to load the rifle ie M1 Garand)
I saw some of this ammo at a show this weekend. Some for ridiculous prices of $20.00, but others had it for $8.00.
If you reload, Graf & Sons have brass for $57.99/100. The proper 8X56 (.330) bullets for about $25/100. Also Lee die sets for $27.99.
 
mines a steyr too. It's a gorgeous rifle and the straight pull action is slick and easy to operate.

The owner of the gunshop I bought it from in Boutte, La said that they were mostly issued to concentration camp guards. I take anything he said with a grain of salt, his wife was clearly the brains of the operation.
 
Well as a cast bullet gun, I'm probably looking at 1400 to 1800fps so the smack shouldn't be quite as bad. I guess if I want one I'll have to chance the barrel condition. Thanks for the info.
 
The ones at J&G are all arsenal refurbs, much like all the Mosin Nagants that are in "excellent" conditiion.
 
Dark bores are pretty common with guns that saw a lot of use with corrosive ammo. Dark and pitted are two different things.

I've always been fascinated with the straight pull rifles. I had a Schmidt Rubin 1911 for a number of years.
 
i have one and all i can say is ,,,and i stressouch , i love it but they kick like a very angry bull.:D::eek::eek::D
casting and handloading with milder loads is a wise move .the kick can be regulated to a shove if you so wish..thats what i do .:D:
 
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I love to take mine to the range with a clip or two of the old ammo. I just wait for some poor fellow to complain about the recoil of his Mosin, and talk him into shooting my little M95 carbine!
 
Well, I own the rifle, not a carbine. Recoil is not that bad. However, I own a #5 Lee Enfield jungle carbine in its original condition with the hard rubber buttplate and its recoil is punishing compared to the MK 4 and 3. The added weight helps.
Midway has the PPU ammo.
 
Have a 95 carbine. The bore is dark but it still shoots good. Haven't shot it much, ammo is hard to find, and I haven't bothered reloading for it yet.

Oh yeah, the bolt is a bear to work, nothing at all like the 1911 and K-31 rifles.

I'm also afraid of the bolt when its out of the reciver- it looks to have the potential to really maim a person if it releases and a finger is in the wrong place.:eek:
 
chac: I had read on a forum that Austrian police (Polizei) carried them during WW2.

Just saw on Wikipedia that they have quite a history from before WW1 through WW2 with reservist, second-line troops etc.

Many were converted from a very unique, early 8mm (x50?) chambering into 8x56R and 8x57 Mauser, and often have weak extractors.
 
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I got one from J&G a couple of years ago. Think they were $109 back then. It is refurbished to excellent condition. The bore is just fine and it shoots the Lee 205 cast very well. This is 5 rounds at 40 yards.
 

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dbldblu:

That is superb shooting. The rifles have solid character.

I guy near here, who I've gotten to know at shows escaped East Germany about a year before the main wave began to flee to the west.

He saw a Steyr at a show near Memphis and grabbed it.
 
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