WWI Steyr M95 Sniper Carbine
Bolt Action Rifles
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12m
During World War One, Austria-Hungary produced about 13,000 sniper rifles and carbines - and while the significant majority of these were full length rifles, the Empire was the only major power to produce a scoped sniper carbine during the war. These continued to be produced until about 1920 or 1921, to be used as war reparations to Italy. However, Italy never made use of them, and the vast majority were eventually scrapped. For this reason, they are very scarce rifles today.
Because the M95 loaded using a 5-round Mannlicher type en bloc clip, the scope on the M95 snipers had to be offset to the left of the action. Scopes from 5 different manufacturers were used, including many purchased form Germany in the early stages of the war. This particular one is a Reichert scope, but Kahles, Suss, Fuess, and Oigee were also used. Most, including this one, were of 3x magnification. The reticle is a German post type, with a dial adjustment on the scope for 100 to 600 meters, which moves the reticle vertically in the field of view.
Several numbers are stamped on the various parts of an M95 sniper. There will be an assembly number on the front scope base which should match the number on the right side of the rear scope ring. In addition to matching the scope to its base during assembly, this also indicates production number, as sniper rifles were numbered sequentially by AZF, where they were built. There will be another number on the left side of the rear scope ring, which should match the barrel serial number of the rifle or carbine.
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