Mannlicher M.1895
The standard issue rifle of the Dual Monarchy during the Great War, this straight-pull bolt action is the pinnacle of a series of Mannlicher rifles used by the Hapsburgs.
The Mannlicher M.95
The advent of smokeless powder with the French Lebel in 1886 had led to a flurry of developments around the world, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire was no exception. The existing Mannlicher straight-pull rifles then in service with the armies of the dual monarchy were extremely modern, but the need for a new cartridge had only been partially rectified by the adoption of the Mannlicher Model 1888/90 rifle and its semi-smokeless round.
The action of the M.95 in the closed position, cocked and ready to fire
The priority had first been for a carbine, which resulted in the development of the Mannlicher M.1890, a carbine that actually featured a redesigned and greatly improved action compared to the M.88 series. The rifle also introduced a new 8x50mm smokeless cartridge in 1893, and the Austrians began to look toward using the advances made in the carbines to adopt a fully modern full length service rifle.
After a short consideration of a change of caliber, the 8x50 was retained as the new standard issue cartridge and the improved action of the M.90 was used as the basis of the new M.95 infantry rifle. The rifle featured a long 30 inch barrel with a full handguard, underside sling swivels, an adjustable ladder sight and a five round Mannlicher clip feeding system.
The rotating bolt head of the M.95 in both the unlocked (left) and locked (right) position
Like the earlier Mannlicher service rifle, the M.95 used a straight-pull bolt action mechanism, as opposed to the turnbolt system common elsewhere in the world. The bolt used an internal thread on the bolt head that interfaced with corresponding threads on the inside of the bolt body to cam the bolt head into the locked position as well as to unlock the action. Dual front locking lugs on the bolt head allowed for a strong action, as it is only possible to unlock the action by pulling on the bolt body, not by pressure on the bolt head. The intention was to provide a higher rate of fire for the user, and the action came to be respected by its users for this feature.
The bolt removed from the rifle, with the bolt head in the locked position
The M.95 was also used by Bulgaria, who gave the rifle its baptism of fire in the First Balkan War in 1912, and the rifle would be carried into battle by the Austro-Hungarian military as they invaded Serbia in two years later, beginning the Great War. An attempt had been ongoing to replace the M.95 with a turn-bolt design just prior to the outbreak of war, but just as with Britain and the Pattern 1913, the M.95 was retained to simplify the supply chain. Orders to both the main factory at OEWG Steyr and FEG in Budapest would total almost 3 million units during the Great War, and it served well on all fronts that the Austro-Hungarians fought on.
The interior of the magazine, showing the follower and the clip ejection port
With the end of the Great War in 1918 the multiethnic Empire, already tottering in 1914, collapsed in earnest, fracturing into a number of new nations as the Entente redrew the map of Europe in the aftermath. Many M.95 rifles and carbines would be dispersed throughout the former empire, with Austria and Hungary remaining standardized on them until the adoption of the 35.M in 1935 (Hungary) and the Anschluss of 1938 (Austria). Many other countries, including Poland, Czechoslovakia, Italy and Yugoslavia, among others, also made use of M.95s in the Interwar Period, although they were generally considered second-standard in those countries. Austria and Hungary after the war eventually undertook a modernization program in the 1930s to replace the 8x50mm cartridge with an improved 8x56mm spitzer cartridge, the latter retaining it in their new standard issue rifles into the Second World War.
The model designation on the receiver, topped by the location of production, in this case Budapest (FEG)
During the Second World War the M.95 would be called into action once again, with the rifle still standardized in Bulgaria and very common with the Hungarians, and used as a reserve rifle by the German Wehrmacht as well. Additionally, photographs exist of the late war German Volkssturm armed with M.95 rifles. The M.95 also saw some use in Italian colonies in Africa, as well as by the Yugoslavian Army, who had a conversion to 7.92x57mm in service when they were invaded by the Germans in 1941.
The barrel shank, with the date of production (1917 in this example) along with the dual shields used after the death of Kaiser Franz Josef in 1916. Also note the “S” on the chamber, indicating that this rifle was rechambered to the new 8x56mm cartridge after the Great War
The example in the author’s collection is a matching rifle originally made in 1917 by FEG in Budapest. It bears the St. Stephen’s Crest proofmark of the Hungarian Honved, and the later “S” mark of a post war Austrian conversion to 8x56mm. Unlike many encountered in the United States, it does not bear an import stamp. A vast number of M.95s were imported into the country in the past decade, although most of these were either original carbines or converted rifles, leading to the M.95 to be a fairly common sight on the American collector’s market.
The rear sight, showing the 500 schritt battle sight and the ladder stowed at the highest point, allowing the 300 schritt notch to be used immediately upon flipping it up.
I enjoy the M.95, even in its converted form, which is much maligned by many for its slightly sticky action. The straight pull action is interesting, as is its general difference from the more popular Swiss designs. The rifle is notably well balanced and fairly light for a full length service rifle, although the nature of the spring loaded rotating bolt head can make reassembly following cleaning to be somewhat frustrating at times. I am not a fan of the stiff trigger, with a rather spongy pull and a relatively undiscernible break. The sights are also not the best, as although relatively easy to read the 500 schritt battlesight is excessive, and the 300 schirtt notch requires the raising of the ladder, an action not necessarily intuitive in an emergency as well as cluttering the sight picture substantially.
An Austro-Hungarian soldier demonstrates a type of personal shield with an M.95 slung on his back during the Great War
Observed Values and Frequency
Updated: February, 2024
AVERAGE VALUE (USD): $500 - $750
FREQUENCY: Uncommon
COLLECTOR’S NOTES: Budapest long rifles are less common than those made by Steyr