Steyer M95m

klink1983

klink1983

CGN Regular
EE Expired
Rating - 100%
27   0   0
Location
Ontario Soviet Socialist Republic
I have a line on an M95m, got only a quick look at it before I went out for a green beer.

8mmx50, 8mmx56, 7.92mmx??

I know f*** all about it other then that the straight back bolt action versus what we know today as bolt action is actually quite rare. Gun is probably 7/10visual condition and is a tack driver iron sights at 100m.

Stamps - "Steyer - M95m"

I believe this is made before ww2 and could be when austro-hungary was still about or potentially a serbian rifle.....

any insight?
 
Yeah, the M95m was a Yugoslav rebuild of the original Model 1895 rifles, many of which they (Serbia, back then) got in the First and Second Balkan Wars, then more in the Great War, of course.

They had all these 8x50R rifles lying around and they decided to use the German-type 7.92x57, so they simply converted what they had. Took a new barrel, I believe, and the mag system had to have a lotta mods. As it is, the rifle should handle standard 8mm Mauser hunting ammo, and, of course, you can handload for it a lot cheaper (and better) than you can buy the stuff.

BTW, these things originally were built at Steyr in Austria and Budapest in Hungary, these being the two principle arsenals of the Kaiserlich-und-Koniglich Oesterreichische-Ungarische Reich. Rifles made on contract for Bulgaria were marked on the top of the receiver, above the chamber, with the Bulgarian arms of a shield, crowned, bearing a bear rampant.

Bulgaria, of course, was right in the middle of all three wars. What else could you possibly say about a country where they darned near had a tradition of the King assassinating the Prime Minister? Or a country where gunfire across the floor of Parliament settled debates?

Have lotsa fun with your new toy. It is REALLY a chunk of history!
 
Oh, shoulda mentioned: they are generally dated as to actual manufacture on the left side of the action, if Bulgarian contract, anyway.

They are a Mannlicher design, but actually are a straigh-pull Mauser in many, many ways. Safe, solid and reliable. They are, of course, related to the Canadian Ross, Sir Charles Ross and Ferdinand Ritter von Mannlicher knowing each other and being friends.

Yugoslavia means "the land of the South Slavs". It called itself the "Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes" on its postage stamps and its money. It was made up by the Versailles series of treaties at the end of the Great War out of the old kingdoms of Serbia and Montenegro, to which were added big chunks of land formerly belonging to the KuK Austro-Hungarian Empire, these lands being inhabited by Croats and Slovenes..... until they started killing each other a few years ago, shooting off all that nice Partizan ammunition at their neighbours instead of doing the logical thing and selling it to us so we could go and shoot at tin cans. King of Serbia became King of Yugoslavia, of course.

"The next general war will be started by some damned fool thing in the Balkans." Prince Otto von Bismarck
 
smellie said:
"The next general war will be started by some damned fool thing in the Balkans." Prince Otto von Bismarck
Click to expand...

and bismarch also is credited with saying "the balkans aren't worth the bones of a single pomeranian grenedier".

i want a nice M95M or M95/24 but it seems that they are either beat up or cut down into sporters.
 
I'dd like to own one of those converts to 7.92x57mm, I already have a good start of the other Yugo captures, might as well make a collection out of it.
 
I'm ashamed to say I have one sporterized. Mind you, 11 years ago when I got it, that was pretty much common practice. Also, the sights were canted over to the left by about 7 degrees, so it was awkward to shoot. Nevertheless, even with that dirty milsurp yugo ammo, it shot a 1-1/2" group at 100 yds. I fabricated a scope mount, "bubba'ed" the hell out of it, and now it shoots 3/4" groups at 100 yds with out-of-the-box Winchester ammo. Why reload with accuracy like that?
 
LawrenceN said:
I'm ashamed to say I have one sporterized. Mind you, 11 years ago when I got it, that was pretty much common practice. Also, the sights were canted over to the left by about 7 degrees, so it was awkward to shoot. Nevertheless, even with that dirty milsurp yugo ammo, it shot a 1-1/2" group at 100 yds. I fabricated a scope mount, "bubba'ed" the hell out of it, and now it shoots 3/4" groups at 100 yds with out-of-the-box Winchester ammo. Why reload with accuracy like that?
Click to expand...

In 8mm Mauser?
 
I have a sporter I picked up. I'm thinking we need to get one duplicated. I know people who can duplicate a stock but I need one to duplicate first.
 
M95M Steyr

cyclone said:
In 8mm Mauser?
Click to expand...

Yes indeed, 8mm mauser. My information is that it was an Austrian rifle rebarrelled to the standard German round after the anschluss. Since the sights came already fixed to the barrel, I speculate that the headspace was a little off, and thus they had to mate the barrel to the action canted over to the left about, it seemed to me, 5 to 7 degrees. It makes for a deadly accurate sporter though.
 
M95

Careful there klink1983. If you have seen it shoot, and 7.92x57 brass came out safely, then yes its a 7.92x57 or more commonly an 8x57 Mauser chambered rifle. Many were rebarreled some sporterized; check the surplus sites for the trivia. This post will be too short to give the step by step history. However, if memory serves me your first guess 8x50 was their original chambering. To thicken the plot most were rebarreled by the Austrians to 8x56R (rimmed Austrian). This round is similar to the Russian 7.62x 54; when searching for brass for my M95s several guys suggested making it out of Russian brass. Fortunately I found a supply of 8x56R. The 8x57 chambering came about from German alliances with Austria. And FWIW the 8x57 is a .323 bullet and the Austrian 8x56R is .329, to make things interesting. I have several of these rifles, original and sporterized, 8x56R and 8x57. My digital camera skills are just developing, but if you need bolt face pictures PM me and I will respond. Main point, with any old rifle check out the chambering and headspace.
 
The receiver stamping M95m is peculiar to Yugoslavian rebuilds. Nobody else called it that.

Lotsa 8x56R rifles out there with original 8x50R barrels which were reamed, rechambered and rerifled. Got a Bulgarian one here, got it back in high-school. No ammo back then.
 
Check it out real close for wood splitting under way or recently repaired forward of the action.These things in thier `rechambered' guise are known for this.I had a bad one in 8x50(original chambering).The 8x57 would be even more suspect.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom