M95 steyr???

[r.fallon]

Hi guys a quick one here what does the "S" stamp on the barrel in front of the receiver mean? Thanks RF

 

[stormbringer]

Spitzer.

It means that it has the updated barrel in 8x56R



Edited to add quote from milsurps .

After the war, in the late 1920's, Austria sought to modernize its remaining M95 rifles by converting them to a calibre more in line with the ballistic performance of cartridges of the day and redesignating them as the M95/30. A new round based off the 8x50R case was developed - the 8x56R. The vast majority of M95's still in use in Europe were subsequently converted to 8x56R, often under contract with the Steyr factory. Much smaller quantities were also converted to 8x57JS Mauser, primarily in Yugoslavia/Serbia. Today, M95 rifles in the original 8x50R chambering are relatively rare. 8x56R conversions can often be readily identified by a large "S" stamped over the chamber on the barrel.