mauser vs mannlicher magazine system

MiG25

MiG25

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what are you guys' thoughts on the mauser charger or stripper clip vs the mannlicher packet type clip?

the mauser staggered column box magazine is much trimmer than the mannlicher, but for ease of loading (and unloading), i find the mannlicher packet system much easier.

people always point out that without the clips a mannlicher is a single shot, maybe this is a concern for modern sporting use, but military ammo came loaded in the chargers.

i also think that the mannlicher system is far superior to the modern idea of detachable magazines on sporting rifles, the charger is much slimmer and easier to insert and remove than a detachable mag. of course a scope cancels this advantage.

anyways, just some thoughts on the subject, i really like mausers, but also have a soft spot for the mannlichers.
 
You know if someone did have a Mannlicher and didnt want to lose the en-block clips for it they can always place a strip of electrical tape while hunting over the hole so it doesnt slide downwards. ;)

I don't have a Mannlicher rifle now so take this with a grain of salt I think it would work though. :)

Dimitri
 
The Mannlicher magazine can't be topped up with single rounds like the Mauser magazine can. Also, the Mannlicher clips use more material and are more expensive to manufacture. It's not a huge price difference, but when you're talking about making millions of clips, it adds up.

The Mauser magazine has been in use for over a century and is still being used in most new production bolt-action rifles both civilian and military. If the Mannlicher magazine were better, it wouldn't be the rarity it is today.
 
If you lose your mannlicher clips, you have a bolt action single shot. If you run out of strippers, you can run the gun as a single shot & reload the mag as oportunity presents...

D
 
The US M-1 rifle may be the most widely distributed rifle that cannot be loaded without the clips for the ammunition, Mannlicher fashion. Don't know that the need to use the clips decreased the battlefield effectiveness of the Garand.
 
With rgards to the Garand, which I believe applies to mannlicher's as well, the rifle can't be topped up during a lull without firing off the remaining rounds in the clip.
 
As far as topping up is concerned, loose ammunition would be required. All active service rifle ammunition issued by all the principal combatants during WW2 was in clips or chargers. Loose rounds could only be obtained by removing them from a clip. If necessary, the clip and remaining rounds can be ejected, and a full clip inserted, if a full load is desired. Only the Lee Enfield could have its magazine replenished with a charger, if 5 or more rounds were fired.
 
Good point about the lack of loose rounds Tiriaq.

I own both a K98k and a Carcano which is based on the mannlicher magazine design and I've notice no real difference in reliability as far as feeding and ejecting goes. The only feature the K98k has that the mannlicher doesn't, which can be considered either positive or negative dependant totally on personal preference, is the stop on the follower of the K98k which stock the bolt from closing on an empty chamber. It's sort of a reminder to reload.

I' sure some "guru's" would call the mannlicher system obsolete by the time the staggered box came about, but mine works as flawlessly as the day it was designed, and I'd have to apprehentions about carrying it into the field. It is easily on par with my K98k as far as feeding goes.
 
I only recently acquired my first Carcano. I, too, was impressed with the ease of loading, and smoothness of feed. Have also shot a 95 Mannlicher straight pull; its clip can only be inserted one way, which is hardly an advantage. If anything, it is easier to load a rifle with a Mannlicher clip, than to strip rounds into a staggered box magazine.
The only time I have heard of a real problem with M-1 ammunition was during the abortive Bay of Pigs invasion attempt. The invaders ran low on ammunition for their M-1s, and received a resupply of ammunition by air. The cartridges which were dropped were loaded in Springfield clips. They had to scurry around under fire trying to find ejected clips. Under the same circumstances, other rifles could still be loaded with loose ammuntion, if the clips were incorrect.
 
tiriaq said:
If necessary, the clip and remaining rounds can be ejected, and a full clip inserted, if a full load is desired.
Click to expand...

i bet that is exactly what was done. while the mauser could be topped up with single rounds, the rounds would have to be seperated from the stripper clip.

the packet system with rimless rounds (7.9x57 and 6.5x52) that could be inserted either way would be very fast. the steyr M95 is very quick to load even though it's charger only goes in one way.

i have never used a rifle (mauser, mosin nagant, sks) with stripper clips that was nearly as easy to load as the steyr M95.

losing the chargers isn't really an argument in military use when the ammo came packed on the chargers. for sporting use, i can see the point, but i also know a fellow who lost the detachable magazine for his hunting rifle and so he was left with a single shot.
 
The disadvantage of needing a Mann. type clip only becomes real when ammo comes packed other than on clips. This qccured to the US army in 1941-2 in the Philippines where most of their 30-06 ammo was on M1903 clips and M1 clips were in short supply.
 
short of that, magazines are not always easy to reload either.
on the short run, no problem , but we've got our ammo in crates and loading 30 in each was not fun..... Clips are better that way.
But for the sake of the comparrison in a modern (scoped ) rifle, the M1 and Manlicher clips are a real dissadvantage, while Mauser ones are still ok.

That being said, I never had to use either in a (at least simulated) combat situation, so I wouldn't know how to rate them. For the collector, the more complicated, the better. It seems to be the german trand in recent years.... let's see how much sophistication we can come up with without forgeting that the rifle has to go bang...
 
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