Dave Markowitz
April 14, 2003, 04:50 PM
My boss is a fellow gunnie and just acquired a rifle which his father took off a dead Wehrmacht soldier and gave to his cousin awhile ago. He let me borrow it overnight to look over.
The piece is a Dutch M1895 carbine, based on a Mannlicher action and chambered for 6.5x53R. In order to function as a repeater, the rifle requires the use of a en bloc clip, much like a Garand. Unlike a Garand, the clip drops out a slot in the bottom of the magazine after the last round is chambered.
This carbine was made in 1917 at the Hembrug Arsenal. It is a M1895 No.3 OM or NM. The distinquishing feature of this subtype is the unusual handguard. I first took the handguard to be a replacement from a full-length rifle, but it was actually made this way orginally. As can be seen in the accompanying photo, the handguard extends further along the barrel than the forearm, which terminates in a nose cap incorporating a bayonet lug. Another unusual feature of this paricular carbine is that most Dutch carbines have a piece of wood covering the left side of the magazine, but this one does not.
The bore is in surprisingly good shape for a battlefield pick-up. I ran a few patches with Ed's Red and then Shooter's Choice down the barrel, and they came out clean. Most of the blueing remains although there are sports of rust starting to form.
It's a pretty neat little piece.
The piece is a Dutch M1895 carbine, based on a Mannlicher action and chambered for 6.5x53R. In order to function as a repeater, the rifle requires the use of a en bloc clip, much like a Garand. Unlike a Garand, the clip drops out a slot in the bottom of the magazine after the last round is chambered.
This carbine was made in 1917 at the Hembrug Arsenal. It is a M1895 No.3 OM or NM. The distinquishing feature of this subtype is the unusual handguard. I first took the handguard to be a replacement from a full-length rifle, but it was actually made this way orginally. As can be seen in the accompanying photo, the handguard extends further along the barrel than the forearm, which terminates in a nose cap incorporating a bayonet lug. Another unusual feature of this paricular carbine is that most Dutch carbines have a piece of wood covering the left side of the magazine, but this one does not.
The bore is in surprisingly good shape for a battlefield pick-up. I ran a few patches with Ed's Red and then Shooter's Choice down the barrel, and they came out clean. Most of the blueing remains although there are sports of rust starting to form.
It's a pretty neat little piece.
