May I ask what a sporterized Vetterli is?

[PAINTBALL GUY 3]

Hello all, I was recently offered a trade for a "sporterized Vetterli", but I really dont know what that is. This is the info he gave in his message......


sporterized Vetterli.

.22 Rimfire.

It's had the forestock shortened and because of that, it's a single shot.

The guy he got it from drilled the bolt to convert it to a centerfire but he never made the firing pin so it's still a rimfire with the rimfire firing pin.


Are these good thing's or bad? I beleave he want's to trade for my Diana Mod. 24 pellet rifle. I just want to make sure that this "Vetterli" isn't like some Cooey Mod. 60 or something.

Thanks you.

 

[Sam1911]

From Wikipedia:

The Vetterli rifles were a series of Swiss army service rifles in use from 1869 to circa 1890, when they were replaced with the Schmidt-Rubin rifles. Modified Vetterli rifles were also used by the Italian Army.

The Swiss Vetterli rifles combined the American M1866 Winchester rifle's tubular magazine and a bolt system derived from the German Dreyse needle gun. They were also the first repeating rifle to feature a self-cocking action and a small caliber. Due to the Swiss Federal Council's early 1866 decision to equip the army with a breechloading repeating rifle, the Vetterli rifles were at the time of their introduction the most advanced military rifles in Europe.

NOT .22 LR. Originally they were in 10.4 mm Rimfire, or ".41 Swiss Rimfire" as we might know it.

They used a tube magazine which this fellow apparantly destroyed when he cut the forestock back.

How in the world you'd make it into a safe centerfire, I wouldn't hazard to guess -- and it sounds like the former owner couldn't figure it out either. Even if you could work up a reasonable centerfire cartridge to fit, it's still a design developed and produced as far back as 1869, so a light black powder charge would be the most it could handle. But that was before someone drilled a hole in the bolt and otherwise hacked it up.

This sounds very much like a perfectly useful tent stake.

If you were looking to have a new tent stake, go for it. If you wanted a rifle...run away.

-Sam

 

[PAINTBALL GUY 3]

Well if that's the case, I think I may. But I asked him for more info on the rifle and we'll see what it all about then.

 

[rcmodel]

Run, don't walk away from that deal, and don't look back.

It's a crappy gun to start with, and even worse now after some gun butcher destroyed it.

rc

 

[Cosmoline]

It could be an Italian single shot variation I suppose, but it wouldn't be in .22 LR. The Italians did some very odd things to their rifles including hacking the stock down. The only way to be sure what you're looking at is to look at it, so he at least needs to send pics.

 

[TheDriver]

I have a friend who works up a custom cartridge for his. I'm not sure of the brass. It is a light charge, as an above poster mentioned. But .22? Odd, to say the least.

 

[jim in Anchorage]

From cartridges of the world on the 10.4-38R Swiss Vetterli-"The official military round is a rimfire, but a centerfire version was loaded in Europe".

 

[ArmedBear]

It would make a neat wall-hanger if it wasn't butchered.

 

[PAINTBALL GUY 3]

Ok, got some pic's and found out it is indeed a .41 rimfire. I just read rimfire and thought .22.








and here is a link to how to convert it to centerfire.

http://telecom.hartford.edu/swiss/vetterli.htm


I actuly thing it kinda cool looking but would or could it have any usefulness?

 

[Cosmoline]

Yeah, that's a sporterized one not an original carbine. No big surprise but it's always good to check. Looks reasonably well done FWIW