Swiss rubin

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bigcim

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I borrowed a rifle from my uncle. He said a co worker sold it to him 20 years ago for a $100. He told me it was a swiss Ruben 1883. I want to shot it at the range but, he has never shot it so we don't know the caliber. Its not listed on the rifle. The previous owner wasn't sure said he thinks it shots 30-06. I looked it up in a book and it said 7.55, I think. Its late today so Ill take a picture to post tomorrow. I know you guys probably know the rifle though.

Thanks
 
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If its an 83 you need to find some Swiss GP1890/23 ammo. Its not an easy find but it works fairly well. Make sure you don't use GP11 ammo in it.

Its possible you have an 83/11 which is an older rifle upgraded and would allow you to use GP11 and most 7.5mm swiss ammo you would find around today.

You should be able to tell the difference in the larger 90/23 ammo with a rounded bullet.

If you can make a mention of the markings on the rifle it be easy to tell what you have there.

http://www.swissrifles.com/ammo/ should go into detail about the differences in the ammo and if you look it should give lots of information about Schmidt Ruben rifles.
 
He told me it was a swiss Ruben 1883
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:D Does it look like this:

ruben.JPG


Or this:

1889.jpg

If it looks like the first, don't eat it because it's probably gone bad. If it looks like the second, it is a Schmidt-Rubin 1889 or 89/96 (not 83).

Its possible you have an 83/11 which is an older rifle upgraded and would allow you to use GP11 and most 7.5mm swiss ammo you would find around today.
Click to expand...

No such animal as an 83/11. Smokeless wasn't around in 1883. You're talking about a 89/96 or a 96/11.

http://www.swissrifles.com/

The previous owner wasn't sure said he thinks it shots 30-06.
Click to expand...

If it's an '89, then it would probably be chambered for an eariler variation on 7.5 Swiss. Either 7.5x53.5 or 7.5x54.5 (confusing, isn't it?) HOWEVER, many of these were imported long ago and sporterized. Many were converted, and not all the conversions are safe. This is one you should take to a smith to get a chamber cast to be sure. Personally I would NEVER shoot .30'06 through a '89 S-R receiver. The action was still primitive and designed for moderate doses of semismokeless. A full bore .30'06 will overload the lugs, which are located in the rear on the earliest models.

I look forward to seeing pics!
 
That pic looks like it but the forearm isnt that long.
Reminds me im hungry :D

can I buy this ammo at a gun store?
 
It sounds like the stock may have been cut. This wouldn't surprise me one bit. I've never actually seen an intact '89, but I've seen a dozen cut ones.

GP-11 is generally available as is 7.5 commercial. But that's not going to help you if this is indeed an '89 or variation. Don't shoot anything till you're sure about the chambering.
 
This definitely sounds like a trip to the 'smith is in order, just to be sure and on the safe side.

And no, I've never seen a gun store that sells anything but the modern Swiss GP11 ammo. And even then it's always way overpriced compared to the net or gunshows.

If it indeed shoots the older stuff, it'll be special-order only... and pricey to boot.
 
Its possible you have an 83/11 which is an older rifle upgraded and would allow you to use GP11 and most 7.5mm swiss ammo you would find around today.
Click to expand...

I'd call that unlikely. And I'd also want to stress with others to NEVER EVER EVER use anything meant for a K-31 in it. That includes the GP-11, the Norma, the Hornady, and the Wolf Gold. The chamber pressure is much, much higher than that thing can take. Best case, you might fracture the receiver, worst case, it will literally explode in your face with possibly lethal force. The GP-11-level ammo is basically a .308. Just don't.
 
There is no 83/11. There's a 96/11, and THAT rifle is A OK with GP11. The 89 is an earlier design with a weaker action. A photo of the rifle will tell us quickly what type it is.
 
It wasn't the unsupported head that was the problem, but the location and strength of the lugs. The 96 modifications moved the lugs to the middle of the bolt and made a series of changes to the action to strengthen it. These rifles were designated 89/96, but apparently they were new rifles not merely modified 89's. The 89/96's became the 96/11's.

http://www.swissrifles.com/sr/index.html
 
Heres the pictuers guys

how do you post pictures with out them being thumbnails

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That's a nice one. :cool:
The only 1889 that I've seen locally in a shop was chopped as well, was very rusty, and bubba had cut the rear sight base off and crudely soldered on a buckhorn sight. I was really tempted to buy it anyhow to shoot cast bullets through, but the bubba'd rear sight was a deal killer.
 
Looks to be another hacked '89. There are a bunch of them. I would ABSOLUTELY get that chamber checked before shooting to make sure nothing weird happened to it in someone's basement. If it's in the original chambering, stick with handloads in it. You can get more info on what loads to use on the Swiss rifle forums.

The very location of the lugs left the case head unsupported as pertains to the more powerful GP11. Look again.
Click to expand...

The head is still partially unsupported in the 96/11 and 1911, and is NOT a safety issue. The lugs were moved from the back to the middle from the 89 to the 96. They didn't get moved to the front until the K-31.
 
Cosmo, I see what happened. You were talking about the 96/11 and I was talking about the 89. Sheesh....... I wasn't reading you closely enough. My apologies.
If I might introduce myself, I'm the Chief Moderator on Swiss Rifles.com and the manufacturer of St.Marie Graphics Swiss Products
Nice forum you have here. Glad I stumbled on it...... almost like I stumbled on your post!:D

P
 
With the appropriate ammunition they're great shooters. The 1911s and 96/11s are among my favorites, only overshadowed by the gracefull little k11.

P
 
Does it look like the one pictured by Cosmolene? If it is... its an 1889. Otherwise go to the link I posted and see if you recognize any of them there.

P
 
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