You know you have a problem when you get all fired up over finding $35 worth of spring steel in the incoming mail!



Now to find some 8mm Lebel ammo.... probably going to be almost as much fun as finding the clips...

Bill R

PINGGGG!

quote:

Originally posted by CPD SIG:
PINGGGG!

Not really.

More like "shunk-clang", as it dribbles out the hole in the bottom of the magazine and clatters on the ground once empty.

Mannlicher-style enbloc clips, like the ones used on the Berthier, don't have the same musical "ping" like a Garand, since it's not being forcefully ejected by a strong spring.

Thanks for the Target Sports link! I’m assuming they are good, I’ve never used them. I was ready to go with the 200 round case from SG, but I don’t think I really need 200 rounds....

My very humble Chatelleraut 07/15 Berthier Rifle is a relatively recent addition, and I’ve been getting impatient to get it out to the range to find out just how awesome a three round full size battle rifle really is!


Bill R

Nice. Unconverted Berthiers are uncommon.

I haven't fired a Berthier rifle, but have put a few rounds through a M1916 carbine. It was an interesting thumper. Recoil was a bit harsh, but I suspect your rifle's recoil will be more pleasant. (Similar to the Mannlicher M95, whose carbine recoil is quite stout, but whose full-length rifle recoil is noticeably better.)

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
Nice. Unconverted Berthiers are uncommon.

I haven't fired a Berthier rifle, but have put a few rounds through a M1916 carbine. It was an interesting thumper. Recoil was a bit harsh, but I suspect your rifle's recoil will be more pleasant. (Similar to the Mannlicher M95, whose carbine recoil is quite stout, but whose full-length rifle recoil is noticeably better.)

Oddly enough, I have a Steyr M95 rifle that I’m trying to find 8X50 ammo for right now....
It currently looks like it’s going to be a “make brass and handload” proposition, but I am looking forward to it since it seems like a really nice rifle from just handling it.

Bill R

You can buy premade boxer 8x50R Mannlicher brass online, but loaded ammo is hen's teeth. Even Prvi Partisan, who does small runs of many uncommon milsurp calibers every year or so, doesn't offer 8x50R Mannlicher.

My M95s were all converted to the later 8x56R, which is still uncommon, but ammo is available out there, including a little remaining Austrian and Bulgarian surplus plus some new production Prvi ammo. Still not cheap or widely available, though.

I know the feeling! I got real excited when I found a gang load of this stuff.

I had a decent little stockpile of several hundreds round of 8x56R for a few years, including some Austrian surplus, some post-Anschluss German/Austrian surplus like yours, a little Bulgarian surplus, and several boxes of new production PPU.

But I ended up selling all three of my M95s a few years ago, during my Great Consolidation. I decided to pare my collection down to a more narrow focus, and sold off about half my milsurps that didn't fit that more narrow focus.

quote:

I decided to pare my collection down to a more narrow focus, and sold off about half my milsurps that didn't fit that more narrow focus.

I have a real hoarding problem when it comes to this stuff. I can't seem to bring myself to get rid of any of it. Rifles/Ammo/Bayonets/knick-knacks, you name it. Last time I moved an entire twin axle U-Haul trailer was full of this shit.