Run and gun with the Austrian Mannlicher M1895 straight-pull (VIDEO)

The last standard infantry rifle of the “dual kingdom” Austro-Hungarian Army, the M95 used an unusual straight-pull bolt action which the gang at The Firearms Blog tried first hand.

Offically the Infanterie Repetier-Gewehr M.95, the 8x50mmR (and later 8x56mmR) bolt gun was made by both Steyr and Mannlicher and used a 5-round en bloc clip. The straight-pull rather than rotating bolt was used on a few other rifles such as the Canadian Ross and Swiss K-11/31 and allowed a much faster rate of fire than the comparable SMLE’s, Mosins and Mausers of the day– with the right amount of training.

But, as the TFB crew found out, reloading that 5-round mag kinda handicaps that lead slinging rate a bit.

Still, you can bet the Austrian Jagers and Hungarian Honved infantry of the First World War were more adept at its operation. Just Google “Battles of the Isonzo” if you scoff.

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