Strongest 1st Generation Military Smokeless Powder Rifle Action

[Eddie1971]

I always wondered which of the first gen military smokeless powder rifles was the strongest. I'm using 1895 as the cut off year. Choices are:

* 1886 Lebel
* 1889 Schmidt Rubin
* Gewehr 1888 Commission Rifle
* US Krag
* 1889 Belgian/1891 Argentine
* 1891 Mosin Nagant
* 1891 Lee Metford
* 1895 Mannlicher
* 1893 Spanish Mauser
* 1891 Carcano

[frkelly74]

I would guess Mosin - Nagant.

[ShooterAZ]

The Mosin would be my guess as well, followed by the 1893 Spanish Mauser. I've been wrong before though...

[GhostHawk]

Agree with the Mosin being the toughest. It was designed to be run by peasants who could not read or write for the most part.

[samari46]

Both the 1891 Argentine mauser and the 1891 Moisin Nagant ran at around 50,000 psi pressures and that is with the smokeless powders available at the time. Years back Norma made no distinction between the 1891 and 1909 Argentine mausers and the muzzle velocities on the box showed slightly over 2900 fps. Nowadays the velocity of the Norma 7.65x53mm has been lowered to more safer levels. Frank

[458mag]

Would the Ross rifle fall in the time frame?

[Texas by God]

You forgot the winner. The hook safety Arisaka.

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[Eddie1971]

Would the Ross rifle fall in the time frame?

I used 1895 as the cut off, but I'm not familiar with the history of those, and maybe it is from that era...

[Eddie1971]

You forgot the winner. The hook safety Arisaka.

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I think that came out in 1897 if I'm correct....I could be wrong.

[444ttd]

1895 Mannlicher in 8x57

[oconeedan]

I am certain it is not the 88 Commission rifle, with it's split top receiver.
But I haven't found a smoother action. I limit mine to cast bullets in moderate loads.

[Rapidrob]

No one has been able to blow up a Carcano action. Check out Myth Busters as well as the State of New Mexico test.

[Texas by God]

I think that came out in 1897 if I'm correct....I could be wrong.

You are right, Eddie. The type 30 was introduced in1897. I may have to go with the Mosin guys then because I saw a Finnish target rifle Hex Mosin converted to a .300 Win mag.single shot.

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[gwpercle]

No one has been able to blow up a Carcano action. Check out Myth Busters as well as the State of New Mexico test.

At the military surplus stores in the 50's and 60's us boys would bad mouth the Carcano's as being nothing but junk along with the Arisaka's ... My how that blow up test surprised me...
You can't tell a strong action just by looking at it .
Lee Oswald sure proved how accurate a Carcano can be , he did a lot of damage on moving targets in Dealey Plaza on 11/22/63 . At that time I thought there was no way for one man to shoot that fast and that accurately with a substandard bolt action WWII army surplus rifle but evidently he did .

[beechbum444]

There’s a video of someone filling up a Mosin case with pistol powder and setting it off with a string only had to be re head spaced

[Texas by God]

I've never had a Carcano but the Italians have built guns for milliniae so it may be the winner. A friend did have a 1891 Lowe that had a Sako 22-250 barrel and never had a problem. We killed hundreds of Prairie dogs in hundred degree weather with warm loads with no growth of headspace.

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[LynC2]

No doubt tne Carcano and Mosin are strong actions for the period they were introduced; however they are such crude and clunky actions I've always passed on them. No offense intended to those that have them. ☺

[ShooterAZ]

I own exactly one Mosin Nagant now, and it is a Cast Boolit shooter extraordinaire. Despite a yucky trigger it's very, very accurate. It cost me a whopping $69 dollars back in the day. A few years back I mentioned to my wife that I might part with it, and she wasn't having it. She calls it the "Polar Bear Gun", and said that she would buy it from me! So I guess that means it's not going anywhere anytime soon.

[Ray1946]

I think one rifle you might have overlooked is the 88/90 straight-pull Mannlicher. It was deemed strong enough in later years to be chambered for the 8x56R M30 cartridge; a real ****-kicker in its own right. Hunter's Lodge used to sell them for $9.95 back in 59'....................

[Syntax Error]

Of the ones you listed, probably the Mosin-Nagant