Steyr M95 rifle

[Battis]

I have a Hungarian M95 carbine, lots of vintage ammo, plus dies, brass, bullets, etc for milder loads. Today I found a Steyr M95 long rifle in the same caliber (8x56mm). I've never seen the rifle model before. It's in great shape, all matching, good bore. It has the S stamp which means it's definitely 8x56R.
$295.
Buying a gun in Maine is now a slow process, after last week. Sales are good - very good. Which means long lines. I put the rifle on hold due to the wait time for buying.

[WILCO]

That's one rifle that never made me jump.
I think it was the straight pull bolt that turned me off..............

[Der Gebirgsjager]

It would be a fine addition to your military rifle collection. I've never owned one, and never really had the chance to buy one. Most of them were cut down to the carbine length after WW I. They had relatively thin barrels, and warping was a complaint as they were fired until very hot in trench warfare. I've heard that they kick less than the carbine.

DG

[Battis]

I was wondering if the carbines were cut down from rifles, or made as carbines. I have quite a bit of the vintage original ammo that I don't want to shoot unless I really have to. Painful. The rounds that I load are much better. I'll probably try the factory ammo in the rifle just to compare - can't be any worse.
I have a Swiss 7.5x55 straight pull. It does take some getting used to. It's funny to watch people in the store try to work the bolt if they don't know it's a straight pull.

[WILCO]

Yeah. I'll have to revisit this rifle model.

Might fall in love...........

[Battis]

I went to the store looking for a lever action rifle in .357 Magnum. They had a bunch of the new Henrys but they're over $900. Nothing used. Then I saw the M95 all by itself on a dark rack way in the back. You gotta take a ticket from a dispenser to get in line to be waited on. While I was standing there with my little ticket, three other shoppers stopped to look at the rifle I had. Two of them owned carbines but had never seen the long rifle. I put it on hold. I'd probably still be there if I bought it today.

[TheAbe]

Sounds like a good deal if it’s complete. A straight-pull M95 is on my short list of things I’d buy now, even though I told myself I wasn’t going to buy anything right now, if the price was in my range. The fact you already are setup to load for it (and presumably have clips for it) make it all that much better.
Since you already own a carbine I have to ask: what motion of the hand do you find most efficient for working the bolt between shots? Palm-up and flex the bicep, or palm-down, lift the hand over the handle and pull back? These bolts were built for speed, but most comments I’ve seen from people who have shot one is that the bolt is kind of clunky to work.

[Battis]

Yeah, the bolts are harder to work than a turn bolt. I just grab it, palm up, and pull. The Swiss 7.5x55 is much easier to work. The carbine M95 is a beast to shoot with "vintage" ammo (check out videos on YouTube). I have about 100 rounds of the old ammo (with clips). Dies and brass are available, and Lee has a bullet mold. Reloads are the way to go with the carbines. I brought the rifle home a few days ago and I stripped it down and started cleaning it. All matching, no import stamps, the bore is dirty but the rifling is strong. Prices are relatively low on these guns and don't seem to be rising. I paid $250 for the carbine 5 years ago, and only $295 for the rifle. They're like dark beer - you have to develop a taste for them.

[Moleman-]

I have a 1895 long rifle and my boy has the 95/30 His bolt was harder to work than mine even after a good cleaning. There was some wear marks on the bolt head stem. He replaced the bolt head with a better looking one and the bolt is slick like mine now. We did check headspace and it's still good. The action is actually much faster than a mauser once you gt used to it. You should figure out the bore dia of your rifle as they can vary quite a bit. The PPU 208gr .330" FMJBT bullets shoot well out of both of our rifles. They do both hit very high at 100yds, the long rifle more so than the carbine. For the cast Lee bullets, figure out what your bore size is first before automatically sizing to .330" with the lyman sizer.

[Battis]

I bought a Lee 205 gr .329" mold for the carbine and the bullets are good. I slugged the rifle's bore and the bullets from the Lee die will be perfect. Buffalo Arms seems to be the only supplier that has .329" Spitzer bullets in stock but I'll stick with the cast bullets.

[hpbear101]

I shoot a short 95 in 8X56 and the long rifle in 8X50. Both like the lee Bullet, with 2400 in the 8X56 and Herco in 8X50. I have also had good success running .338 jacketed with a little case lube through a Lee push through sizer.
Tom

[desi23]

I was wondering if the carbines were cut down from rifles, or made as carbines. I have quite a bit of the vintage original ammo that I don't want to shoot unless I really have to. Painful. The rounds that I load are much better. I'll probably try the factory ammo in the rifle just to compare - can't be any worse.
I have a Swiss 7.5x55 straight pull. It does take some getting used to. It's funny to watch people in the store try to work the bolt if they don't know it's a straight pull.

Some were made from the long barreled rifles, some were original carbines from what I was able to learn when I got my first one years ago. The rear sight was a quick way to tell, cut down rifles have a longer rear sight adjuster. Of course, if a gun got a new barrel it would have the later sight so no way to tell in that case.

I still have one, it's fun to shoot. A real thumper with military spec loads. I had made up some cast loads that were a lot milder but have run out (bullets were a gunshow purchase, not my own work). It hasn't been shot in a long time, I should get a mold and make up some new loads for it.

[Battis]

Problem (of course)- the rifle does not cock on closing. I did a deep cleaning on every part, put it all back together, then realized something wasn't right - it's not cocking. I don't think it was anything I did, so I must have missed it when I bought the rifle. The sear isn't catching - the bolt seems to jump right over it. Or, the safety is messed up and preventing it from cocking.
Numrich has sears and springs for about $13.00.
The store has a 30 day return policy so I'll see what they say.

[Battis]

FWIW update: M95 bolts are a real pain to assemble. The bolt head can be inserted into the body two ways - one is correct, the other (as was the case in my rifle) in wrong. Now it's in the correct way, it cocks on closing and I take back all the bad things I said about the Hungarian gun makers.

[Adam Helmer]

My M1895 Rifle is 8X50 and I cannot find any ammo. I reload, so I welcome any clues.

Be well.

Adam

[TheAbe]

I’ve heard one can form and cut down 7.62x54R brass to make 8x50R....

[rodbolt55]

Years ago I got 5 carbines on a batch lot on gunbroker. 2 were still in 8x50, 2 were cut down long rifles 1 was a M95 carbine dated 1915. sold the 2 in 8x50 and it paid for the other 3. I still own 2 cut down carbines,2 carbines and one long rifle chambered in 8x56. my current crop all have bores that slug at .333" with ppu ammo or my hand loads using .329 jackedted they shoot a pattern at 100yds. SLUG your barrel,look for loose spots. my loads for my .333 bore is a 200 gr.338 sized to .334 GC lead. I bought the lee sizing kit at .329 and used a drill press,split shaft and 300 grit carbide to make it size at .334". I use trailboss sometimes ,another published load from cartridge conversion manual 4th edition is 45 gr of 3031. I use 40 gr. Once you find a bullet that fits your bore, these guns are not only fun to shoot but will get a response at the range. Just wait till you show up with a .41 swiss vetterli or a lebel carbine or a 30-40 krag carbine to shoot a cowboy action BAM match :)

[Uncle Grinch]

Never owned a M95 but have been intrigued by them, especially after seeing one here years ago by one of our members who rebarreled it to 30-30. I want to say it was Buckshot, but don’t hold me to it.

[Wayne Smith]

Never owned a M95 but have been intrigued by them, especially after seeing one here years ago by one of our members who rebarreled it to 30-30. I want to say it was Buckshot, but don’t hold me to it.

It was Buckshot, but he rebarreled it in 30-40 Krag.

[TheAbe]

Less than 2 months after my first response above citing my “short list,” I have an M95 carbine waiting for me at a lgs to file the transfer and take possession of. The model went to the top of the list when I visited another local shop for the first time, and their milsurp rack (which contained several Mosins, 3 Vetterlis, 2 types of Arisaka, and several Mausers among other things), had an M95 carbine in fine shape. For some reason they wanted 600 plus for the M95 (more reasonable prices for everything else), but I picked it up to work the action and see if I liked it enough to continue pursuit of, and I absolutely loved the action. So fast forward a couple of weeks and an old CAI import auction ended in my price range, and this is added to my long project list as well. Now, no more projects!! (Except maybe a Vetterli Vitali 1870/87 still in 10.4...).

[SteveM54]

"They're like dark beer - you have to develop a taste for them."
:awesome: Crack me up :veryconfu

[Shawlerbrook]

I still have the last of many carbines I bought and sold back in the 90’s. They were tied with the Mosins for the cheapest milsurp to buy back then. Still have some of the case of 1938 Nazi ammo I also traded into back then. And they kick like a mule.

[TheAbe]

Question: my M95 carbine (an aresenal-shortened long rifle) came sans handguard. I found one that generally fits (but I think might be for another carbine variation), and I was wondering, should the handguard be pressing against the barrel? Also, should the barrel be in contact with the stock (like an SMLE) or should it be floating? My barrel appears to be floating until I attach the handguard, which is tight and then pressed the barrel against the stock. Just seems a bit iffy...

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Hard to say without some photos of your carbine. It may have been free floated by a previous owner. The several that I've owned (still have 2 of them) were not free floated. You could try shooting it both ways, with and without the hand guard, and see which gives the best results.

Like Shawlerbrook said, they have a very noticeable recoil. I fire mine (not much anymore) with reduced cast bullet loads, which tames them considerably. They are such a cool, unusual action that therein lies their main attraction. Very nice, lightweight hunting rifle. If you fall in love with them you almost have to become a handloader, and Lee makes a mold. The problem exists that you seldom encounter two with the same bore diameter. Whether due to the fact that the barrels were made in both Austria and Hungary at different arsenals, later re-barreled by countries receiving them as war reparations after WW I, or just wear and tear. Ideally they are .329", but one of mine is .336" and the other is .332". When I got my first one civilian-made cases were non-existent but I learned that they could be made from 7.62x54mm Russian brass. I bought the special dies to do so from RCBS, and they were expensive special order. Again, also like Shawlerbrook, I've got a lot of the original 1939 Nazi head stamped ammo, and the options exist to pull the bullets, adjust the powder charge, and reuse the bullets if that's desirable-- the only problem being that the corrosive Berdan primer remains. This stuff is getting very old, and although I haven't encountered the problem, some say that the primers are becoming duds.

DG

[TheAbe]

Loosened and re-tightened the trigger guard screws, tightening the front one first, and now the barrel beds to the stock properly. Stock has a lot of (repaired) cracks, and just took a bit of finessing to get it all to sit correctly. Thanks for the info about how yours sit DG.
For ammo I will soon be ordering the RCBS dies (they’ve come down in price a little), have a few dozen Norma 7.62x54r brass, a Lyman drill press universal trimmer en-route, and a couple boxes of 8mm 220gr aspire Points that should work decently. I’m not adverse to heavy recoil (yet), but I’m thinking the 8x50r gives a bit less than the upgraded 8x56r models. I can’t fire the WW2 surplus ammo, but bought some at my LGS as it was the cheapest way for me to get clips.

[john.k]

I recall the refurbished guns on sale for around$40,but at the same time there were far better surplus guns like the Portuguese Vagueiros in 8x57 for around the same price.