| Repeating Rifle Model 1886 | |
|---|---|
 A sample from theSwedish Army Museum. Note that the magazine extends past the trigger guard, unlike on the Model 1888. | |
| Type | Bolt-action rifle |
| Place of origin | Austria-Hungary |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1886–1918[citation needed] |
| Used by | SeeUsers |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Ferdinand Mannlicher |
| Designed | 1886 |
| Manufacturer | Œ.W.G. |
| Produced | 1886–1887 |
| No. built | 100,000 |
| Variants | Carbine M1886, M1886-88 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 4.52 kg (10.0 lb) |
| Length | 132.6 cm (52.2 in) |
| Barrel length | 80.6 cm (31.7 in) |
| Cartridge | |
| Action | Straight-pull bolt action |
| Muzzle velocity | 440 m/s (1,444 ft/s) (M1877 ball cartridge) |
| Maximum firing range | 2300paces 1,725 m (1,886 yd) |
| Feed system | 5-rounden bloc clip, internalbox magazine |
| Sights | Quadrant sight graduated 300–1500paces (225–1125 m), long rangevolley sight adjustable 1600–2300 paces (1200–1725 m) |
TheRepeating Rifle Model 1886, commonly known asMannlicher Model 1886, was a late 19th-century Austrian straight-pull bolt-action rifle, adopted in 1886.[1] It used a wedge-lockstraight pull action bolt. It was the first straight-pull bolt-action service rifle of any nation.[citation needed]
The M1886 itself was an improvement of theMannlicher M1885 trials rifle (patented in the UK in May 1885[2]) that was a prototype meant to replace the by then obsoleteM1867 Werndl-Holub drum-breech single-shot rifle. It was the first of the Austro-Hungarian service rifles to introduce the feature of the clip dropping out of the bottom of the magazine when the last round is chambered.[3]
Between 1888 and 1892, 95% of the M1886 rifles were converted (rebarreled) to8×52mmR Mannlicher under the designationM1886-88.[3] Rifles in original (11 mm) caliber with Austrian acceptance marks are a rare find.
The rifle was quickly made obsolete by the introduction of theLebel Model 1886 rifle with its new smokeless cartridge. As such it was quickly replaced in Austrian service by its successor the M1888. The rifle still had a long life, however, and turned up in Spain in the hands of republican troops during theSpanish Civil War in the hands of members of theBritish Battalion atMadrigueras where they were used for training before being replaced on the eve of theBattle of Jarama by more modern rifles such as theMosin-Nagant.[4]
According to an unconfirmed theory Ferdinand Mannlicher could adapt in his rifle some construction details from Orville Robinson's straight-pull magazine rifle with a hinging wedge breechblock. In 1876 Mannlicher visited theCentennial Exposition to study firearms design, and he researched plans and models at the patent office in Philadelphia.[5] He may have been exposed there to Orvill Robinson's project which was patented in the US (but not in Europe)[6] (and produced, until his company was bought and shut down byW.R.A.). However, it is unknown if Mannlicher has even seen any Robinson's project.[7]
Austria-Hungary
Chile
Colombia:Acquired from Venezuela by liberal forces during theThousand Days War[8]
Republic of China[9]
China[9]
Honduras: Surplus rifles were bought from German dealers, they were still in use in the 1930s[10]
Spain[4]
Venezuela[8]
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