[LX Kid]

Happy weekend for me. Finally found a "minty" 1896/11 that just jumped into my arms and said "Take me home Papa!" It will fit just fine next to my two Vetterli's and K31. Will post picutes a little later. LX Kid

 

[swissrifles1]

Great!, cant wait to see them.

 

[Ike27]

Just remember that it shoots 7.5x53.5. Dont shoot the 7.5x55 in it.

 

[Ash]

If it's truely an 1896/11, I don't understand why one could not shoot the 7.5x55 in it. (GP-11, etc.) Weren't these reworked 1896 rifles to 1911 standards?

 

[Ike27]

You can never rework the steel, extractor, bolt design etc. Many rifles were rechambered to fit new rounds but are still unsafe to shoot the higher pressure rounds.

 

[Guisan]

Ike27 I think you got mixed up with the 89/96, a 96/11 was made out of that one, it got a new stock, sights, barrel and magazin and as it already has the 1896 receiver like the 1911 has it is fit to take GP11.
Only very few 89/96's were not modified to 96/11's and those can be recognized easy as they look like an 1889 rifle, most around are the private purchased ones.

Guisan.

 

[Ike27]

Guisan

I appreciate the clarification as I think I was unlcear. The 96/11 was updated with the new barrel and magazine but the steel for the reciever and bolt was still of the original design. 96/11's are in fact 7.5 x 55 but I would shoot them with the reduced load for the 7.5 x 53.5.

IMO their actions are not as strong as the k11 or k31 despite the upgrades.

 

[BobS]

The steel and design of the Model 1889/96 rifle is the same as was used for the M1911 series. The big change from the 1889 to the 89/96 was the placement and size of the locking lugs. Locking lugs on the back of the M1889 locking sleeve made the bolt susceptable to failure by instability buckling; thus the 1889 could not be "upgraded" to fire the GP11 cartridge. The 89/96 didn't have this problem ... locking lugs are further forward and a little bigger, thus the change to the revised chamber to fire the GP11 cartridge was feasible. AKAIK, the Swiss treated the 96/11 and 1911 series as a single category with regard to ammunition, maintenance and overhaul. The M1889 was recognized as weaker and was not to be fired with GP11 until the WW II mobilization, when the use of GP11 in the M1889's still in the hands of the Landsturm was authorized for "war emergency use only".

Resp'y,
Bob S.