GENERALLY: A direct and immediate decendent of the M1886 Austrian Mannlicher, this rifle too was a straight-pull, bolt action, box magazine repeater on the von Mannlicher design. As early as the beginning of production of the M1886 the need and desirability for a small bore rifle was evident. This rifle is virtually identical to it's predessor but for chambering a newly designed 8mm cartridge, loaded originally with black powder and denominated 8x50R, but shortly thereafter converted to semi-smokeless as soon as such reliable propellant became available as the 8x52R Austrian Mannlicher cartridge. The "converted" rifles were denominated M.88-90. Later, when smokeless powder became available, the cartridge was returned to an 8x50R configuration in rifles designated M.90. The sights of existing black-powder 8mm Mannlicher rifles were converted to accomodate smokeless ammunition by the cute but functional arrangement of screw mounting re-graduated sideplates onto the outsides of the existing rear sight walls. M1888 rifles built from and after 1890 had new sights and were denominated M.90 or are sometimes referred to as M1888-90. It appears that a sizeable number of M1886 11mm rifles were converted to 8mm by rebarreling and re-sighting. These were denominated M.86-90, although I don't know how to differentiate the conversions from original M1888 rifles.
PHOTO: The rifle shown is a M.88 Austrian Mannlicher, mounting its original black powder sights, but updated with sideplates for smokeless cartridges use.
DISTINGUISHING CHARECTERISTICS: The M1888 chambers the 8mm Mannlicher cartridge (either the 8x50R OR the 8x52R - see letter below). Nearly identical with the M1886 Mannlicher, its parent rifle, the M1888's box magazine is noticably thinner and shallower than the 11mm rifle's and the barrel is slightly shorter. Otherwise the two rifles are nearly identical.
I received this excellent letter:
Subj: info on Austrian Mannlicher
cartridges
Date: 4/20/2003 5:31:18 PM Mountain
Standard Time
From: gunz@atomic.net
To: KeithDoyon@MilitaryRifles(.)com
Keith:
FYI, while researching my book
on Mannlicher rifles I discovered the following about Austrian cartridges.
According to the Austrian authority, Herr Josef Mötz,* the M.1888
Mannlicher chambered an 8x50R blackpowder cartridge (8mm scharfe Patrone
M.88) while the M.88-90 and M.90 rifles and carbines used a semi-smokeless
propellent in a 8x52R cartridge (8mm scharfe Patrone M.90). In 1893 a smokeless
propellant was perfected and the 8mm scharfe Patrone M.93 reverted to the
50mm case. Due to the generous throats in all Mannlicher straight pull
rifle barrels, cartridges of various lengths could be used interchangeably
with no problems.
Hope this is of some help.
Paul Scarlata
* - Mötz, Josef. OSTERREICHISCHE MILITARPATRONEN, Volume 1. Vienna: Verlagsbuchhandlung Stöhr, 1996.
By looking carefully you will be able to observe
that the original sights of this
M1888/90 Mannlicher have been upgraded by bolting
on new sideplates! The
new sideplates have different range markings than
the originals to accomodate
the new smokeless powder rounds of ~1890.
Lt: M1888 Mannlicher Rear Sights
Rt: M1888-90 (88 with Sideplates) Rear Sights
Can you spot the differences between the 8mm M1888/90
(top)
and the 11mm M1886 (Bottom)?
More
M1888/90 Austrian Mannlicher
