History of the rifle 1908 of the gendarmerie of the Canton of Freiburg.

Extract of the Official Journal

Considering:

The budget of the Management of the Police force for the exercice1924;

Reports addressed by the Commander of the gendarmerie to the direction of the Police force, on the November 22, January 1923, and 20 1925;

The art of the law of the 12 mars1850 on the administration of public fortune and accountancy;

Considering:

In a report of November 22, 1923, the Commander of the gendarmerie announced to the Management of the Police force that the rifle whose gendarmerie is currently armed was bought in 1872; it is an old model which is not manufactured any more and for which one cannot get ammunition any more;

This affair which cannot last, the Commander of the gendarmerie was put in relation to the federal factory of weapons for the purchase of a new rifle. By letter of the 20 of this month, the Commander lets know with the direction of the Police force that the federal factory can deliver snap hooks which were used for the tests at the time of the transformation of rifle in 1908-1911; they correspond almost entirely to the model currently adopted for the machine gunners and the cavalry and they would be delivered, after being given in state, at the prices of 90 FR. part;

The Commander points out that the occasion is favorable and that it will not be found any more; he thus proposes the purchase of 130 rifles at the price indicated, which would represent an expenditure of 11.700 FR. to be taken on the budget of 1924; the accessories, is the repairing and the transformation of the current bayonet to adapt it to the new rifle, will be paid on the budget of the current year;

The affected credit with the body of the gendarmerie for the year 1924 balances by a benefit of 11.773, 40 F; while proceeding to the purchase in question, for which the need is recognized, the budget will thus not be exceeded. It is necessary to take action on the request of the Commander of the gendarmerie; on the proposal of the direction of the police force

Decree:

Article first.

The Commander of the gendarmerie is authorized to make the purchase of 130 snap hooks, in the conditions indicated.

Art 2  the budget heading, section II, art “Armament, equipment”, is increased sum of 11.700fr and the Treasury of State is authorized to immediately pay this sum with the Commander of the gendarmerie.

Art3 this decree will be communicated:

a) With the direction of the police force, for it and the Commander of the gendarmerie;

Design features.

Manufacturer and Manufacturer: Waffenfabriek Bern models tests 1908.

Number of the studied weapon: 11

Type of breech:  rectilinear with rotary movement, model 1896 with three holes of reduction

Caliber and cartridge: 7.5 X 55 model of tests 1908.

Mode of firing: central percussion.

Modes of shooting: repetition and in shot by shot.

Speed of the projectile: 760m/s

Length of the weapon without the bayonet: 1120mm.

Weight of the empty weapon and without accessories: 3950 kg

Length of the barrel: 592mm.

Numbers and dimensions of the stripes: 4 with the step of 270mm

Cartridge supply: magazine of 6 cartridges placed in two lines.

Raise: with shaped and curved cheeks graduated of 100 à1500 meters, value of the graduations100 meters.

Top sight: To protect by right cheeks it is to fix on a plate, in a dovetail groove machined in skew compared to the axis of the weapon.

Wood: in drowning with hand-shield.

Bayonet: Special manufacture for the police force.

Punches and Markings: on the breech the punch of test of pressure is 3700/3900 kg /cm2 as well as the punch “B” on the top of the thunder, one thinks that it is a marking for the shooting of test.

In lower part of the barrel, one sees the punch of the manufacturer Hämmerli & Hausch, also appears the number of manufacture of the barrel.

On the breech and all the parts: one sees there the Swiss cross like marks acceptance.

On mounting and the hand-shield: there where takes seat the barrel, the federal punch of acceptance and the number of the weapon,

Note: so that the weapon can be carried to the shoulder mounting was modified, and the grenadière, as well as the changed leaf.

The bayonets were manufactured by the machine shop of R.Ortlieb of Freiburg starting from the Bayonets which equipped the Vetterli snap hooks with the police force.

Max.