Snap hook for the cavalry model 1893.
Denomination of the weapon: Snap hook of cavalry 1893.
Inventor: Ferdinand Ritter von Mannlicher.
Nature of the mechanism: Mannlicher system with bolt with four movements.
Caliber and ammunition: 7,5 mm GP 90, 90/03 and 90/23.
Principles of setting to fire: Central percussion.
Speed of the ball: ~ 560 m/s.
Length of the weapon: 1018 mm
Weight uncharged: 3,100 kg.
Length of the gun: 550 mm
Number stripes: 3 on the right with the step of 270mm.
Rise: fix for 300m at dial of 400 ā1200m.
Handlebar: sliding in a dovetail on embouchoir and fixed on the gun by a screw making function of axis of localization for the precision.
Punches: on the box of breech S surmounted by the Swiss cross. (see remarks).
Many punches of manufacture are also visible under the box of breech.
On the stick and the hand-shield the punch of the federal controller is reproduced.
History of the snap hook of cavalry the 1893
Rearmament of the fusiliers of the Swiss army was carried out with the introduction of the repeating rifle model 1889, Schmidt system. But, because its length, rifle lately introduced was unusable by the cavalry. It thus remained equipped with the snap hook model 1878 (Vetterli system). It resulted from it that the standardization of the ammunition wished was not assured any more. The chief of the armament of the cavalry of the time, Wille, summoned the military Department to undertake finally "promptly" the creation of a new snap hook of cavalry. December 15, 1891, it addressed the following letter to the military department:
"On December 31, I addressed to the military Department a report and a request concerning the acquisition of a new snap hook of cavalry. The business was then submitted to the technical Commission of armament and one let me know that the president of this commission had received the order to imply me in the tests. Taking into account the fact that the introduction of a new weapon into the cavalry is necessary emergency, owing to the fact that, following various circumstances, the business did not progress since 2 Ŋ years, enlise, and that, if the business is not completed with greatest diligence, a rearmament of the cavalry will not be possible before 1893, I ask with insistence to give the order which the business is promptly treated by the commission to which it was entrusted."
It is however only on June 29, 1893 that a meeting of the technical Commission of armament took place. Were present: the lieutenant-colonel von Orelli, colonel von Mechel, professor Amsler-Laffon and lieutenant Konradi as clerk. Object of the debate: test of the model of snap hook presented by the chief of the armament of the cavalry. On the basis of test carried out with
various models (2 Neuhausen with rotary breech, 1 Mannlicher with rotary breech, 1 Mannlicher with rectilinear breech, 1 Vogelzang with rectilinear breech, 1 Krauser with rectilinear breech, 1 Mauser with rotary breech with the "Rubin modification"), the chief of the armament concludes from there that the system of rectilinear breech snap hook Mannlicher "corresponds in the most advantageous way to the requirements of the cavalry". Being given that the tests of shooting were carried out with only one (!) snap hook with rectilinear breech Mannlicher system, the commission required other tests with at least 10 specimens of the new model of snap hook. It asked the military Department to immediately order 10 snap hooks of tests in Neuhausen. If, at the time of the later tests, these snap hooks fulfilled the requirements, the delivery of the 4000 necessary specimens should be entrusted entirely to Industriegesellschaft in Neuhausen. The later tests took place after the delivery of the 10 required Mannlicher snap hooks. One proposed at the military Department, for his transmission with the federal Council, to introduce the system of Mannlicher snap hook with the improvements required by the Commission of armament for the cavalry.
March 1, 1895 the federal Council approved the Ordinance for the snap hook with Swiss repetition model 1893.
Characteristics
A portable firearms individual with the following innovations:
1. A short bolt in accordance with the Mannlicher system (it is 80 mm shorter than that of the repeating rifle model 1889) allowed correct use of the energy of the powder with a length of still acceptable barrel.
2. The bolt has the following operating features:
It comprises two plates of locking, which face symmetrically, placed all with before bolt, entering housing immediately behind the barrel. For the remainder, the bolt functions in a way similar to that of the repeating rifle model 1889.
3. A trigger, made up of a lever inter-support, in rotary position, of an ejector, a trigger guard and a strip, parts which all are encased in the lever inter-support, with the result that the part before this last is used to prevent a return of the bolt for the moment of the departure of the shot.
4. A safety of stop for the bolt, which is placed on the right, on the side of the box of breech and equipped with a nozzle of thrust, which enters the space of housing and limit thus the return of the bolt, but which is also intended, when the bolt is closed, to act on a notch of stop of this one and to thus prevent an accidental opening of the bolt following small shocks.
5. A device on the magazine, in order to dismount and to position back this one, made up of noses placed in front of and behind the magazine and of a rotary pawl placed on the handle-trigger guard, which acts on a notch of stop of the back nose of the store and can be released by means of a projecting button in the trigger guard.
Extract of the text of the Swiss patent n° 8593 of May 22, 1894.
Note:
The first snap hooks, carrying numbers 1-4250 were manufactured exclusively by Schweizerische Industriegesellschaft in Neuhausen, which also had the production taxes.
From the job number 4251 and 7750 the Snap hooks were manufactured by Eidgenössische Waffenfabrik of Bern.
For the weapons manufactured by Bern, in more of the punch on the box of breech S also appear the punch V used by the Vogelsang controller (of 1879 ā1912).
The classification of the weapons goes from 1ā 7750.
On the photographs of the weapon manufactured by Neuhausen P29 marking means that the weapon was given to the soldier at the end of his service, that is to say in this case in 1929, and for the weapon manufactured by Bern in 1919.
The replacement of the snap hook model 1893 started since 1906 with the snap hook model 1905, and then the two models were withdrawn with the profit of the snap hook model 1911.
Max.
Photos de "COLLECTIBLEFIREARMS" avec mes remerciements.
