A few things…
First, I received the first 100 rounds of 7.65mm Mannlicher ammo yesterday – Argentine surplus. It looks really good, and I’m really looking forward to trying it out at the range in a week or so! The common knowledge with this ammo is that it has pretty hard primers, although I’m not sure if the issue is really that or a lot of surviving 1905 pistols having weak hammer springs. Guess I’ll find out…my pistol seems to be in very good shape overall.
I was able to find stripper clips at Sarco, and they are in quite good condition. They fit the pistol’s clip guide just right, and they appear to feed pretty well too. Often loading pistols like this (or the Steyr 1912, C96 Mauser, etc) with clips is a difficult process to do smoothly and quickly, but it looks like that won’t be a problem for this Steyr 1905.
Second, we have a reader friend of the site who recently picked up a Winchester-Hotchkiss bolt action rifle (third model). He’s looking for instructions for disassembling the bolt, and I haven’t been able to find anything along the lines of a manual or schematic. Any chance someone out there has one they might share?
I belive that the old Brownell book, have a discription of the ansambly of the hotchkiss rifles
Good luck Ian of feeding your pistol with the ten round stripper clips.
I had a batch of ten round stripper clips for my 9mm C96 Broom-handled Mauser.
When I put the loaded stripper clip into the guide and forced down the bullets… most separated from the operation.
Needless to say I was very disappointed.
I do not know the origin of the clips but I do remember I purchased them from a mail order source shortly after all those Chinese Broom-handles appeared on the market. Guess that was some 20 odd years ago.
Again, good luck with yours.
And I’m still looking for functional strippers for my Broom-handle.
Happy New Year all.
That pistol was a reliable and good looking weapon. It has a big full flap holster that seems to be at ever gun show yet few know what pistol it is for. Yes the clips work very well. Remember self loading pistols were less than 10 years old when this was new. The gun writer Bob Scihmik(I AM SURE I MISPELLED HIS NAME SORRY) of the 1980s had an affection for that weapon; older surplus weapons books by Guns & Ammo will have his review as well as technical information.
The form of this weapon was popular so much so it was copied in Spain but in .32ACP. with a detachable box magazine. It was made by Star. These were emergence.y by France in two models. One full sized 9 shot model was issued and a smaller 7 shot model was called the “officers model” was also issued. They were generally better than the Ruby pistols and were popular and considered reliable.
“It was made by Star”
Early STAR pistols are described here: http://www.star-firearms.com/firearms/guns/pre1920/index.shtml
that source states that:
STAR No. 2 is a copy of Mannlicher but is hammerless and have removable box magazine.
STAR 1906 is scaled down, pocket version of No. 2. Externally it was altered to more typical for us design.
STAR 1908 is slightly scaled up version of 1906.
“These were emergence.y by France in two models.”
You’re thinking about Star Model 1914 pistol.
Note: By modern standards the 10-shot capacity is mediocre capacity, but when you compare 10-shot Mannlicher to 6-shot revolver it is a sort of early 20-century big capacity firearm.
On the Winchester Hotchkiss, to remove the bolt, retract
it to where the top rib on the bolt just clears the receiver.
The bolt handle will be about even with the back of the receiver top.
Turn the cocking knob clockwise 90 degrees. This will release the
bolt head and allow the bolt body to be removed. The bolt head is
removed from the ejection port side.
If you want to disassemble the bolt body/firing pin, remove the small
set screw from the right side of the cocking piece. Note the position
of the timing mark on the back of the firing pin visible in the center of
the cocking knob. The firing pin can now be unthreaded from the cocking
piece and removed along with the firing pin spring.
Thanks!
On the Winchester Hochkiss rifle the disassembly instructions are absolutely great, good work to OWNEROUS.
Ian here is an offer that I think will get you up to PHEONIX. I have in my grubby little hands the following rifles for your perusal and possible inclusion in the “FORGOTTEN GUNS board:
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The clips in the picture look very similar to the clips for the Steyr-Hahn Model 1912, are they interchangeable?
Take a look at both clips again and that alone would answer your question. First of all, the Mannlicher 1905 clip is ARCHED, while Steyr-Hahn clip is STRAIGHT. Then, the Mannlicher takes 10 smaller cartridges while Steyr has 8, or larger diameter. I don’t have a Mannlicher clip for comparison, but would be amazed if they were interchangeable – meaning they would operate in both of these guns. The 7,63 Mannlicher has nothing in common with the 7,63 Mauser, it is a 7.63×21, very light taper, almost straight-case with a rim diameter of 8.75 mm. The 9×23 Steyr has a rim diameter of 9.75 mm – a whole milimeter wider, so the 7.63×21 would in all probability fall off the Steyr clip, while 9x23s would fit too tight in a Mannlicher clip. If the Mannlicher would fire the 7.63×25 Mausers (itself stemming from 7.65×25 Borchardt, also copied by Mannlicher for his M1901 pistol-carbine, and then copied by the Soviets as their 7.62×25 Tokarev) then the clips would have been interchangeable: I shot mine 1917 M.12 Steyr exclusively with the Czech 1950s strippers manufactured for 7.62×25 Tokarev Czech SMG ammo, husbanding the only G.Roth made 9×23 stripper I had for show.
Winchester-Hotchkiss is also known as Model 1883. Scribd.com has a ref document, but you have to be a member to read it I n ful or download it.
http://milpas.cc/rifles/ZFiles/Bolt%20Action%20Rifles/Winchester%20U.S.%20Hotchkiss/Winchester%20U.S.%20Hotchkiss.htm Some pics of various models.
Does that Winchester Hotchkiss also lock via a single large lug which doubles as the bolt handle like the Remington-Keene out of interest, cheaper doing that maybe that’s why they took off.
Ian,
Yes,a heavy lug on the right side of the bolt that’s also the base of the bolt handle. Definitely makes the receiver easier to machine than the internal broached lug ways required by a Mauser type action. Plenty adequate for a black powder cartridge.
I was going to suggest taking a look at the milpas.cc website, but Richard Brown beat me to it. There are some pretty good cutaway illustrations of the Winchester-Hotchkiss rifle as well as a drawing showing the breakdown of individual working parts, which might help with disassembly and reassembly, as well as some really interesting information on the various sub-types.