A History of Drill and Training Rifles Part 18

Steyr M. 95 Drill Rifle

The Steyr rifles were the primary rifle of Austrian-Hungary during WWI and they were also used by Bulgaria and Greece. Rifles surrendered to Italy after WWI were used by Italy during WWII. The work done on this drill rifle appears to have been an arsenal conversion. There is a large well finished slot in chamber area of the barrel. This is really the only visual way of identifying that the rifle has been altered. It is uncertain if the bolt has been altered in any way. Due to the design of the action it is very unlikely that the firing pin has been removed. In all probability all that was altered was to remove the tip of the firing pin. There are no marks to identify when or where this work was done. These rifles have been on the surplus market since WWII so the work could have been done anywhere in the world. I doubt that anyone would have used this approach to produce drill rifles for the civilian market. If I were to guess, I would likely identify it with the Italian military.

Unidentified

This drill rifle is a very close replica of the 1903 Springfield. Although it has no moving parts, the receiver and bolt are more like the Springfield than any other replica that I have seen to date. It has all of the features of the Springfield and they appear to be the appropriate size and in the correct location. All of the metal parts are made of cast iron and they have not been polished to a smooth finish. The stock appears to be made of pine and stained to look like walnut. It is unfortunate that it has no identifying marks.

From the paper, Non-Firing Drill and Training Rifles, by By Malcolm MacPherson

The next installment: Bayonet Fencing Rifles