Steyr M.95 "S-Gewehr" with a front sight protector

HerrWolfsberg

HerrWolfsberg

Member
A recent purchase of mine - a Steyr M.95 "S-Gewehr" in calibre 8x56 R with a front sight protector.

Based on the acceptance stamp, it has been converted in 1936. That would make it a pretty late conversion for the Bundesheer, but too early a conversion for the Sicherheitswache or Frontmiliz, which were supposed to start getting their rifles converted from 1937 on. Also, it looks like it has been renumbered during the conversion - there seems to be a ghost of an earlier serial number under the current one.

There is a cyrillic stamp in front of the pistol grip that points towards the rifle having been delivered to Bulgaria post-1938, but other than that there are no pointers decipherable for me regarding the history of the gun.

Four questions:

1) could it be a very late conversion for the Bundesheer or is the info on the conversions for the Sicherheitswache and Frontmiliz starting only in 1937 wrong?
2) what does the "VDI" stamp on the barrel signify? I've never encountered that one.
3) what does the "VII GS" stamp on the stock signify?
4) what does the T-shaped stamp on the stock next to the barrel shank signify? Is it a Bulgarian one?
 

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Those M95 rifles with those sight hoods are neat! I need to add a M95 to my collection one of these days.
 
I have always heard these long rifle conversions were not for the Bundesheer, but police and other sorts of units.

VDI - barrel maker maybe
VII GS - Unit mark? Grenzschutz? Grenzschutz-Abschnittskommando VII?
 
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I don't think the Cyrillic 'D' stamp on the wrist is Bulgarian. It looks like that rifle spent some time in Serbia, where it was marked. That stamp appears on a lot of foreign made rifles used by the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, and I have a few with the same stamp.
 
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The piece was reworked to 8x56R and Army proofed in 1936(under it is older Wn stamp), i would personally tend too to police or Frontmiliz weapon, question remains the VDI as i believe this was done on postwar reseller similar to Hege and the new caliber designation, the barell is old as have imperial army eagle proof on right side, i assume the buttstock is force matched to the piece as it looks there was other serial under ended with I letter? so the D could be for yugoslavian even they never used the new caliber prior 1941 but converted it to 8x57IS? question too remains the VII GS it could be teoretically the Grenzschutz, but when i am correct on bayonets they used different designation.
Any buttplate marking?
Other point what is the marking in front of konical part of barell, between serial 60A and end of sights, near end of T stamp on buttstock in that area. I assume its a postwar germany fireproof similar to that in front of 571 for reinspection.
I assume the 60A was a new serial as on receiver is too a T suffix of remained older serial number.
 
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RyanE said:
I have always heard these long rifle conversions were not for the Bundesheer, but police and other sorts of units.

VDI - barrel maker maybe
VII GS - Unit mark? Grenzschutz? Grenzschutz-Abschnittskommando VII?
Click to expand...
The barrel is an original one that has been rechambered. The VDI must be something else.

The Grenzschutz theory sounds plausible, but I don't know the organisation of the Grenzschutz enough.

Pat said:
I don't think the Cyrillic 'D' stamp on the wrist is Bulgarian. It looks like that rifle spent some time in Serbia, where it was marked. That stamp appears on a lot of foreign made rifles used by the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, and I have a few with the same stamp.
Click to expand...
Were there some rifles sold back from Yugoslavia in the 1930's?

AndyB said:
The piece was reworked to 8x56R and Army proofed in 1936(under it is older Wn stamp), i would personally tend too to police or Frontmiliz weapon, question remains the VDI as i believe this was done on postwar reseller similar to Hege and the new caliber designation, the barell is old as have imperial army eagle proof on right side, i assume the buttstock is force matched to the piece as it looks there was other serial under ended with I letter? so the D could be for yugoslavian even they never used the new caliber prior 1941 but converted it to 8x57IS? question too remains the VII GS it could be teoretically the Grenzschutz, but when i am correct on bayonets they used different designation.
Any buttplate marking?
Other point what is the marking in front of konical part of barell, between serial 60A and end of sights, near end of T stamp on buttstock in that area. I assume its a postwar germany fireproof similar to that in front of 571 for reinspection.
I assume the 60A was a new serial as on receiver is too a T suffix of remained older serial number.
Click to expand...
The VDI stamp seems to be older than the postwar calibre and importer stamps.

The stamp on the barrel shank is a postwar eagle N firing proof.
 
VDI could be early postwar marking but is not typical for austria, even all is possible. It could be the last I is remains of P or R letter? Question is that D on butt could be added by yugoslavians even postwar, the rifle when used by Grenzschutz could end teoretically postwar in Yugoslavia when area of border equipment units, there is no signs of sale or refurbishment in or to Bulgaria.
Any buttplate marking?
From 1938 inventory list there was a majority of M1895 rifles by Frontmiliz was in origin caliber 8x50R not converted, so this rifle was probably changed mostly for Bundesheer or Police in 1936.
 
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Were they using the D stamp post 1945? That would have explained a lot.

Regarding the buttplate stamping, no luck - nothing there. 🙁
 
I believe the yugoslavians got a large number of equipment post 1945 mostly german but could be even austrians when long border with Slowenia, the using of various cyrilic letter proofs could be real there stamped, prewar in 1938 started the refurbishment in Yugoslavia from M95 to M95M even, so questionable for me that they would sale back rifles M95 to Austria. But exception could ocurre.
 
The rifle is still in calibre 8x56 R. The M95M rifles were converted in the interwar period and I am not aware of any sales of M.95 rifles from Austria/Germany to Yugoslavia after the Anschluss. But if it really was a Grenzschutz rifle after the Anschluss, it might have been captured by the Yugoslav forces in 1945 and marked accordingly.
 
I've seen that and a couple other Cyrillic letters in the same spot on some various, non-Yugoslavian weapons. I have a M.1890 Mannlicher Extra Corps Gewehr that has the Cyrillic 'D' in the same spot, but it also has a WWII German depot stamp on it (Wels), likely meaning that the 'D' antedates the depot stamp. I don't know if any 8X56R converted rifles were sold to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, but AndyB's theory that this one went there post-Anschluss is certainly possible. It might be that they were trying to source M.95's for conversion to M.95M and M.95/24 like he mentioned.
 
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I knew I'd seen the 'VDF' stamp somewhere before...I have it on one of my 31M rifles.

I've included some pics of other Cyrillic 'D' stamps on other rifles, some on the receivers. There's also a 'y' stamp on the wrist of one of my M.95's, which is also marked with a Wels depot stamp.
 

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Pat said:
I knew I'd seen the 'VDF' stamp somewhere before...I have it on one of my 31m rifles.

I've included some pics of other Cyrillic 'D' stamps on other rifles, some on the receivers. There's also a 'y' stamp on the wrist of one of my M.95's, which is also marked with a Wels depot stamp.
Click to expand...
The cyrillic D on your Wels-stamped M.95 looks to be much more recent than the W stamp. I am more and more inclined to believe that the D stamp might be postwar.
 
VDF in box could be teoretically for Vaterlaendisches Front, normally it was stamped VF but this would be strange coincidence, even here is one strange piece which is hungarian M95/31 but some movement between the Hungary and Austria could exist. Which would be arms of Freiwilliges Schutzkorpes later changed to Frontmiliz.
Cyrilic D could be a depot marking of Yugoslavia. I believe on first rifle is VDF in box and not VDI.
 
Yes, it definitely must be VDF now that I see it. But I would tend more towards it being a stamp of the company that performed the transformation.
 
VDF is old as inside is still visible the blueing, to contrary of the other postwar 70ies proof stamps by reseller. teoretically it could be early postwar stamp used by firm that owned it even here austrian long M95/30 and hungarian M95/31,but i dont believe its refurbishment firm to 8x56R caliber.
 
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The Austrian Army never adopted the S conversion of the M.1895 rifle. They though outcarried the conversion to 8x56R caliber on behalf of the Austrian Police. The front sight hood is the correct type front sight hood for Police.

Upon closer check it seems as if the receiver was matched to the serial of the barrel. That late in the interwar period they most often used newly made barrels instead of chamber conversion; however, this does apply to the Stutzenkarabiner and not to the rifle, at least as far as I remember right now. I suppose they found some serviceable parts and matched them together.

Personally I don't think the VDI and the non usual stock stamps are Austrian. It is quite likely this gun saw post war usage post WWII abroad since I am very certain that post WWII the Police would had refinished the rifle, as well as would had added the LGK markings as ownership markings.
 
Absolut said:
The Austrian Army never adopted the S conversion of the M.1895 rifle. They though outcarried the conversion to 8x56R caliber on behalf of the Austrian Police. The front sight hood is the correct type front sight hood for Police.

Upon closer check it seems as if the receiver was matched to the serial of the barrel. That late in the interwar period they most often used newly made barrels instead of chamber conversion; however, this does apply to the Stutzenkarabiner and not to the rifle, at least as far as I remember right now. I suppose they found some serviceable parts and matched them together.

Personally I don't think the VDI and the non usual stock stamps are Austrian. It is quite likely this gun saw post war usage post WWII abroad since I am very certain that post WWII the Police would had refinished the rifle, as well as would had added the LGK markings as ownership markings.
Click to expand...

The new book by Stefan Schuy mentions that there were some M.95 long rifles being converted to the S-ammo early on. But I've never seen any in the period photos, and I've seen quite a lot of period photos both in my own collection and elsewhere. But that applies also to the Gendarmerie. The only force where I've seen the long M.95 rifles in the 1930's was the Sicherheitswache, more precisely the Alarmabteilungen. The question is, are the SW marked M.95 rifles known to be in existence? Also, the literature generally mentions that the conversions for the Sicherheitswache have started only in 1937, which would make this gun to be too early for that.

Regarding the front sight hood, these can be seen on the Stutzenkarabiners of the Bundesheer in the 1920's.

Regarding the VDF stamps, is there some theory as to the possible user of this stamp? The only user of this abbreviation post-war seems to be the Venda Defence Force, a paramilitary force of the Republic of Venda, a Bantustan in South Africa established in 1979.
 
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