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  • mrmike08075
    I do not have one - any only have one gun that had a dust cover...

    But I did know about it.

    Thanks for the link.

    Mike
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  • mrmike08075
    EXCEPTIONALLY RARE SPANDAU-MADE EXPERIMENTAL SCHLEGELMILCH M1896 SMALL BORE TRIALS RIFLE WITH FULLY SHROUDED ACTION...

    Louis Schlegemilch

    Louis Schlegemilch had been one of the contributors to the Gewehr 1888 and when the German military decided to replace it, Schlegemilch was there with a design he hoped would win. His model 1896 rifle was a two lug bolt action design with a number of clever machining details, and a distinctive massive shroud covering the bolt. The rifle was chambered for the 6x58mm cartridge and was tested from 1896 to 1898 against Paul Mauser?s best design. Schlegemilch ended up losing the trials, and aside form a few rifles made for the hunting use of German aristocracy, the design never saw further production.


    Cartridges of the World, 6th edition, lists both the 6 x 58 Forster (in two versions, one rimless, the other a 6 x 58R), and the 6 x 57 Mauser, which was apparently the 6.5 x 57 necked down to 6mm.

    This of course means that it was originally based on the 7 x 57, and in fact except for shoulder angle the 6 x 57 is nearly identical to the modern .244 Remington, based on the .257 Roberts (again, a necked-down 7 x 57).

    Introduced around 1895, catalogs of the time list the 6 x 57 in two bullet weights, a 120-gr. softpoint and a 123-gr. hollow point. Barnes estimates that MV was probably around 2,600 F/S, based on the likely powders available at the time.

    I suspect that this is in fact the cartridge this rifle was chambered for, rather than the 6 x 58 Forster. Mauser would have developed such a cartridge ?in-house? for military trials, and Barnes states that the Forster 6mms were not introduced until c. 1904, a decade late for the German army trials.

    As for the rifle itself, I note that the Arisaka Type 99 ?substitute? rifle introduced in 1943 had the bolt locking into the barrel as on this rifle, rather than into the receiver. In the Arisaka?s case, this allowed the use of wrought iron or even cast iron rather than high-strength steel in the receiver, as it did not have withstand pressure, just hold the bolt and barrel in proper alignment with each other.

    In terms of overall action, the Mauser Model 66 sporting rifle seems strangely similar to this one;

    https://revivaler.com/the-mauser-66/

    In fact, if you look closely at the photos of the open action, the only major difference seems to be having the bolt handle at the front of the bolt rather than at the rear.

    The similarities are even more marked when you look at the owner?s manual;

    https://revivaler.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Modell_66.pdf

    Note the method of detaching and changing barrels on this multi-caliber rifle. Also note that one of its four bolt-head sizes, 1st Group, 12.2mm, is correct for any of the 7 x 57 casehead-sized cartridges, which would include the 6 x 57.

    I have a sneaking suspicion that when Mauser introduced the Model 66 in 1966, they didn?t do a great deal of ?original? R&D in developing it. I also suspect there was at least one Schlegemilch Model 1896, or at least the patent diagrams of same, in their design division at the time.


    Serial number 14 was presented for inspection and cleaning and stabilization and forensic documentation...

    6x58mm center fire metallic cases smallbore experimental military ammunition

    he Schlegelmilch M1896 experimental rifle was made for German Army (GPK) Small Bore Trials of 1896 ? 98, using an experimental 6x58mm high velocity cartridge (which was later commercialized as the 6 mm F?rster, DWM case 489).

    This rifle bears SN ?14? on the bbl, breech cover, bolt, safety and upper & lower bbl bands.

    There are no military or commercial marks of any kind on the wood or metal surfaces of this rifle, except for the SN. No proofs or witness marks or inspectors marks or acceptance marks or COO testimonial or crests...

    The mechanism is a unique shrouded turn bolt with a twin frontal lug design by Louis Schlegelmilch, then chief armorer at Spandau Arsenal, with a quick stripping feature allowing the entire action and barrel to be readily lifted together out of the stock.

    The rear sight is the Lange sight which was later adopted for the German Gewehr 98 service rifle. The Lange pattern sight that was used for the Schlegelmilch rifle has a minimum setting of 300 meters, which has been blocked so it cannot be set less than 400 meters.

    PROVENANCE: Ex Visser collection. Collection of Dr. Geoffrey Ayurveda.

    CONDITION: Metal finish is very high quality with approx 95% bluing. The bolt is in the white and is in excellent condition. Stock & handguard wood is walnut and has many dents, dings & compressions which are consistent with heavy use for ballistic trials. Bore & crown appear strong; bore is bright. Mechanics are excellent, somewhat stiff from storage & heavy grease.
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  • 35 Whelen
    Thanks for posting that, Mike. It never ceases to amaze me what I don't know about firearms, especially such rarities as that, and that time period.
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  • mrmike08075
    Again this is one that escaped me - I never owned one or shot one or even had the opportunity to handle one...

    I had seen it in reference books and new that a number of features and design elements had been used on other later guns or had come from other easier attempts...

    The cartridge had quite a developmental legacy.

    All of this stemmed from the introduction of the French 1886 lebel infantry rifle and the 8mm level ball D cartridge

    The first self contained metallic cases integrally center primed small bore magazine fed bolt action repeating infantry rifle to utilize modern smokeless powder - tube fed with a magazine cut off...

    It borrowed from several guns before it but it was the first to put everything together successfully and into production - it changed the world overnight and rendered every other infantry rifle obsolete...

    But I figured gathering some data and placing it here would provide a good lesson for us.

    Mike
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  • Mr. Perfect
    Many cool design features on this one. Thanks for posting.
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  • allen griggs
    Great video thanks for posting. Never heard of the Schlegemilch. It was at the trials in 1896.

    But I have two Swedish Mausers made in 1898. Further, these were approved for the Swedish Army in 1896.
    I heard that the Krauts were considering the 6.5 mm for their new rifle but settled on the 7.92 instead.
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  • TooBig
    In the Spanish -American war the 7mm Mauser kicked our butts but they really surrendered before the war started
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