Small Arms of WWI Primer 130: Dutch 1895 Carbines
Comments (9)
Thank you! I have a model 5 dutch carbine, and I was getting nowhere trying to figure out what it was.
The bayonet theory makes the most sense out of the goofy top handguard on the 3/5/4.876 what ever it is...
The Dutch ammo is 6.5x53.5R, did you find a source or have a batch made?
It can be made from .303 Brit or 7.62 TR [Tsarist Russian, aka 7.62x54mmR, which is too dang long to write for the oldest cartridge still in standard issue...] brass, so ez pz to have some rolled up custom given the availability of brass for those other, more popular rounds...
How does the recoil compare to the 2 main Universal Short Rifles, the SMLE and the Springfield 1903/06?
Doing a quick visit to Wikipedia, I get ~ 2800J for the standard 159gr roundnose bobo @ 2400fps [yeah, I know, mixed units: suck it!] vs. 3400J for .303 Brit and 3800J for standard M2 ball [150gr @ 2800fps] so, recoil would be quite pleasant vs. either of the other two in the same long rifle (heavy), and perhaps comparable recoil in the lighter carbines vs. the SMLE or Garand. In all, I'd rather shoot the 6.5 Swede in the 139gr spitzer load for the best overall combo of flat shooting w/ reasonable recoil. In a perfect world, I'd be able to get a replacement barrel for my M1 in 6.5 Swede, and never have to shoot anything else again, having one rifle for all occasions! [NB, I already have a Schuster gas plug... ;-) ]
Having lived my entire life in the Netherlands, it was interesting to note that just looking at the faces of the soldiers I could tell they were dutch.
I know it's not germane to the timeline of this era but I've got to wonder what it would be like to be holding one of these carbines while watching the approach of the German blitzkrieg. as
I remember a ted talk from a Dutch general where he spoke of his father during the second world war. https://youtu.be/LjAsM1vAhW0