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waffenfabrik bern m81 rimfire ammo

15K views 26 replies 3 participants last post by  ccassity 
#1 ·
does anyone know where i can find some 10.4x38 (.41) Swiss Rimfire ammo for the waffenfabrik bern m.81? i'd say the gun is the model 1871 rifle.

if anyone needs further info on the gun feel free to ask and ill try to find what you need.


thanks in advance!
 

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#2 ·
nice vetterli.

ammo is hard to find, but out there.

I have quite a few of those.. bayo's are a bit hard to find too sometimes.

I have had luck over the years finding ammo however.

You can also mod the bolt and firing pin for a centerfire conversion.

involves filing the tips of the U fire pin, drilling a central hole in the bolt, and welding a firing pin tip to the original.

might even find a spare old bolt to do it with.. etc.

along with the carcano conversions, I also have a shotgun conversion as well.
 
#3 ·
i'm away from my books.. but here is a blurb from wiki:

Repetiergewehr and -stutzer Vetterli, Modell 1878 and 1881[edit]
Repetiergewehr and -stutzer Vetterli, Modell 1878 and 1881
Production history
Manufacturer W+F Bern
Number built 114,000 (rifle),
c. 11,000 (stutzer)
Specifications
Weight c. 4700 g
Length 1325 mm
Barrel length 843 mm
Feed system 12-round tubular magazine
To accelerate the sluggish production of the Vetterli rifles, the federal authorities built a new arms factory in Berne, the Eidgenössische Waffenfabrik (W+F), in 1875. That factory produced the 1878 variant of the Vetterli rifle. Its some 25 improvements included a new bayonet and lug, improved sights and a finger hook on the trigger cover. An Stutzer variant with a Stecher action, but otherwise identical to the rifle, was also produced
 
#4 ·
we had considered doing a centerfire mod a few years back but never really made a decision of whether to do so or not.
there's a shotgun convirsion? is it an insert that you can put in a centerfire modded one? i know that some 12 gauge shotguns are able to accept inserts to shoot things like 9mm or 30.06 ammo.
 
#7 ·
i've found all my rimfire at gunshows. all but 2 of them looked vintage. 2 of them look like newer production. there was an outfit making them years back.. but no longer do.

off the top of my head I forget what gauge the bbl is.. but I believe it was euro chambers ( short).

a while back i picked up a drilling that also had short chanbers and 8x57ir

got lucky finding botht he short shells and rifle brass for it locally ( close to local anyway.
 
#8 ·
so the ammo is out there but its mostly luck to find it in any quantity. and i would say the centerfire variant would be somewhat easier to find, but 41 cal is a BIG caliber for any gun.

if i were to do a conversion to a similar rifle caliber, what would you recommend?
 
#10 ·
no, we've had this gun forever. if i were to do a conversion i would consider getting another gun entirely now that i think about it. it's too cool of a gun to mess with too much.
a centerfire conversion would be about the only thing i would do to this one in particular gun

the ammo is the main concern tho, would it even be worth it to make it centerfire if 41 cal centerfire is still hard to find (as far as i know) in a size that will fit safely.
 
#16 ·
them $$ ones are old rimfire. UMC probably.

At shows I typically pay 10-15. have seen them for 20$ a piece. by the time you pay shipping on them.. it's too much money many times to order online. finding at shows has been my best economy.
 
#17 ·
those are the 10.3X60R from buffalo arms right?
the .348 will fit without machining the receiver tho right?
and just for clarification, when you say to shave it down .002 you're referring to the brass right?

on the vetchart.jpg pic, the far right brass looks like it swelled a bit after it was fired (if it was). is that just how it goes or can that be fixed with an insert or something?
 
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