Carabina de Artilharia 8 mm m/1886/91
Österreichische Waffenfabriks-Gesellschaft (OEWG, Steyr) · Carbine · Out Of Production · 1891
Also known as: Kropatschek Artillery Carbine m/1886/91, Portuguese Kropatschek Artillery Carbine, Mosqueton de Artilharia m/1886/91
Overview
The Carabina de Artilharia 8 mm m/1886/91 is the artillery-carbine version of the Austrian-designed Kropatschek m/1886 bolt-action repeater adopted by Portugal, chambered for the 8x60mmR Portuguese (8mm Guedes) cartridge and built by Österreichische Waffenfabriks-Gesellschaft (OEWG) at Steyr. Like the other short Kropatschek variants, it takes the standard m/1886 infantry rifle and shortens it into a handier weapon for gun crews and support troops who did not need a full-length rifle, retaining the distinctive Kropatschek tubular magazine running through the forestock and a magazine cutoff so the reserve could be held back and the carbine single-loaded. The '/91' in its designation marks its 1891 pattern within the Portuguese Kropatschek family, which by then had spread across infantry, cavalry, caçadores, treasury-guard and artillery service.
Specifications
| Action Type | Bolt Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Striker Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Type | Tube |
| Effective Range | 400 m (437 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 4 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 8x60mmR Portuguese · primary — also known as 8mm Guedes, 8x60mmR Guedes, 8mm Portuguese Kropatschek, 8x56mmR Kropatschek
Features
- Firing modes: Repeating
- Feed systems: Tubular Magazine, Single Round Loading
- Safety mechanisms: Magazine Cutoff, Half Cock Notch
- Features: Shortened Carbine Barrel, Tubular Magazine In Forestock, Reduced Capacity Magazine, Turned Down Bolt Handle, Magazine Cutoff, Ramp And Leaf Rear Sight, Blade Front Sight, Sling Swivels
Base model
Service history
Operators
- Portuguese Artillery · adopted 1891
Conflicts
- Portuguese Colonial Campaigns (1891-1926)
Production
Production years: 1886-1898
Part of the Portuguese Kropatschek m/1886 family produced by OEWG Steyr in Austria; roughly 49,000 infantry rifles plus smaller runs of short rifles and carbines were acquired, but a separate production total for the artillery carbine pattern is not documented.
Origin
Country of origin: Austria
Designer: Alfred von Kropatschek
Discontinued: 1898
Notes
Carbine-specific barrel length, overall length and empty weight for the artillery pattern were not confirmed against a primary source at time of writing and are left null rather than estimated. Magazine capacity for this specific variant is likewise unconfirmed and left null; the related cavalry carbine used a reduced five-round tube against the infantry rifle's eight. The 400 m effective range and 535 m/s cartridge velocity are family-level figures for the 8mm Portuguese Kropatschek round.
Background
Portugal fielded one of the widest families of a single rifle pattern of its era, breaking the Kropatschek m/1886 into distinct infantry, caçadores, cavalry, treasury-guard, colonial and artillery models — the artillery carbine, marked m/1886/91, being the last of the line to be adopted.