Vetterli Model 1881
Eidgenössische Waffenfabrik (Swiss Federal Arsenal) · Rifle · Out Of Production · 1881
Also known as: Repetiergewehr Modell 1881, Vetterli M1881, Vetterli Repetiergewehr M1881
Overview
The Vetterli Model 1881 is a Swiss bolt-action repeating rifle chambered in 10.4x38mm Swiss Rimfire and fed from a tubular magazine beneath the barrel. The final and most refined of the Swiss Vetterli service rifles, it incorporated more than two dozen improvements over the Model 1878, most notably an extending quadrant rear sight graduated out to 1,600 metres and a spare two-prong firing pin stored in the buttstock. Built at the Eidgenössische Waffenfabrik in Bern, it served as the standard Swiss infantry rifle until the introduction of the bolt-action Schmidt-Rubin.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 4600 g (162.3 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1326 mm (52.20") |
| Barrel Length | 840 mm (33.07") |
| Action Type | Bolt Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Internal Hammer |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Magazine Capacity | 12 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Tube |
| Muzzle Velocity | 435 m/s (1427 fps) |
| Effective Range | 400 m (437 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 1600 m (1750 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 4 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Walnut |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 10.4x38mm Swiss Rimfire · primary — also known as 10.4mm Vetterli, .41 Swiss, 10.4x38R Swiss
Features
- Firing modes: Repeating
- Feed systems: Tubular Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Half Cock
- Features: Tubular Magazine, Cartridge Elevator, Extending Quadrant Rear Sight, Bayonet Lug, Spare Firing Pin In Buttstock
Service history
Operators
- Swiss Armed Forces · adopted 1881 · as Repetiergewehr Modell 1881
Production
Estimated total produced: 37,000 · Production years: 1881-1887
Approximately 35,000-40,000 Model 1881 rifles produced at Waffenfabrik Bern.
Origin
Country of origin: Switzerland
Designer: Friedrich Vetterli
Discontinued: 1887
Notes
The Model 1881 retained the self-cocking bolt action and 12-round tubular magazine of earlier Vetterli rifles; with a round on the cartridge elevator the rifle could carry 13 cartridges total.
Background
The Vetterli series gave Switzerland one of the first bolt-action repeating rifles adopted as a general-issue infantry arm, predating the magazine rifles of most major powers. The Model 1881 represented the culmination of this lineage before the metallic-cartridge rimfire design was superseded by the smokeless-powder Schmidt-Rubin straight-pull rifles.