Carabina de Cavalaria 8 mm m/1886

About the Carabina de Cavalaria 8 mm m/1886

The Carabina de Cavalaria 8 mm m/1886 is the Portuguese cavalry-carbine version of the Austrian-designed Kropatschek m/1886 bolt-action repeater, chambered for the 8x60mmR Portuguese (8mm Guedes) cartridge and built by Österreichische Waffenfabriks-Gesellschaft (OEWG) at Steyr. Derived from the m/1886 infantry rifle, it shortens the weapon for mounted troops: a stubbier forestock stocked almost to the muzzle, a single barrel band, a bolt handle turned down to nearly vertical to sit flat against a saddle scabbard, and a reduced five-round Kropatschek-pattern tubular magazine running through the forend instead of the rifle's eight. A magazine cutoff let the trooper keep the tube in reserve and single-load. Roughly 4,000 carbines were made, and many were later reissued to the Portuguese police, at which point a side-mounted bayonet lug was added behind the nose cap.

When Portugal's cavalry carbines were eventually handed down to the police, armourers discovered the short carbine forend had no bayonet lug — so one was simply added on after the fact, bolting a blade fitting to the side of the barrel behind the nose cap.

Carabina de Cavalaria 8 mm m/1886 specifications

Carbine barrel length, overall length and empty weight were not confirmed against a primary source at time of writing and are left null rather than estimated. The reduced magazine holds five rounds versus eight in the infantry rifle. The original carbine forend lacked a bayonet lug; one was fitted in Portugal when the carbines passed from cavalry to police service.