Product Description
Produced in 1904, this 96/11 infantry rifle is in excellent condition with 95% original finish. 5/5 Bore. 5/5 Stock. Stock and handguard matching serial numbers. Bolt matching serial number. Magazine matching serial number. Charging handle knob is chipped and cracked. Receiver finish, as well as both barrel bands are very dark with minimal finish wear. Very light edge wear on the trigger guard. Magazine has edge wear. Furniture has light handling marks seen throughout. There appears to be a letter "P" marked on the right side of the stock near the butt. Handguard and stock is dark at the front near the muzzle. Small dent on the top of the stock at the comb. Stamp in the comb of the stock next to the butt plate appears to read "ST. GALLEN". Receiver is P stamped. Includes leather sling. Discrete import engraving.
The 1896/11 rifle is a modernized version of the 1889 that was designed to handle the more powerful 7.5x55mm Swiss Gewehrpatrone 1911 (GP11) cartridge. GP11 has similar ballistic qualities to that of the 7.62x51mm NATO / .308 Winchester round. Other improvements were made in order to make the 1896/11 lighter and easier to handle, such as a new barrel and a 6 round capacity box magazine.