All said i presume it was bound to happen.
The Henry, the Vetterli and what not.. repeaters i guess, but nothing like we´d consider "rifle performance" rifles.
Well.
The Kropatschek is.
This was the brainchild of Austrian artillery officer Alfred Ritter Von Kropatschek and the rifle became a mile stone in rifle development i´d say.
There´s like TONS to be had on Youtube n more so i won´t bore you to death on the generals of it.
Suffice it to say it truly broke ground. Sporting a tube mag, like the Winchesters and what not, carrying 8 in the tube, one on the lifter and in turn one in the chamber for a 10 total.
This in 8*60 Kropatschek.
The main force to use them was the Portuguese. The Kropatschek was to replace the Guedes, which it did. Where the Guedes was still "old school" single shot.
As this is a permit gun to me i looked long and hard for a NICE one, and kind of struck gold down in France.
Now.
This gun is excempt in France while under permit to me. Go figure, but that ment that i asked friends of a close by RFD handle the import to save me on that debacle.
So what we´re talking here is basically a modern day hunting "cylinder repeater". I guess part of the difference vs new stuff is that this piece was hand fitted and has had like 100yrs to be "run in".
Action of it is silk smooth. Really. It´s a cock on open, which of course means you´ll have to put a LITTLE effort into opening of the bolt but that done... daaaaaamn..
Uhu. Most of the blueing still intact, as well as the marking/approvals and what have you. History in short, and i´ve got all the intent to use this thing for our black powder nationals so go figure.
Sir Joseph Whitworth and his trio had already laid the ground and as 8mm caliber is smaller still than 45cal.. yep. Even faster twist. Rifling btw after a bit of clean, clean as a whistle. Shiny even.
What you need to keep in mind here is the era. Things evolved INSANELY fast and the Kropatschek while being an extremely important gun as far as rifle development as we see it today was dead in the water upon being put into the market.
Why?
This gun was made in 1886 and then revised at the earliest in the mid 1890´s as it carries the cutouts for a "heat shroud" on the stock that only the ones intended for colonial use did... but no matter cause what happened in 1886 made it obsolete before even hitting the market as the French launched the 8mm Lebel using "poudre B".
Smokeless.
That brings that the Kropatschek really IS the dying breath of the black powder era and black powder era guns. A relic if ever.
However...
We (as in humanity) had by now learned how to alloy steel and indeed the Kropatschek is made using nickel steel.. Due that the rifle stayed so to say and was indeed used with smokeless too!
Yep! She runs both way! Leaded and unleaded! To add insult to injury the thing even used jacketed boolits!
(which was sure in its infancy)
This made the Kropatschek a kind of unicorn in as much that it was used by armed forces all the way into the second world war.
No.
No, that´s NOT a misprint.
These days most shoot it using smokeless i guess, i do not. However, fouling gets boring why i mainly use duplex loads.
Huh?
Yes. This is black powder and smokeless mixed. No. Not to increase performance but the thing is that the smokeless burns/carries the blackpowder fouling, making for a blackpowder gun that you do NOT have to "patch" like every 4th shot.
Bring two cases (100rds) of ammo and go at it!
Delivery of it.. as it turned out that rather "grey´d" stock carried a crao load of dings. No way even CLOSE to on par with the metal n furniture of it.
So.
Steam time. Cecilias iron and wet towels... patience..
..it paid off. What can i say? Now i had a rifle not only clean (oven cleaner and oxalic acid) but "semi" ding free.. looking the part.
Yes. Cleaning rod on the left side of the gun, actually locking the entire front setup up. Barrel band and all.
"8mm.. new&improved" but GET THIS!! Takes almost 80 grains of powder and see.. this is a TALL lady, which renders that the stock 250grain bullet exits at plus 1700fps using black powder! Say WUT?!? Yep. Indeed. Flat shooting here we come!
The modified colonial guns intended for smokeless powder use got fresh sights. Get this.. marked for 2200 meters, and that´s pulling the "extra ladder" like 1/3 out! Whhoooop!
With flash, so you get a notion of the plunger/follower for the tube mag.
This... this is the mag cut off. It was thought at the time that mags were the devils playground..
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REAL happy with how this turned out. Have to say.
Uhu. Flag safety as on a Mauser. Now. The Kropatschek was first implemented in 45cal for the French marine forces so go figure who borrowed what from whom.
You know. Comparing this to guns like made a mere 20yrs earlier, it´s not even on the same map. Evolution at the time, what was the bees knees one month was old news the next. Insane times, for real.
SURELY there´s not ammo to be had tho right!?
Wrong.
I make ´em using the 348Win as parent casing. Then there´s dies to be had from LEE for the 8mm Lebel which is close enough as long as you don´t bottom the die out.. and in turn "correct" dies from RCBS and CH4 both.
The cartridge uses LOADS of "bullet protrusion" alright and can carry approx 80 grains of powder going at it using drop tube and what not.
So. For those of you into it, pick one up! You can still get spares on French Naturabuy as some ppl part them out..
REAL hoot to own, shoot, use and admire and it´ll spook the living crap outta "the modern" crowd, let me tell ya. Cause this thing HAULS when asked to!
