Swiss Army Rifles - The Vetterli rifles
- Thomas Anderson
- 22 hours ago
- 3 min read
Often overlooked by collectors, Vetterli rifles are a large and diverse family of firearms with a unique history. In this article, we take a look at the different models.
It is important to note that what are commonly referred to as “Vetterli rifles” were actually designed by Friedrich Vetterli, director of the young private company SIG in Neuhausen, Switzerland. SIG initially manufactured tools for the railway industry, which was booming in Switzerland in the 1860s. Friedrich Vetterli joined the company in 1864 and set about manufacturing rifles, as the factory already had some of the necessary machine tools.
At the same time, the Swiss army was looking to replace its single-shot percussion rifles with something more modern and turned to Winchester, whose Model 1860 had been used in small quantities during the American Civil War (1861-1865). The Swiss were interested in the 1866 model: a carbine with a tubular magazine and a rimfire metallic cartridge.
But Winchester was unable to supply the Swiss army quickly, especially as the weapon had to be adapted to the Swiss caliber of .41. Friedrich Vetterli took advantage of the situation to offer his rifle, which had the same qualities as the Winchester: a tubular magazine and a rimfire metal cartridge. Better still, Vetterli's weapon was operated with a breechblock rather than a lever under the trigger guard, making it easier to fire from a prone position. For the Swiss army, it was also a good compromise because the weapon was manufactured domestically.
The first model officially adopted was the M1869, which came just in time when the Franco-Prussian War broke out in 1870 and Switzerland had to defend its borders. The M1869 immediately stood out thanks to its cut-off and breech cover. Both features were quickly removed from later versions, the M1869/71. Some M1869s were brought up to the 1871 standard, and the receiver still has the cut-off notches. The M1869 or 69/71 equipped the infantry, but the carabiniers did not yet have their own weapon and were equipped with Peabody M1867s, purchased while waiting for something better.
Swiss ‘carabiniers’ will be equipped with the Stutzer M1871, immediately recognizable by its Stecher trigger. The butt plate is highly contoured. The barrel has only one sling swivel.
Cavalrymen will not be forgotten, as they will be equipped with the M1871 carbine, whose nose-cap does not allow a bayonet to be attached. These cavalry carbines were produced in fairly small quantities and a few counterfeits exist. In addition, they evolved into the M1878, with only minor differences.
Finally, police officers, forest rangers, and border guards also received carbines or short rifles, thus diversifying the number of weapon models in the “Vetterli family.”
Returning to the Gewehr and Stutzer, the weapons underwent various modifications in 1878 and 1881. The modifications mainly concerned simplifying the manufacturing process, attaching the barrel with a single sling swivel ring (barrel band), and improving the rear sight, which was redesigned by Rudolf Schmidt.
Despite a design that was quite innovative for its time, SIG was unable to sell its rifles abroad. However, Italy adopted Vetterli's rifle, but in a single-shot version chambered for a cartridge specific to the Italian army (10.35x47R). The Italians developed a whole new family of rifles, some examples of which are shown below.
The Italian army went so far as to convert its M1887 rifles to 6.5x52 Carcano during World War I, with the aim of supplying rear troops with weapons and freeing up Carcano M1891 rifles for frontline troops.
Finally, we should mention this intriguing Beretta-Gardone Modello 1934 in .22lr, which is probably the ultimate evolution of what is known as the Vetterli rifle family.
All the history, variants, bayonet and accessories will be detailed in upcoming book:
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