Anyone else a Vetterli fan? Such a very interesting action that was a major player in the bolt-action world prior to the advent of the Mauser 98.

I used to have a Swiss 71, a Italian Vitali and a Vetterli-Mannlicher. Got into newer guns and now I'm looking at going back. Prices have gone up but are still certainly reasonable. Love the smell of pyrodex when shooting the CF converted Swiss rifles....such great guns.

Quoted: Anyone else a Vetterli fan? Such a very interesting action that was a major player in the bolt-action world prior to the advent of the Mauser 98. I used to have a Swiss 71, a Italian Vitali and a Vetterli-Mannlicher. Got into newer guns and now I'm looking at going back. Prices have gone up but are still certainly reasonable. Love the smell of pyrodex when shooting the CF converted Swiss rifles....such great guns.

I think they are the coolest looking bolt actions- where can I find one that works, and where do I get brass, etc., for them? I have heard that some were later re-chambered for 6.5mm smokeless Carcano ammo, but that's hard enough to find. BP guns, please!

Vetterli, Vetterli-Bertolo, Vetterli-Vitali, Vetterli-Mannlicher?

Veni, vidi, vici?

Quoted: Quoted: Anyone else a Vetterli fan? Such a very interesting action that was a major player in the bolt-action world prior to the advent of the Mauser 98. I used to have a Swiss 71, a Italian Vitali and a Vetterli-Mannlicher. Got into newer guns and now I'm looking at going back. Prices have gone up but are still certainly reasonable. Love the smell of pyrodex when shooting the CF converted Swiss rifles....such great guns. I think they are the coolest looking bolt actions- where can I find one that works, and where do I get brass, etc., for them? I have heard that some were later re-chambered for 6.5mm smokeless Carcano ammo, but that's hard enough to find. BP guns, please!

Lots of 6.5 converts that take the standard Carcano clip. They tend to be a lot thinner looking than the Swiss varients. They also have a decidedly mannlicher looking magazine infront of the trigger guard, and run between $150-$300 depending on the seller/rifle. I've shot them before competitively and they are supremely accurate. Anywhere between .33"-1.5" groups from the bench at 100m is not unusual. They are one of the very first purpose-issued DMRs ever during WWI. The conversion to the Mannlicher mag/caliber was actually done by a young man named Pietro Beretta :)

As for ammo, Privi-Partizani imports 6.5 Carcano for about $6 per 20. See it a lot at gunshows. 6.5 is a great round, but realy needs to be handloaded to get the most out of the type.

Now, if you want to shoot the big bore guns, the .41-Swiss and 10.4mm Italian, you're going to have to convert to centerfire. Easily done with a drill press, although there are 'smiths who do the conversion in the midwest. Brass is avaliable through Buffalo Arms in Idaho. Expensive, but well worth it.

The guns, at least the Swiss ones, are SASS approved for their rifle events, driving the price up phenomonoly as of late. Lots of Vetterlis came over to the US with Swiss and German settlers. Ammo can either be cast on your own, or bought online.