Original Dutch Beaumont-Vitali M1871/88 Bolt Action Magazine Conversion Rifle – Dated 1888 Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. This Dutch Infantry Rifle was made by Stevens in Maastricht in the Netherlands, and is actually dated 1877. The model M-71 was a single shot 11mm rifle that was converted to a bolt-action magazine rifle with a capacity of four rounds in 1891.

This example has serial number 4614 on the barrel and butt plate, and numbers J / 957 on the bolt components, above the chamber on the receiver, as well as on the magazine floor plate. This is normal for the converted rifles, as the action had to be rebuilt. The barrel is dated 1888, and there is no maker marked on the receiver. It does not look to be a rifle made by P. Stevens, and has different proof marks usually seen on those. It was also made VERY late in production, the same year that the new M1871/88 Beaumont-Vitali modification was designed, and a year before they started the conversions in 1889. It is in very good condition overall with a great looking stock which has been reconditioned, so the stock cartouche is unfortunately no longer legible. Additionally, the butt plate is marked 1891 over the serial number, indicating the year it was converted to the bolt-action magazine system.

The rifle is in very good overall condition, though it is missing the original cleaning rod, as they often are. The metalwork still retains much of the original bright finish. with light overall staining due to age and weathering. All components are solid and the bolt moves crisply, with just a bit of slop due to wear. The magazine cutoff is functional as well. The bore is in excellent condition, with crisp lands and grooves and a bright finish. There is just the tiniest bit of wear and oxidation visible. The wood stock is quite nice, with a very nice holey color and no damage or cracks that we can see. Really a great example of this type of rifle.

Still in use by the time WW1 came in 1914 but was much outclassed by the Mauser and Enfield rifle systems introduced in the late 1890s.

An unusual system, the bolts spring is in fact housed inside the bolt handle, from an era of great firearms development worldwide, the dawn of the breech-loading period this is unusual and not easy to find. Ready to display!

Specifications-

Year of Manufacture: 1888 – converted 1891
Caliber: 11.3mm x 51R Dutch Beaumont
Cartridge Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 32 Inches
Overall Length: 52 Inches
Action type: Bolt-Action
Feed System: 4 Round Magazine

History of the Beaumont:
Created in 1871 by a Dutch engineer named Messerecht, the Dutch Beaumont rifle was one of the first metallic cartridge bolt-action rifle to be adopted by any military. Firing an 11.3x50mm cartridge it was single shot only, meaning the user had to insert a new cartridge after every shot. Unlike other rifles, the mainspring of the Beaumont was located within the bolt handle, an exact copy of the Mauser Norris rifle, which would also be copied by the Japanese with the Murate rifle. This same feature, however, made it impossible to turn down the bolt on cavalry and carbine models.

While the Beaumont was state of the art for its day, by the late 1880’s it was obsolete as repeating rifles became all the rage in Europe. To make up for the Beaumont’s deficiency, the Dutch added a magazine to the rifle, the same type of magazine used by the Italians when they converted their single shot Vetterli rifles into repeaters. Since the Beaumont was outfitted with the Italian Vitali magazine in 1888, it was redubbed the Beaumont-Vitali Model 1871/88. The Vitali magazine held four rounds and was reloaded with an en bloc clip made of cardboard. When the clip was empty, an attached string was pulled to remove it from the magazine, no kidding.

Despite the upgrade the Beaumont-Vitali, much like the Italian Vetterli Vitali, was obsolete by the time it was introduced. By 1890 nations began to adopt smokeless powder designs which used smaller caliber high velocity cartridges firing conical shaped spitzer bullets. Eventually the Dutch phased out the Beaumont-Vitali and replaced it with the M95 Steyr-Hembrug.

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