Swiss army Schmidt Rubin model 1896/1911 long service rifle, also commonly referred to as the 96/11  in .22 caliber. Every one of these rifles originated as 7.5×55 Swiss (GP11) caliber firearms and were then re-tooled to the current .22 caliber. Many of the rifles were converted from the GP11 round to the more inexpensive .22 round for target practice purposes. The .22 caliber 96/11 did not serve military purposes and was purely for sport.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Barrel Length: 30.7 inches: 4-groove, RH, concentric rifling, 1 in 10.63″
(approx 6000 96/11s had a twist rate of 1 in 9″)
Overall Length: 51.2 inches
Weight: 9.94lbs empty
Action: Schmidt-Rubin Straight Pull
Caliber: .22 caliber
Sights: Tangent-leaf sight graduated to 2000m
Total Production: 135,770 (original 96/11 configuration)
Bayonet: Models 1889,1899 & 1906

The hallmark of 19th century military organizations was the reuse and reinvention of all items until every bit of use could be exhausted and the Swiss were of no exception. The Model 1896/1911 Repeating Rifle comes to us as having been created from the obsolete stockpiles of Model 1889/1896 rifles stored in armories or that were in the hands of rear echelon and support troops. These rifles were modified to fire the new GP1911 cartridge and a pistol grip was cut into the old stock. If the old stock was deemed non-reusable, then a new stock with a pistol grip replaced it entirely. A new trigger guard plate was manufactured with a swell to the right side near the front to fill the hole in the stock left by the removal of the magazine catch. The original bolt, barrel, sights and magazines were left in place. Overall, the Model 1896/1911 is functionally the same as the Model 1911 repeating rifles.