Fruwirth M1872
- Category
- Carbine
- Barrel
- 570 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.69 kg
- Introduced
- 1872
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Fruwirth M1872 was a bolt-action repeating carbine designed by Viennese gunsmith Ferdinand Fruwirth and adopted by the Austro-Hungarian Gendarmerie. Combining a Chassepot-derived turn-bolt action with an 8-round Vetterli-style tubular magazine in the forend and a magazine cut-off, it was one of the earliest bolt-action magazine repeaters adopted by a European force. Production was split between Fruwirth's Vienna workshop and ŒWG Steyr.
Often cited as the second bolt-action magazine cartridge rifle ever adopted by a nation (after the Swiss Vetterli), the Fruwirth bundled a Chassepot bolt, a Vetterli tube magazine and a Werndl-class 11mm cartridge into Austria's first repeater, a key evolutionary step toward the later Kropatschek and Mannlicher rifles.
The Austro-Hungarian Army trialed the design but rejected it as too fragile for hard general service, restricting it to gendarmerie, border-guard and mountain-troop use. Its eccentric offset firing pin is a well-known collector quirk.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Steyr Arms
- Category
- Carbine
- Country
- Austria
- Status
- Out of production
- Produced
- 1872 to 1888
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 570 mm
- Overall length
- 1037 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.69 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Bolt action
- Firing mechanism
- Striker fired
- Trigger
- Single stage
- Capacity
- 8
- Magazine
- Tube
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Tubular magazine
Magazine cutoff
Offset firing pin
Chassepot derived bolt
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 409 carbines | 3.69 kg | 3.00 kg | Heavier than about 90% |
| Overall lengthAmong 407 carbines | 1037 mm | 895 mm | Longer than about 90% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 423 carbines | 570 mm | 406 mm | Longer than about 90% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 423 carbines | 8 | 21 | Holds fewer rounds than about 70% |
Answers
Questions about the Fruwirth M1872
How much does the Fruwirth M1872 weigh?
The Fruwirth M1872 weighs 3.69 kg (8.14 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Fruwirth M1872?
The Fruwirth M1872 is chambered in 11.15×36mmR Fruwirth.
How many rounds does the Fruwirth M1872 hold?
The Fruwirth M1872 holds 8 rounds, fed from a tube magazine.
How long is the Fruwirth M1872?
The Fruwirth M1872 is 1037 mm (40.8 in) long overall, with a 570 mm (22.4 in) barrel.
Who makes the Fruwirth M1872?
The Fruwirth M1872 is made by Steyr Arms (Austria). It was designed by Ferdinand Fruwirth.
When was the Fruwirth M1872 introduced?
The Fruwirth M1872 was introduced in 1872 and discontinued in 1888.
How does the Fruwirth M1872 operate?
The Fruwirth M1872 uses a bolt action, and its firing mechanism is striker fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- Austro-Hungarian Gendarmerie
- 1872
- Tirolean Landesschützen
- Austria
Provenance
Confidence in this record
62%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/fruwirth-carbine' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "fruwirth-carbine", "name": "Fruwirth M1872", "manufacturer": { "id": "steyr-mannlicher", "name": "Steyr Arms", "countryCode": "AT", "foundedYear": 1864, "website": "https://www.steyr-arms.com", "logoUrl": null, "description": "Austrian rifle manufacturer, founded 1864. Currently produces hunting and sporting rifles.", "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-04-05 22:24:37", "updatedAt": "2026-04-05 22:24:37", "version": "a826cd329c11aab62c76039016717ad94b5d38e37df48de00a5a6800ce0b3c60" }, "category": { "id": "carbine", "name": "Carbine", "description": "Shortened rifles for close-quarters use" }, "country_of_origin": "AT", "year_introduced": 1872, "barrel_length_mm": 570, "weight_empty_g": 3690, "action_type": "bolt_action"}