Mannlicher Model 1894
- Category
- Pistol
- Barrel
- 170 mm
- Weight, empty
- 845 g
- Introduced
- 1894
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Mannlicher Model 1894 is an early Austro-Hungarian semi-automatic pistol designed by Ferdinand Ritter von Mannlicher and notable for its extremely rare blow-forward action, in which the barrel is driven forward off a fixed breech rather than the breech moving rearward. Chambered in the rimmed 6.5mm Mannlicher cartridge and fed from a fixed five-round magazine loaded by charger, it offered double-action, revolver-like handling. Tested by the Austrian, Swiss and U.S. militaries, it was rejected everywhere as unreliable and no more useful than a revolver.
The M1894 is one of the earliest self-loading pistols ever built and the first to use the exceptionally rare blow-forward action, a principle shared by only two other notable designs, the 1908 Hino-Komuro and the 1908 Schwarzlose. It was an engineering curiosity but a practical failure: in at least one U.S. trial the barrel reportedly burst after the 281st round.
Experimental trials pistol. Early examples were built at Steyr in Austria; the bulk for the Swiss army tests were produced by SIG / Fabrique d'Armes de Neuhausen. Early guns also used a larger ~7.6mm cartridge variant before the 6.5mm version. Muzzle energy not authoritatively published.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Steyr Arms
- Category
- Pistol
- Country
- Austria
- Status
- Out of production
- Produced
- 1894 to 1897
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 170 mm
- Overall length
- 220 mm
- Weight, empty
- 845 g
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Blow forward
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Double action
- Capacity
- 5
- Magazine
- Internal
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 326 m/s
- Effective range
- 25 m
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.
Blow forward action
Fixed internal magazine- Charger loaded
Fixed iron sights
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 1,909 pistols | 845 g | 794 g | Heavier than about 60% |
| Overall lengthAmong 1,911 pistols | 220 mm | 196 mm | Longer than about 70% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 1,941 pistols | 170 mm | 102 mm | Longer than about 80% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 1,962 pistols | 5 | 8 | Holds fewer rounds than about 90% |
Answers
Questions about the Mannlicher Model 1894
How much does the Mannlicher Model 1894 weigh?
The Mannlicher Model 1894 weighs 845 g (1.86 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Mannlicher Model 1894?
The Mannlicher Model 1894 is chambered in 6.5mm Mannlicher M1894.
How many rounds does the Mannlicher Model 1894 hold?
The Mannlicher Model 1894 holds 5 rounds, fed from an internal magazine.
How long is the Mannlicher Model 1894?
The Mannlicher Model 1894 is 220 mm (8.66 in) long overall, with a 170 mm (6.69 in) barrel.
Who makes the Mannlicher Model 1894?
The Mannlicher Model 1894 is made by Steyr Arms (Austria). It was designed by Ferdinand Mannlicher.
When was the Mannlicher Model 1894 introduced?
The Mannlicher Model 1894 was introduced in 1894 and discontinued in 1897.
How does the Mannlicher Model 1894 operate?
The Mannlicher Model 1894 uses a blow forward action, and its firing mechanism is hammer 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.
Provenance
Confidence in this record
60%
Stockists
Where to buy
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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/mannlicher-1894' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "mannlicher-1894", "name": "Mannlicher Model 1894", "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": "pistol", "name": "Pistol", "description": "Handguns designed to be fired with one or two hands" }, "country_of_origin": "AT", "year_introduced": 1894, "barrel_length_mm": 170, "weight_empty_g": 845, "action_type": "blow_forward"}