Translation
Guys: I got this rare rat from the AGCA Show in Birmingham AL today. It is one of the few remaining not messed with examples of this rare rifle that I know of.
It has the "Red Hand Of O'Neill" cartouche on the stock....(Long Irish Legend that I will not expound upon!)
Low serial number, all matched, includes the correct cleaning rod--(Always missing!) Cal. 8x57 J German, uses the Gew 88 en block clip....I do not know the bore diameter and whether it is safe with modern 8 mm or not, but I am guessing this is to be fired with the older obsolete ammo anyhow.
Supposedly 14,000 were delivered to the Ulster Volunteer Force in 1911. Most were confiscated by the British Authorities, but those that were delivered to the UVF, got stamped with the mark.
These were made from parts left over from the 1893 Romanian contract rifles. The Romanian Bayonet fits this gun, and in fact, all were delivered with non-matching Romanian bayonets. Some of the bayonets were stamped with the Ulster Cartouche, but not a lot of them. The individual Volunteer had to bring in his rifle and bayonet to get it stamped by the retired British Officers who ran this organization, so there are a lot of them not stamped like this.
A very rare rifle, and not often seen these days..
Dale
The whole thing
The notorious UVF Stamping, with the bloody hand motif.
The sight and handguard are unique to this weapon, being modified from the Romanian pattern.
]Note the same upper band as the Romanian M. 93.
