Was the first "Mannlicher" really a Mannlicher?

[Spitpatch]

"A gun is to shoot anyway, he thought, not to be preserved in a case, and this was a really good rifle, easy to shoot, easy to teach anyone to shoot with, and handy on the boat. He had always had more confidence shooting it, as to being able to place his shots at close and moderate range, than any other rifle he had ever owned and it made him happy to pull it out of the case now and pull back the bolt and shove a shell into the breech."
—Ernest Hemingway, Islands in the Stream

It is a central, historic and romantic icon of sporting rifles: The Mannlicher. When that name is invoked in the world of hunting guns, the picture in all minds is that of the classic carbine version: short barrel, full stock, "butterknife" bolt handle, rotary magazine and an action that knows no challenger to smoothness of operation. It should go without saying that the Mannlicher-Schoenauer firm is responsible for supplying the design of one of the best and most admired hunting rifles that will ever exist.

Or did they?

That list of classic characteristics certainly existed in Military rifles well before there ever was a Mannlicher Carbine sporting gun as we know it and as Papa Hemingway knew it and loved it (he owned 3).

But who came up with the sporting design of such compact and graceful utilitarian proportions; a hunting rifle timeless enough to be examined by Jeff Cooper toward his Scout Rifle concept?

The very first Mannlicher-Schoenauer Sporting Carbines came from that factory in 1903 (military contracts had largely taken precedence prior). The gun was immensely popular, especially for the Africa trade. It became a working gun for Elephant, Lion and Buffalo for more than one world-famous Professional Hunter, very often with the Round Nose FMJ 160gr military load: a lead-filled needle that once started doesn't stop for much. Worldwide, the Carbines were with hunters and explorers in the European preserves and places like the Yukon, Alaska and Mongolia. The ".256 Mannlicher" cartridge (we know it as the 6.5x54mm) earned its chops with the gun: Honestly and at hard work.



Stateside, it didn't do so well. After all, we had our own Light-Middleweight Champion in the .250-3000 Savage (1915) that was also a successful world traveler, came in very handy rifles (Models 99 and 1920) and shared the reputation of "punching above its weight" even toward dangerous game. The cartridges could by appearance be brother and sister, and by performance in the field, twins. Then there's that pesky "mm" thing at the end of the cartridge name that just screams, "Foreigner!". Another obstacle (disappointedly noted by Hemingway) erupted when the 17.7" barrel on the early Mannlicher Carbines bumped into American import prohibitions. (The 1894 Swedish Carbines suffered under the same misguided regulations; a half-inch false muzzle cap was spot-welded to many to make the grade.) More modern Mannlicher Carbines would come fitted with 20" barrels, and in more Yankee-familiar calibers.

NEXT: It happened at the World's Fair.

Read More

 

[orygun]

Thank you, @Spitpatch , for sharing your insight. I thoroughly enjoy your stories.

 

[ma96782]

The "famous one" that perhaps a lot of people think of when Mannlicher is mentioned.

BUT, But, but......what about it's "evolution story"?

WAIT, Wait, wait......back up. So, what about that "sporting version"?

Aloha, Mark

 

[Spitpatch]

Apologies to die-hard Elvis fans, or those poor schmucks like Yours Truly whose big sister dragged him to every single one of those excruciatingly corny movies. The reference here is not to the World's Fair in Seattle in 1962, but rather Paris, 1900.

Three long years before any Mannlicher Carbine would be made.

The "Exposition Universelle" covered over 500 acres and featured such marvels as moving sidewalks and a Ferris Wheel that could carry 1600 passengers at once. One remarkable exhibitor was Osterreichische Waffenfabrik- Gesellschaft (OWG), the Werndl firm that would in 1926 become Steyr-Werke AG. Their offering to the new century was the first Mannlicher action with a wonderfully machined rotary magazine (previous versions were of box type). The Mannlicher action with all the features as we know it was now a reality. Each cartridge was cradled in a nest specifically sized to the cartridge's dimensions and offered up to the controlled-feed bolt on a rotational basis that operated like heavy duty, finely constructed clockwork. Of course it was designed for military application reportedly with no civilian guns built (Greece eventually became the biggest customer), but actions were sold to custom gunmakers right off the bat.

A year ago, I knew none of the information I have related thus far regarding Mannlichers. My knowledge of them was limited to the fact that my father had traded his 1962 Winchester Model 70 .264 Magnum ("The Westerner") for a Mannlicher-Schoenauer .30-06 in the rifle version and never regretted it. Also, the son of Dad's friend brought a .243 Carbine on an antelope hunt with us on one occasion. At the age of 10, I thought it was a pretty nifty looking gun and certainly was better for the job than my Model 94 .30-30. Such was my total experience and dearth of information toward Mannlichers until last year. As has been the case previously and repeatedly (not always favorably), a new gun became a source toward an education.


My father with his Mannlicher.30-06 rifle. He traded a pre-64 Model 70 .264 for it, and for 30 years it was his primary big-game rifle and his Guide Gun in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. It represented the totality of what I knew about Mannlichers until very recently.

I had responded to an ad regarding a Mannlicher and was supplied with extra photos due to my interest. The seller also had a good old Coastal deer rifle that interested me. As to the photos, I really did not know what I was looking at, but the gun appeared in good shape, and I was convinced it was a Mannlicher Carbine. His asking prices for the two guns were quite reasonable, and I assured him we'd most likely close a deal, but I could not commit to it without the gun(s) in hand. I arrived at the transfer location prior to the seller, and was confident enough to begin paperwork before his arrival. I was not disappointed, and paid his asking price for the two guns.

Home with my "prize", I began research, and quickly realized I had certainly put the cart before the horse. All pictures and references I located indicated this was NOT the classic (Hemingway's darling) Mannlicher Carbine. The barrel was not 17.7" long (or even 20). It was 22 inches: nowadays considered a full-length rifle barrel. Sling attachment points appeared to be constructed for a "hook sling" (popular in Europe and Africa), rather than the forward one hanging from a cross-bolt in the forend (as the Carbines exhibit). I wondered for a while if I had not bought a cobbled-together "sporterized" gun, but the workmanship and details spoke otherwise. Everything about the gun was done better than good, even better than better. It had all the cosmetic requirements: Full stock: check. Butterknife bolt handle: check. Rotary magazine: check.


A true Mannlicher Carbine, post 1903; as known and loved and written about by Ernest Hemingway


This is the "Carbine" I bought, as represented in a photo from the seller.

So, just what WAS this gun? I speculated that perhaps the Mannlicher firm had actually built a few full-stock rifles for the civilian market that did not conform to the customary characteristics of the Carbines, but found no evidence or writings to back that up.

NEXT: One of these things is not like the other

 

[Spitpatch]

Aside from the rifle-length barrel, two features stand out on the gun at first glance.

The barrel is mated to the long forestock by method of escutcheon and wedge, bearing on a lug dovetailed into the barrel underside...in no less than two places. A feature more often seen on blackpowder guns, it does speak to early times and is eminently functional to reinforce the partnership between barrel and resting place. Not a Mannlicher Carbine feature by any stretch.

Secondly, one's eye is immediately drawn to that block of steel a full four inches long that rests on top of the barrel just ahead of the chamber. It is a meticulously constructed express sight that carries on its back a veritable army of leaves: the first (marked "1") comes to use by flipping backward (as conventional for a flip-up buckhorn) and the other four (for a total of five leaves) flip forward. Another feature not normally seen on any Carbine.


A finely made 5-leaf Express Sight, and the escutcheon ( one of 2) securing the barrel to the forend.

I tried to study up on the gun right away, but became more interested in disassembling, cleaning and inspecting it. It had been very well cared for and just had "grime of the ages" and of careful storage. Bluing was entirely intact and the wood approached 100% condition as well. It had belonged to the seller's Grandfather, and at some point he'd "upgraded" it with a fine Leupold Adjusto Scope Mount system, and had a red rubber recoil pad installed. These spoke of 1950's-60's for their vintage. I had asked the seller if his Grandfather had been overseas in the service (visions of "got it outta Rommel's gun cabinet!"), and he answered yes, but WWII South Pacific. So much for that.

The pad was crumbling as rubber is wont to do after 70 years, so it would have to go. The scope mount was a damn good one and would be employed.


The white line on this pad is a dead giveaway for its age, if the deterioration isn't. It would not be salvaged.



The Leupold Adjusto scope mount system. Probably the same vintage as the pad, but eminently more serviceable.

For those who are opposed to spoilers, you should "avert your eyes at the appropriate moment" (which is now), and wait for the overhauling, loading for, and shooting part, then come back to the mystery.

Based on the gun's features and stampings discovered initially and chronology discovered later, I think I now have a VERY plausible idea as to the origins of the rifle. Since I first made this educated guess, I have yet to uncover anything contradicting what is now my conclusion.

I removed the scope mount and examined the "Crest" stamping on top of the action. "MODEL 1900".

Remember: This is the very first Mannlicher model that carried the rotary magazine. (The first Carbines were 1903's.)

The Serial Number is three digit, in the two-hundred range.

And on the barrel just ahead of the Crown Jewel (the Express Sight) is a lengthy Roll-Stamped inscription…

Back to the World's Fair in Paris in 1900: With the Mannlicher firm in attendance and unveiling their marvel of rifle development, it would go to follow that other arms manufacturers would be in attendance as well. Conventions/Trade Shows (as this was) are the very best places to cut good business deals and get in on the latest thing.

It has been noted here and elsewhere (most recently Barsness made mention) that Model 1900 actions were immediately available for sale to custom gun makers. It might make sense to Mannlicher to have a moderate stock on hand at the World's Fair. It might make sense also that some of the London "Best" gunmakers were at the Fair.

NEXT: Brand new but used.

 

[WAYNO]

As much as we want to equate Mannlicher with full-length stocks...

My first hands-on experience with a Mannlicher rifle, was a synthetic-sporter-stocked rifle, chambered in 7x64 Brenneke. At 500-bucks in the late seventies, this was a very expensive rifle. And the synthetic stock got a lot of rolling eyes.

 

[Spitpatch]

Should my photography or your old-person glasses prove insufficient for you to see the roll-stamp script on the top of the barrel just forward of the Express Sight, it spans a full six and a half inches and reads:

Sighted and Shot by W.J. Jeffery & Co. 13.King Street. St. James's.London.15058.

Yep. He of .600 Nitro Express fame. A London "Best" maker.

The barrel and action are adorned with multiple British proof marks, and there is a date stamp on both in font that matches none of the Waffenfabrik font elsewhere on the action. That date is 1901.

With all the supporting information shown thus far, I was then of the suspicion that this rifle was one of the very first guns built on the revolutionary rotary magazine action of 1900.

The seller had drawn my attention to the script on the barrel at time of sale, and I remarked in my ignorance that "someone had sent it to Jeffery to have the sights installed". Not the case.

I discovered in research that "Jeffery Mannlichers" are really a thing. Many were done on earlier box-magazine actions like the '95, but I have yet to see one earlier than this with a full-length stock, and its bolt handle "spatulated" (a word I added to my vocabulary along this venture).


The bolt handle is gracefully "spatulated." with a vertebral line that flares at the tip. Model 1900's came from the Mannlicher factory with round knob bolts.

By 1900, the Jeffery firm was a steamroller, but William Jeffery's genius was not primarily in manufacturing. The secret to his success was his unmatched skill in networking. He knew people. At this time he would "farm out" the work to the best craftsmen in each theater of the trade, pay them well and regularly, and he would handle orders and marketing of the product. Each gun was a chorus from a choir of individual talent, all under the wand of the conductor. A finishing touch may well be installation (and labor-intensive regulation) of custom sights, done at the firm. This gun with 5 leaves probably left the factory with upwards of a hundred rounds put through it during the regulation process (done with a hand-file). It went to its new owner already "broken-in". The King Street address is accurate for this period in time (1901): Later the factory would expand, then move. William would live until 1909.

NEXT: She cleans up pretty good for an ol' gal.

 

[Spitpatch]

Disassembly and inspection was done with extra care, and it was gratifying to examine the bore after cleaning to see sharp, crisp lands even at the throat and absolutely no corrosion. A tight patch would slide as if the bore had been professionally lapped.

The stock, of a striped and fiddled figure is finished in oil and in shape can only be described as graceful, bordering on petite. At the butt, it measures a mere 1.15 inches at its widest. (This became "interesting" when a replacement for the recoil pad was sought.) The comb is much too sharp to be tolerated on a gun of any more recoil, and where it terminates at the grip, it has narrowed to a (barely rounded) point.

Checkering is done at a sharp 24 lines per inch, and is full wrap-around at the grip and forend; all the right places for coverage toward looks and practical function. It grants real traction to the hand wherever it touches.


Checkering is fully functional; wrapping above and beneath the gun, giving positive grasp to all contact points. A base portion of a Cocking Piece Sight (unknown maker) shows attached. The sharpness of the comb follows the willow-slender shape of the buttstock.

The midsection of the stock widens only enough to allow for the rotary magazine, and then begins its slender taper toward the muzzle, crowned by a cap of horn. The wood paralleling the barrel on each side appears thin, but the escutcheons framing the wedges give a reassurance of structural strength gained from the barrel itself. The forward swivel stud is hung on a steel wedge nested below the barrel channel, distributing any stress.

The front sight rests on a ramped monolith, and was missing its bead. I imagined ivory as a replacement, but had a few "graveyard grade" sights on hand, one of which donated its fine brass bead with no complaints. Finding the one "just right" took longer than soldering it in place. The rear sight has been discussed previously, and it is justifiably where the eye goes instantly upon first seeing the gun.


The forestock appears feather-thin, perhaps fragile before it terminates in a horn cap, but the wedge and lug attachment to the barrel shows integrity. The front sight is necessarily elevated on a stout ramp in order that it could operate with the Express rear sight. Missing its bead, a brass replacement was installed.

Attached to the rear of the cocking-piece on the bolt is the remnant of a "Cocking Piece Sight" (one more thing I learned about along this trail). The seller said that as a kid, he had seen the stem and aperture portion. He searched Grandpa's place for it when he decided to sell the gun, but it could not be located. I have yet to find a matching picture of this base portion. Rigby made them, Lyman made them, and I believe Marble's. Aftermarket reproductions of some of those exist.

NEXT: Findin' stuff and fixin' things.

 

[Spitpatch]

Sighting systems insisted that choices be made. Certainly it would be best if the '50's Leupold Adjusto Mount were something more along the line of a Griffin and Howe detachable, thus allowing quick access to the irons. To the question of "restoration" or "originality", the mounting holes drilled in the left side of the receiver (and dead-center through the "Osterreichische Waffenfabrik- Gesellschaft" roll stamp) negate any hope for that. On the positive side, this is a custom gun. At what time in its life would a modification (well done) violate any "originality"?

The Adjusto Mount was designed originally for telescopic sights with no internal adjustments. As such, it gives windage and elevation adjustments in the mount itself, and they are very precise. In use with a more modern scope, this allows for field of view better centered in the lenses. It operates on a "cone-screw" principal (think: S & K, Conetrol). Removing it from the gun allowed for full examination and cleaning; operation instructions were researched and all fixtures appeared as new. Leupold's lustrous polishing/bluing matched the rifle very nearly perfectly.

Retaining this quality mount system meant a scope choice was in order. Browsing VintageGunScopes.com for ideas, it was decided that the optic needed to be contemporary with the mount; not only in age, but in condition. Low power was desired (in the 1.5 to 4x range). An exhaustive search nationwide was necessary to locate finally an El Paso Weaver K2.5 in pristine condition. As a fortuitous bonus, it came with a crosshair-post reticle! Simply simple,simply perfect; even to the bluing. Assembled on the mount and gun, nothing appears out of place.


A Weaver K2.5 is saddled in the Leupold Adjusto mount. The exquisite iron sights would take a back seat for now, according to the new intended purposes of the rifle. By chance, the scope came equipped with a crosshair/post reticle. "How very Cosmopolitan"!

"The boil on the butt" of this gun was exactly there: An old red rubber recoil pad beyond its serviceable years (see earlier picture), equipped with Roy Weatherby's "gift to the gun world", the ubiquitous White Line Spacer. This may have been installed at the same time (by the same Smith) as the scope mounts, and the fit was done well. My aim was to install a demurely flat-black Pachmayr Old English pad that would not attract attention quite so severely as red and white, and I ordered the smallest one available.

Upon removal of the red pad, it was noted that a drilled recess existed into the buttstock, much as if (were this a two-piece stocked gun) for a stock bolt…or…

An exploratory cleaning rod deeply inserted into the recess indicated something that felt not like wood, but padded! A bright LED revealed not much more information. Something was in there. A muzzleloading "worm" was employed (basically a spiral claw for extracting lead slugs from a barrel), carefully gained purchase and removed a completely serviceable "pull through" cleaning apparatus, complete with brass pendulum and patch at either end. VERY old. I can only imagine it was in there when the Smith installed the red pad, and it became entombed without his knowledge. I am considering its reinternment.

This was strong indication that the rifle was originally equipped with a trapdoor butt: a discovery that heavily influenced decisions toward the new replacement. Ammunition stored in the recess behind the pull-through (because in the field you'd need ammo first) would have packed the cleaning tool hard forward as it was found. The gun was now not only a mystery, but a treasure hunt as well.

The small black Pachmayr pad arrived, and (even though "grind to fit") appeared huge for this gun. In the exhausting process toward removing enough material for it to conform to the delicate buttstock, the steel reinforcing insert was contacted. Experiment terminated. Money wasted.

Aftermarket trapdoor buttplates (NECG) start at around $400 (add inletting, polishing, bluing). If that was to be done, it would not be on my current watch. With the gun already adorned with a forestock cap and grip cap of horn, it was ("naturally") decided that the new buttplate would be of this natural and appropriate material (barring exorbitant expense). Brownells had a blank and such was ordered.

The buttplate blank of an unfinished gray appearance arrived and was monstrous; eminently more appropriate for one of Jeffery's .600 Double Guns. We will not talk about early buttplate installations I learned on, but over the years I have become a fair hand at it; while working much too slow to do it for pay. With no offending "steel insert" to encounter, cutting and shaping the oval slab to the tiny rifle's posterior began: much like removing Delaware from Montana (Hey! There's a thought!). No softening of recoil would be gained, but a level of authenticity would be regained. New mounting screws of round, slot-head type (no Phillips here!) were "antiqued" and appear contemporary of all else. I am no wood worker and this was my first effort with horn. I really like the material, and it matches the other trim very well.


The horn buttplate (note the natural color stripe running through it: an organic improvement over the white line in the old pad) and the "pull-through" that was discovered far forward in a buttstock recess when the old pad was removed. How long had it rested there?

NEXT: This old horse is ready to run.

 

[Spitpatch]

A finishing touch was a Brownell's Latigo sling (considered "contemporary" to the sighting system upgrade of the 1950's). Nylon bushings were fitted into the hook sling studs in order that a detachable swivel would fit snugly. Outfitted as such, the rifle now stood ready. But for what?


The Jeffery Mannlicher field ready.

In order to load for and shoot this gun, its purpose had to be defined. Chances were large that it would never see Africa again (if in fact it ever had "seen the Elephant"). The rifle's better chance now lay in resurrection as a very practical gun toward pursuit of deer and antelope on the African Veldt of America: The Great Plains.

The old Elephant (and everything else) load was a 160gr round nose: Solid (military or commercial) or Soft Point depending on the game. Velocity at around 2250fps, the Solid penetrated into Pachyderm skulls like a laser, and the little rifle allowed the shooter pinpoint placement. Soft Points, while expanding, still zipped right on through the predators and hoofed game, breaking bones on the far side. Montana Pronghorns, Whitetails and Muleys need no such deep space travel from a bullet as long as their fannies are sensibly avoided as a target.

The rifle came with a small supply of vintage factory Norma hunting loads, sporting a 129gr Spitzer Soft point (probably Hornady). These would serve as a baseline for comparison and for barrel-fouling after a cleaning. As luck would have it, I did have on hand a full box of 160gr Sierra Round Nose Soft Point bullets (no longer catalogued). These, of course had to be tried even if no longer available or appropriate for the newly defined purpose. A .264 Magnum as well as a couple Swedes were the reasons I had a healthy assortment of other 6.5 hunting bullets. I was looking toward the 120-140gr weights as long as they tested as compatible with the fast barrel twist measured at 1 in 8".

I knew the throat would be long and seating depth/freebore might be an issue. As it turned out, the magazine length limited even getting the 160's to approach the lands. It seems the cartridge OAL limit for reliable magazine operation is about 3.07". In this gun, every bullet must travel some freebore: a widely purported "detriment" to accuracy.


Left to Right: 6.5x54mm: 160gr Sierra RN seated upside down in brass to illustrate contact with the lands when it was chambered, 160gr Seierra RN, 125gr Nosler Ballistic Tip. On the right are the 6.5x55mm and the .264 Winchester Magnum for comparison.

Obtaining brass was easier than expected: Prvi Partizan makes it and upon close inspection it appears to be well done; resembling very much Winchester brass. Dies came from RCBS, and consistent workhorse CCI 200 primers would ignite.

A fair number of recent load manuals have dropped the 6.5x54 Mannlicher Schoenauer, granting that space instead to an upstart with a case capacity nearly identical and described as "efficiently designed" and "inherently accurate" (descriptors the Mannlicher could have just as easily been marketed with if catch phrases were more important than actual field results two turns of the century ago). As a result, older manuals on hand were consulted as well as The Oracle: Ken Waters' Pet Loads.

Waters' work contained some good news. With a true Carbine borrowed from his brother-in-law, the gun was not too awful temperamental about bullets of a lighter weight than 160grains. In the .264 and the Swedes, the Nosler 120 grain Ballistic Tip is a devastating performer for me and so it would be the first tried (after the Sierra 160's took a nostalgic spin, of course). The Ballistic Tip also holds an ace card due to its inordinate length/weight ratio. It's a pretty darn long bullet, and might agree with the fast twist if others of that weight range didn't.

Suitable powders were old familiar friends in the medium burning rate corral. H4350 at the slow end and IMR3031 at speedier combustion showed in the cookbooks. Powder inventory is an ever-growing concern now, and it seemed IMR4350 quantities on hand granted me no worries toward infringing on what other cartridges around here like to digest. It showed repeatedly in data as a top contender, compatible to varied bullet weights and got a favorable vote from Waters as well; good reasons to be the initial propellant choice.

The rifle was boresighted, utilizing only the mount adjustments (after the reticle was travel-centered in the scope). The 100yd target I selected was one I constructed for 2x scopes at that range. It is a black square, 5.5" on the outside and 3" on the white "bullseye" inside. The crosshair/post reticle in the Weaver K2.5x rested rather comfortably just beneath this square as viewed from the bench. With a 121 year-old gun (that may not have been shot since it was half that age), and just beginning initial testing in a cartridge I'd never shot before, expectations were somewhat muted. The factory Normas (from a box likely opened 60-70 years ago) would go first.

Considering the rotary magazine, I can only describe it as "faithful". A cartridge introduced is very nearly taken in by the gun itself, it then indexes and seems to be tapping its foot and crossing its arms wondering why you are taking so long to produce Cartridge Number Two. Working the bolt, the shooter experiences the Mannlicher Trademark in his very hands. Harley Davidson patented the rumble of their exhaust system. The frictionless glide of a Mannlicher bolt could likewise be recognized by authorities as available nowhere else. It is learned rapidly that the only contact necessary to the spatulated bolt handle is the fingertips, and from them it needs only a mention of the motion desired.

And the silent scream is, "Why can't ALL rifles be like this?!"

The trigger on this gun is probably the original (for the military action), but contact surfaces have been polished brightly. A two stage type, it free-travels rearward to its wall and breaks off a very sharp edge at 3.5lbs. Commercial Mannlichers (after 1903, remember) became available with single triggers and double-set (which kind of became another Mannlicher Trademark). I imagine the Jeffery firm would have supplied a double-set here if it was ordered.

The first Norma 129gr round out of a clean barrel was dead-on point of aim (bottom of the square) for elevation, and about 2.5" right of center for windage. Gonna save some ammo here! A testament to true bore-sighting (no ridiculous "device"), and that Leupold mount.

Sight correction 2 inches left. Then two Normas went center for windage and 1.25" apart. Sure. A fluke, but at least I'm sighted and only three factory shells expended.

Went to the load bench and assembled 3 160grainers per Waters' recipe. They triangled at 1.5" (landing three inches lower than the Normas).

And they kicked like hell. My cheek (raised slightly to get sight picture) was rudely introduced to that knife-edged antique comb. I retreated again to the load bench, motivated toward a kinder, gentler antelope load.

There is a school of thought that believes that ANY attachment or contact to the barrel of the rifle beyond the chamber will be detrimental to accuracy. This is not the first gun that has said different to me, and it may have more "contact" to its barrel than any gun I will ever own. Skinny barrel, freebore AND barrel contact: The gun seemed to have a lot working against it according to common knowledge.

I finished the day with Waters' "near max", and "accurate" 125gr load for the Carbine, but with the 120gr Nosler Ballistic Tips. I had a safety buffer in "near max", and another with bullet weight.

Three shots went into 1.15".

Old gun, (old guy), 2.5x scope, "outta the hat" book load with a slim barrel that couldn't have any more contact interference; and yet the rifle did this with very little effort on my part. Townsend Whelen's code was, "Only accurate rifles are interesting". Indeed.

The next day I wanted to confirm that the rifle really was capable of duplicating such groups (no fluke), and verify my first try at a light bullet load. I first loaded one Nosler to Waters' "max", and found out why he called it that. Nothing bad transpired, but I could tell from chrono readings and recoil it was perhaps a too significant jump from the lesser load. I went back to the "near max" "accurate" load, and the target on the right shows the first group out of the gun that day.

The first and second groups out of the gun with a prospective load, shot on separate days. Critics of 3-shot groups may be comforted by superimposing these. 5 out of 6 went inside .5"

NEXT: Future plans, Conclusions and Speculations.

 

[orygun]

Sweet rifle, Spit. Just goes to show that "new and improved" usually isn't.

 

[Stomper]

View attachment 1319781

"A gun is to shoot anyway, he thought, not to be preserved in a case, and this was a really good rifle, easy to shoot, easy to teach anyone to shoot with, and handy on the boat. He had always had more confidence shooting it, as to being able to place his shots at close and moderate range, than any other rifle he had ever owned and it made him happy to pull it out of the case now and pull back the bolt and shove a shell into the breech."
—Ernest Hemingway, Islands in the Stream

It is a central, historic and romantic icon of sporting rifles: The Mannlicher. When that name is invoked in the world of hunting guns, the picture in all minds is that of the classic carbine version: short barrel, full stock, "butterknife" bolt handle, rotary magazine and an action that knows no challenger to smoothness of operation. It should go without saying that the Mannlicher-Schoenauer firm is responsible for supplying the design of one of the best and most admired hunting rifles that will ever exist.

Or did they?

That list of classic characteristics certainly existed in Military rifles well before there ever was a Mannlicher Carbine sporting gun as we know it and as Papa Hemingway knew it and loved it (he owned 3).

But who came up with the sporting design of such compact and graceful utilitarian proportions; a hunting rifle timeless enough to be examined by Jeff Cooper toward his Scout Rifle concept?

The very first Mannlicher-Schoenauer Sporting Carbines came from that factory in 1903 (military contracts had largely taken precedence prior). The gun was immensely popular, especially for the Africa trade. It became a working gun for Elephant, Lion and Buffalo for more than one world-famous Professional Hunter, very often with the Round Nose FMJ 160gr military load: a lead-filled needle that once started doesn't stop for much. Worldwide, the Carbines were with hunters and explorers in the European preserves and places like the Yukon, Alaska and Mongolia. The ".256 Mannlicher" cartridge (we know it as the 6.5x54mm) earned its chops with the gun: Honestly and at hard work.

View attachment 1319758

Stateside, it didn't do so well. After all, we had our own Light-Middleweight Champion in the .250-3000 Savage (1915) that was also a successful world traveler, came in very handy rifles (Models 99 and 1920) and shared the reputation of "punching above its weight" even toward dangerous game. The cartridges could by appearance be brother and sister, and by performance in the field, twins. Then there's that pesky "mm" thing at the end of the cartridge name that just screams, "Foreigner!". Another obstacle (disappointedly noted by Hemingway) erupted when the 17.7" barrel on the early Mannlicher Carbines bumped into American import prohibitions. (The 1894 Swedish Carbines suffered under the same misguided regulations; a half-inch false muzzle cap was spot-welded to many to make the grade.) More modern Mannlicher Carbines would come fitted with 20" barrels, and in more Yankee-familiar calibers.

NEXT: It happened at the World's Fair.

More about the people
in the advertisement….


The 18-yo gal….

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/kansascity/name/emmy-moore-obituary?id=4255609

The good Dr. who wrote the testimony…

Dr Richard Lightburn Sutton Sr. (1878-1952) - Find...

Physician, big-game hunter and author. He wrote Diseases of the Skin, a standard work on the subject in medical education; Tiger Trails in Southern Asia; An African Holiday; An Arctic Safari; The Long Trek, Around the World With Camera and Rifle; and The Silver Kings of Aransas Pass. He was a...

www.findagrave.com

Sounds like they had quite interesting and fulfilling lives!

 

[Spitpatch]

More about the people
in the advertisement….


The 18-yo gal….

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/kansascity/name/emmy-moore-obituary?id=4255609

View attachment 1338366




The good Dr. who wrote the testimony…

Dr Richard Lightburn Sutton Sr. (1878-1952) - Find...

Physician, big-game hunter and author. He wrote Diseases of the Skin, a standard work on the subject in medical education; Tiger Trails in Southern Asia; An African Holiday; An Arctic Safari; The Long Trek, Around the World With Camera and Rifle; and The Silver Kings of Aransas Pass. He was a...

www.findagrave.com

View attachment 1338367



Sounds like they had quite interesting and fulfilling lives!

Thank you for that!

 

[Spitpatch]

"Wilson, who was ahead was kneeling shooting, and Macomber, as he fired, unhearing his shot in the roaring of Wilson's gun, saw fragments like slate burst from the huge boss of the horns, and the head jerked, he shot again at the wide nostrils and saw the horns jolt again and fragments fly, and he did not see Wilson now and, aiming carefully, shot again with the buffalo's huge bulk almost upon him and his rifle almost level with the on-coming head, nose out, and he could see the little wicked eyes and the head started to lower and he felt a sudden white-hot blinding flash explode inside his head and that was all he ever felt.

Wilson had ducked to one side to get in a shoulder shot. Macomber had stood solid and shot for the nose, shooting a touch high each time and hitting the heavy horns, splintering and chipping them like hitting a slate roof, and Mrs. Macomber, in the car, had shot at the buffalo with the 6.5 Mannlicher as it seemed about to gore Macomber and had hit her husband about two inches up and a little to one side of the base of his skull."

Ernest Hemingway, The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber

If in high school you were interested in guns and hunting, you were very fortunate to have an English teacher assign that story as an introduction to Hemingway. It also contains healthy references to sex, adultery and raw truth regarding marital relationships (and for all those reasons, not likely to be assigned today).

Alas, my Mannlicher is decidedly NOT a twin to Mrs. Macomber's Carbine that may have been merely involved in a horrible accident or an instrument of murder (Hemingway skillfully leaves that to the reader). Islands in the Stream also includes a Mannlicher Carbine as a weapon used against a menacing Hammerhead Shark, and Hemingway himself notes that he killed two Pronghorns in Wyoming at very long ranges with his beloved Carbine ( confirming by field test my intended use).

However, I have come to firmly believe my rifle is a seminal product of a meeting between officials of the Jeffery and Mannlicher firms at the World's Fair of 1900; a meeting not without a fair chance between William Jeffery and Ferdinand Ritter Von Mannlicher and Otto Schoenauer themselves (the Model 1900 design was in fact awarded First Place at the World's Fair). The very low serial number indicates it almost certainly was among the number of actions known to be supplied to custom gun makers prior to military sales, and the British stampings indicate the rifle was completed in 1901. Everything fits. The success of these early builders of custom rifles on the 1900 action has been noted as the very impetus for the Mannlicher firm to begin their own commercial production of rifles in 1903. This rifle's design (i.e.: full stock, spatulated bolt) undoubtedly was some measure of inspiration there.

Ferdinand Ritter von Mannlicher and Otto Schoenauer

But how did this "British Gentleman's Rifle" end up being owned by a North Oregon Coast hunter who served not in Europe or Africa, but in WWII's Pacific Theater? Whereas the birth of the gun seems based on hard events with no contradiction, how it arrived on this continent can only be a subject of speculation (perhaps with some feeble support).

What was happening in the Pacific at the turn of the century that might have landed a British custom rifle there?

Around 1853, European Red Stags were introduced to New Zealand. By 1901 the populations had increased exponentially and New Zealand became known worldwide as a hub for trophy hunters seeking these magnificent animals of spectacular headdress (before long, the Red Deer population required serious culling that would continue for decades, perhaps at its greatest in the '40's and '50's).


Deer Camp, New Zealand

Let us imagine for a moment that a New Zealander of means (or a trophy hunter set on a Red Stag) in 1901 ordered the very best gun imaginable for the work. It would be chambered in a cartridge more capable than any at the time for long range, already established as successful in the field. It would have a sighting system of the best construction and matched to the extreme capabilities of the cartridge. It would be light and handy for carrying up the steep slopes, a non-protruding bolt for horse-scabbard carry, and the slim barrel would need protection from rocky mountainous ground. A barrel cleaning tool would be essential to have at all times in the often rainy climate.

In 1942, there were over 100,000 Allied troops in New Zealand. Let us also easily imagine that a G.I. who enjoyed deer and elk hunting on the North Coast of Oregon found himself in New Zealand during the course of the war. Perhaps (and only perhaps) he discovered the elegant little rifle there, made a purchase or a trade (in exchange for his M1 Carbine he was smuggling home in his duffel as my father did, or a .45 Auto, or a Japanese sword). Perhaps he even hunted with down-under "mates" he'd chummed up with, in a location of familiar terrain and a time period offering the best deer hunting ever known. I know I would have.

Again, this is all just romantic speculation, but the configuration of the gun is ideal for what was happening in New Zealand in 1901(and perhaps not so ideal as a Carbine would become for Africa).

Such are the sort of things one might learn and dream about with a fine old gun of certainly a storied past. No modern black and plastic "weapon" hardly graced by any human touch during its birth can supply us with such education or inspiration.

But then, what the heck do I know about Mannlichers?