Never Thought I'd Buy a Hunting Rifle But....

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  • babalou

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 12, 2013
    15,988
    Glenelg
    I get their catalogs for Christmas time. Like expensive sharper image. :P. At least I did not say I saw them in concert doing their Christmas song. Seriously really cool and it now has a home
     

    Darkemp

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 18, 2009
    7,801
    Marylandistan
    I would go as far to describe that rifle as elegant. Great find and amazing craftsmanship and in an attainable caliber to boot. Should be a star of the show every time you take it out.
     

    Combloc

    Stop Negassing me!!!!!
    Nov 10, 2010
    7,166
    In a House
    Thanks for the replies guys!


    One of the things I enjoy most about this rifle is the hand checkering and the fact that it's still in such good shape is a testament to the value placed on this rifle by its former owner. I've seen checkering being applied in the past and it's a very laborious task; one that is only acquired with a generous helping of patience and experience.
    The forend:


    And the pistol grip:

    Very nice!


    The cheek rest shows nice detailing too. The way it is carved makes it look like a separate piece of walnut but it's not:

    This rifle, the Model 1956, is the first one to sport the "Monte Carlo" style stock. If you do research on this model, you may read that the raised portion of the stock makes the iron sights unusable. That is not true. They work just fine. I think some people find this stock offensive because it was a change from the traditional design so they want to talk smack about it. The fact is, by the time this rifle was built, most hunters were using an optic so Steyr adopted this design to accommodate the new reality. It worked because when you pull this up to your shoulder, the scope comes perfectly to your eye.


    Fortunately, the almost ubiquitous rubber butt pad was not installed and the original butt plate was retained:

    I would not have bought this rifle had that been done. Some don't like that Steyr used the white line between the plate and the wood but that was in vogue at the time so they gave the customer what they thought was wanted. Personally, I think it's goofy (remember, I'm not a hunting rifle guy) but that's how it was made so that's how I want it.


    More evidence of extended use is found on the tang behind the trigger guard:

    While the trigger guard retains almost all of its deep blue finish, the tang has been worn to bare steel. Good stuff!!


    I took the next two pictures to illustrate how perfectly the wood conforms to the profile of the steel:



    I did not take the action out of the stock nor do I plan to but as far as I can tell, the barrel is free floated. Regardless, there is essentially no gap between the steel and the wood. Where one stops, the other begins. Under close scrutiny, you will find imperfections and evidence of hand fitting but the overall impression is that the builder really, really cared about his craft. In my view, the abundant evidence of the human hand at work is what really makes this rifle come alive.


    The rear sight has two settings. 100 (I assume meters):


    And 300:

    Notice the fine stippling on the rear of the sight to reduce glare. The 300m sight cannot be flipped up with the scope mounted.


    On the left side of the receiver, the stock is relieved for a bulge in the action:

    Steyr did this in case the customer wished to use a side mount scope. If my research is correct, what you are looking at is a removeable steel plate. With the plate removed, the stock is now relieved so that you can drill and tap the action for a side mount scope mount. Stoeger sold several options or you could provide your own. As already illustrated, the original owner of this rifle opted for the factory installed quick disconnect option instead. Below is a page from the Stoeger catalog of that time illustrating the mount used on this rifle:



    When the Mannlicher Schoenauer was originally designed, it used a typical flag safety which was so common at the time. This safety worked well and was a fine design element as it both blocked the striker from falling and locked the action closed. However, it was useless with an optic because unless the scope was raised abnormally high, the safety would impact the rear bell housing on the scope, preventing the user from applying the safety. On rifles made prior to WWII this was not really an issue as the vast majority of hunters used the supplied iron sights. After WWII, the landscape changed and optic became the norm. Rather than completely redesign the bolt assembly, Steyr simply added a second safety in the form of a trigger block and they mounted it on the right rear of the receiver.
    Here, we see the scope removed and both safety applied:

    In practice, both would never be applied. In fact, with the addition of the trigger block safety, I assume that most people would consider the bolt mounted one as something of an appendix; something that exists but has no real use anymore. Whatever the case, notice that the flag safety has a red "S" on it. This lets the user know that the safety has been applied. Also notice that the receiver mounted safety has two red dots; one on the lever and one on the receiver. When both are lined up, the safety is disengaged.


    Here, we see that both safeties are disengaged:

    Keep in mind that this is NOT a Mauser action. On the Mauser, the safety flag has three positions. When pointing to the left, the safety is disengaged. When pointing to the right, it is engaged. When pointing straight up, the bolt can easily be disassembled. On the Mannlicher design, there is no pointing up for disassembly position. There is only left (fire) and right (safe). Without going into unnecessary detail, the picture below should clearly illustrate that the Mannlicher bolt design on this rifle is considerably different than the typical Mauser design:



    Going back to the previous picture, notice that the top of the bolt assembly is stippled to reduce glare. Steyr was doing everything possible to assist the hunter in putting meat on the table:





    We're nearing the end of this mini tutorial but I want to take a quick look at the front of the rifle because it's perhaps my most favorite part. It's an interesting combination of futuristic and traditional. It's sitting still but it also looks like it's going a million miles per hour. It's sleek and classy. It's just wonderful:

    Dig that nose cap. Dig that sight hood. Dig that bare steel crown. Dig that European Walnut extending all the way to the muzzle. Dig that Austrian perfection! There is just soooo much to love here and nothing to hate!!


    Another view showing the front sight form the rear:

    Note the checkering on the sight ramp to reduce glare and the bare steel site blade with rounded finale. Steyr.....classy to the last. I paid $1130 out the door for this rifle. I have absolutely no idea of the market value for this rifle but I consider that price a steal when I consider the modern cost of producing such a fine rifle. If you think I paid too much, let me ask you, what would a new rifle produced today cost with this level of craftsmanship and attention to detail? I guarantee you it would be considerably more than what I paid! That fact alone is enough to satisfy me with regards to this purchase,



    We'll finish up with the scope. It's a Weaver K4-F. As far as I can tell, this unit was made from 1960-69. While made in USA, the F model represents a slow decline in Quality from Weaver. Still, it's considered to be a first class unit for its day and cost around $37-40 when made. It must not be too badly constructed because it's still crystal clear after all these years and judging by its patina, I assume it's been on this rifle since it was new.
    The markings on the body:


    And the duplex reticle:

    It's a simple 4x design without all the modern and fancy range finding and bullet drop compensators. As Obi Wan would say....."A more elegant weapon......for a more.....civilized age". You set it to the range you expected your game to be at and used Kentucky windage from there. This is the world I understand. Today, this same scope sells for about $75. The world has moved on to much more intricate designs. We are much worse off for it and I weep when I bring it to mind.



    Okieodkie, that's all for now. I hope you have enjoyed this short trip down memory lane. Today, this rifle is a derelict and pointless design. But todays thinking is wrong. In my eyes, it represents something completely different. It represents a time before automated machinery......a time when craftsmen mattered and the human hand held sway over the future. To me, the Steyr Model 1956 represents Tradition, Quality and Craftsmanship. It represents a time now past yet necessary if we are to have a future worth living in. It represents Hope.


    As always, thank you Mom for providing me with the tools necessary for making sense of the life I'm living. Thank you for loving me and thank you for caring what I became as a man. Thank you for being you!! And to the reader, thank you for your time and attention. May God bless you and keep you from harm. May He guide you to the light at the end of this life and may He provide for all your future endeavors.
     
    Last edited:

    ToBeFree

    Ultimate Member
    Oct 5, 2011
    2,608
    Highland Cnty-Va
    :thumbsup:
    Damn fine rifle.
    Whenever I'm in different places I look for small Gun shops and browse the used selections.
    Unbelievable what you can find!

    Good Job.
     

    TheOriginalMexicanBob

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 2, 2017
    31,902
    Sun City West, AZ
    My Winchester Model 70 Mannlicher...not nearly as elegant as the one shown by the OP but I've always liked it. Winchester made exactly 2401 of them...19" barrel with full stock.
    Model-70-right.jpg


    Model-70-left.jpg
     

    Czechnologist

    Concerned Citizen
    Mar 9, 2016
    6,522
    The only thing that surprises me is that you hadn't bought one sooner, given your appreciation for vintage wood and steel.

    Rifles in full-length Mannlicher stocks look old-world classy. They've always been extremely popular among hunters on the other side of the pond but the knock against them is the inherent issues with POA/POI shifts due to atmospheric influences on the full-length wood stock. That may be part of the reason why they never gained the same level of popularity here as they did over there, just like the front/rear trigger set-up.
     

    Combloc

    Stop Negassing me!!!!!
    Nov 10, 2010
    7,166
    In a House
    This was the first one I'd ever run across for sale and I don't think I'd be comfortable buying something like this without inspecting it first. I have absolutely no idea what it's market value is but I paid $1130 out the door.
     

    sxs

    Senior Member
    MDS Supporter
    Nov 20, 2009
    3,366
    Anne Arundel County, MD
    Those guns have values that can go from 900 to 1k for a well used one (but not abused) with iron sights only to around 3k for a mint condition one (or even more for certain rare variants or this with engraving). I have 2...a 1956 Carbine in 30.06 similar to yours with hunter wear and handling marks that I inherited from a much older man who took me under his wing and got me into more hunting that I had done previous to meeting him and also gun shows. That rifle was used by him, with iron sights, to hunt deer. I also have a 1956 Rifle (1/2 stock) in .244 Remington with a G&H Side mount and Leupold scope. At one time I had 3 other of the Schoenauers plus a nice Greifelt with a Mannlicher Stock in 8mm and a Ruger 77 International in .308. My interest in Mannlicher Schoenauers was piqued by my friends gun that I drooled over. When he died in 1998, his widow informed me that he instructed her to give me that firearm if anything ever happened to him. And so I have it. I was (and still am) a sucker for nice guns and the Schoenauers are my favorites. Back when I first developed an interest, perhaps the top collector in the country was Max Chiitick who collected a lot of information on them in the form of ads and various informative articles plus some of his own copious notes. At that time he would sell you a 'book' (really a binder of photocopies of his collected info) for 40 bucks. I have one of those books. Now, if I can remember where I stored that, I might could get you some further information on them if you are interested. I'll try to look around to see where I put it. By the way, the first MS rifle came out in 1903 in 6.5 ms. That 6.5 MS was used for virtually everything in Africa including elephant! The last models were the MCAs which came out, IIRC in 1961 and sales ended in the early 70s. The MCA models, both rifle and carbine were the first to have factory scope mounts on top of the receiver. Prior to that some were customized for top mounts sometimes including claw mounts, but various sidemounts made by Pacmayr (a tip over mount) Jaeger, Weaver, and Echo were often utilized as well as the G&H which is considered the most desirable sidemount with Jaeger coming in close behind.
     

    Combloc

    Stop Negassing me!!!!!
    Nov 10, 2010
    7,166
    In a House
    Thank you for such an informative response sir! I am curious about serial numbers if you have any information on that subject. For example, did each model have its own serial number block or was it a continuous run spanning the various models? I'm also interested in numbers produced. I found sources for that information but it required downloading from sites unknown to me so I didn't want to take the risk.
     

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