Mannlicher-Schönauer

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Mannlicher-Schönauer (Military version)
unavailable
Type	Bolt action Repeater
Place of origin	Austria-Hungary, Greece
Service history
In service	1903 - 1937 (military)
Production history
Designer	Otto Schönauer& Ferdinand Mannlicher
Designed	late 1903
Number built	?
Variants	M1903/14
Specifications
Weight	8.44 lb (3.83 kg)
Length	48.25 in (1226 mm)
Barrel length	28.55 in (725 mm)

Cartridge	6.5 mm × 54 Mannlicher-Schönauer
Action	bolt action
Rate of fire	?
Muzzle velocity	2223 ft/s (678 m/s)
Effective range	?
Feed system	5
Sights	front barleycorn; rear tangent adj. from 200 to 2000 m

The Mannlicher-Schönauer (sometimes Anglicized as "Mannlicher Schoenauer," Hellenized as Τυφέκιον Μάνλιχερ or Όπλον Μάνλιχερ-Σενάουερ) is a type of rotary magazine bolt action rifle adopted by both the Greek and Austrian Armies in 1903.

1 History
2 Improvements
3 See Also
4 Sources
5 External link

[edit] History

A civilian version of the rifle, also introduced in 1903, proved very popular with deer and big game hunters worldwide. In the UK, along with the 7 x 57 Mauser, the 6.5 x 54 MS probably accounted for more red deer during the 20th century than all other rifle cartridges put together. British sportsmen generally preferred a single-trigger mechanism, rather than the double set triggers popular in Europe. The 6.5x54 cartridge fell into disfavour with British deer-stalkers after the passage of the 1963 Deer Act because the bullet's muzzle velocity failed to reach the legally required minimum when fired from typically short, carbine-type MS barrels. The rifle continued to be manufactured in various forms (full, half-stock and take-down models) until 1972, and although production was interrupted during the Second World War, it eventually re-commenced in 1950. The most significant modification to be made to the rifle, during its period of manufacture, was introduced in 1925 when the action was lengthened to accommodate such cartridges as the .30-06 Springfield and .270 Winchester. Although no longer in production, the rifle remains popular due to its aesthetic qualities, compactness, the smoothness of its action and its precision and quality of manufacture. The rifle is also known for its low recoil when chambered for the original 6.5x54 cartridge.

Mannlicher-Schoenauer (Civilian version)

The early years of the 20th century saw what was fundamentally the same rifle being offered in various other, larger Mannlicher-Schoenauer calibres including the 8 x 56 MS, the 9 x 56 MS and the 9.3 x 56 MS, but none of these sold as well as the 1903 Model in 6.5mm.

Ernest Hemingway frequently used the rifle, and mentions it in some of his writings, most notably The Short, Happy Life of Francis Macomber. WDM Bell, a prominent elephant (ivory) hunter in Africa in the early 20th century, also used the rifle in its original 6.5x54 chambering with considerable success. The ability of the diminutive 6.5x54 cartridge to take the largest and most dangerous of the big game species, such as African Elephant and Cape Buffalo, was due in the main to the high sectional density of the 6.5 mm projectiles used in the rifle, although precise placing of the shot was imperative. Because the original factory loads for the 6.5x54 used projectiles that were long and heavy (160 grains) relative to their diameter, they proved capable (in solid form) of very deep penetration through muscle and bone. This, coupled with the relatively low recoil of the fired cartridge, facilitated accurate shot placement into vital organs such as the heart and particularly the brain.

The rifle action was designed by Ferdinand Mannlicher and the rotary magazine by Otto Schönauer of the Österreichische Waffenfabriksgesellschaft (Austrian Arms-Manufacturing Company; now Steyr Mannlicher). This rifle should not be confused with its more widely manufactured cousin, the Steyr-Mannlicher M1895, or the so-called Mannlicher-Carcano, made infamous in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy by Lee Harvey Oswald.

[edit] Improvements

Two Greek-designed improvements for the weapon proposed during its operational use by the Greek Army never materialized: one was the so-called "Philippides design," which failed to go to production in 1925 due to a late submission of designs to Breda, which had undertaken construction in Italy; and another, designed by Lieutenant R. Rigopoulos just before World War II. This latter design incorporated both modified and totally redesigned parts to dramatically increase firing performance. Though approved by the Greek military, the weapon never went into producion due to interruption of test construction in Volos after Greece's entrance to the War^[1].

Ironically, Steyr-Mannlicher currently manufactures a rifle known as the "Classic Mannlicher," which it bills on its website as "a direct descendant of the world famous MANNLICHER [sic] Schoenauer models…" In fact, this rifle is available in almost every modern caliber except the original 6.5 mm × 54 cartridge. Although the modern "Classic" Steyr-Mannlicher rifles still incorporate some original features, like the butter-knife bolt handle, the distinctive actions and rotary (spool) magazines of the original Mannlicher-Schoenauer rifles are no longer used.

High production costs and the difficulty of fitting telescopic sights to the rifles' split receivers eventually resulted in a decision to terminate production in 1972.