| 6.5x54 Mannlicher-Schönauer | ||
|---|---|---|
| Type | Rifle | |
| Place of origin | Austria | |
| Specifications | ||
| Case type | Rimless | |
| Bullet diameter | .264 in (6.7 mm) | |
| Neck diameter | .295 in (7.5 mm) | |
| Shoulder diameter | .428 in (10.9 mm) | |
| Base diameter | .452 in (11.5 mm) | |
| Rim diameter | .454 in (11.5 mm) | |
| Case length | 2.11 in (54 mm) | |
| Overall length | 3.00 in (76 mm) | |
| Case capacity | 44.5 gr H2O (2.893 cm³) | |
| Rifling twist | 1 in 9" | |
| Primer type | Large Rifle | |
| Ballistic performance | ||
| Bullet weight/type | Velocity | Energy |
| 139 gr (9.0 g) Norma | 2,580 ft/s (790 m/s) | 1,598 ft·lbf (2,167 J) |
| 159 gr (10.3 g) RWS | 2,170 ft/s (660 m/s) | 1,528 ft·lbf (2,072 J) |
| Test barrel length: 17.5 Source(s): Factory advertised velocity |
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The 6.5x54 Mannlicher-Schönauer also known as 6.5x54 Mannlicher-Schönauer Greek is a 6.5 mm (.264" cal.) rifle cartridge used in the Mannlicher-Schönauer rifle. 6.5 mm bullets are typically known for their high ballistic coefficients and sectional density, which gives them great stability in flight, resistance to wind deflection, and excellent penetration.
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Among professional elephant hunters of the 19th and 20th centuries, Walter Dalrymple Maitland "Karamojo" Bell, who shot more than 1,500 elephants[1] in the period 1895-1930, had a very high regard for the 6.5 mm Mannlicher-Schoenauer, using it for approximately 300 of these kills[2]. Daniel Fraser of Edinburgh, Scotland build him a special, lightweight rifle in that calibre. He only set it aside when he was unable to acquire dependable ammunition for it, and turned to a .275 Rigby Mauser magazine rifle instead. The .275 Rigby cartridge is interchangeable with the 7 x 57 mm Mauser. Bell's legendary name has remained closely linked with the 7 mm Mauser, but the 6.5 Mann.-Sch. was his first preference.
The American cartridge, the .257 Roberts also demonstrates many of the virtues of the 6.5 x 54 mm. The .257 Roberts was originally designed as a wildcat cartridge by Ned Roberts, and is based on the 7 x 57 mm cartridge. Note that the 6.5 x 54 mm shoots a .264" bullet[3].
The 6.5 x 54 mm was referred to by the writer Ernest Hemingway as the .256 Mannlicher. Though it never replaced his favorite 30-06 Springfield, he did speak highly of it as a lion cartridge, and it was the favorite of his African guide and professional hunter Phillip Percival[4]. The Kenya game warden and naturalist A. Blaney Percival also favored the 6.5 x 54 mm[5].
In part, the 6.5 x 54 mm's reputation stems from its use of a 160-grain (10 g) bullet, giving the projectile very high sectional density and therefore penetrating ability. It requires a fast rate-of-twist rifling (about 1 in 9") to stabilize such a long bullet.
The 6.5x54 Mannlicher-Schönauer cartridge was adopted by the Greek Army, along with the Mannlicher-Schönauer rifle in 1903. From 1906 till the German invasion and capitulation of Greece in April 1941, was the standard military cartridge of the Greek Army. During the German occupation was used by Greek resistance fighters and during the Greek Civil War (1946 - 1949) by the Greek Gendarmerie, militia units and even Communist fighters of the Democratic Army of Greece [6] [7]
The Austrian Army used the 6.5x54 Mannlicher-Schönauer cartridge during World War I. Some Austrian Army regiments and the Polish Legion, were armed with confiscated Mannlicher-Schönauer rifles produced for the Greek Army. Also the Austrian Army used the 6.5x54 Mannlicher-Schönauer cartridge in converted Arisaka 6.50x50 rifles captured from the Russian Army.