In good looking condition and maker marked from Steyr in 1914 on military contract. Greek Mannlicher-Schonauer Model 1903/14 Rifle. Greek Mannlicher Steyr M1903/14 Rifle REF.
Mannlicher Schoenauer S Serial Number 1They were chambered, in order, in the Models 1903, 1905, 19, which makes it easy to keep track of which is which. First came the 6.5x54 (1903), then the 9x56 (1905), 8x56 (1908) and finally the 9.5x57 in 1910. What then, are the Mannlicher-Schoenauer cartridges The pure Mannlicher-Schoenauer proprietary cartridges as chambered in the firearms of the SteyrWerke are as follows, (1) 6.5x54mm M-S of 1903, (2) 9x56mm M-S of 1905, (3) 8x56mm M-S of 1908, (4) 9.5x56mm M-S of 1910 (more on the names.The 9x56 M-S was the second of four in the early series of rimless cartridges introduced by Steyr-Mannlicher. Looks like an early Mannlicher Schoenauer.Surprisingly, the best group, printing exactly where the sights were aligned (a six-o’clock hold at 50 yards) was obtained with the Hornady 125-grain HAP at 1,562 fps, powered by IMR Trail Boss.With serial number 1 until 1973 with serial number.Which can make life exceedingly confusing.In the 9x56 M-S and 9x57 Mauser, the dimensional differences are so slight as to be invisible to the naked eye. Except, sometimes they are. Except, they are not supposed to be. Fortunately, Quality Cartridge now offers brass and Redding stocks dies. How well it actually worked is anyone’s guess, but at least it provided usable brass for handloaders.Last year, I acquired a Mannlicher Model 1905 and set about finding ammunition for it. It accomplished this seeming impossibility by adopting all the minimum dimensions and keeping pressures exceedingly low. In theory, this should mean that it cannot chamber in a 9x57 rifle (but sometimes it can) while the 9x57 should not chamber in a 9x56, except – you guessed it – sometimes it can, too.In the 1930s, Remington produced hybrid 9x56/9x57 ammunition that was supposed to work in either. Haenal built on an early Mannlicher-type action, just to see what would happen, and it happily chambers all of it, including the 9x56 that it’s not supposed to. Baffled, I tried all four variations in my 9x57 rifle, a C.G. The choice of IMR-4064 or IMR-3031 would depend on which is more accurate with the 165- or 170-grain bullets, while Trail Boss and the Hornady 125-grain HAP proved an accurate and hard-hitting small-game combination.None of this is going according to the script. To add to the merriment, Quality Cartridge 8x56 M-S brass chambers in it perfectly, but I did not have enough to neck up for this little project.Three powders that all performed well, albeit with different bullets. This suggests that my chamber is exceedingly tight, to the point of not meeting CIP specifications, because as far as I can tell, the Quality Cartridge brass is dimensionally perfect. The excess-pressure signs were disquieting, and I abandoned the effort.The original 9x56 M-S factory load fired a 205-grain bullet at 2,114 feet per second (fps), which is almost identical to the. Of five identical rounds, two had flattened primers and stiff bolt lifts while the other three were quite mild, and the extreme spread in velocity was an astonishing 445 fps. 356-inch, 200- and 250-grain spire points from Buffalo Arms and tried them in the preliminary testing. 351 Winchester Self-Loading cartridge, and Berry’s plated 124-grain hollowpoints (.356) made for the 9mm Luger.I also obtained some. 352 roundnose bullets intended for the. However, it has a 17.7-inch barrel, the same as the Model 1903, when all the sources insist the ’05, ’08 and ’10 models had 20-inch barrels. The name and model engraved on the action ring – Patent Mannlicher-Schönauer Model 1905 – is fine, and the adjacent serial number – 3xxx – suggests early manufacture. This becomes a real asset when you drop down to a 170-grain bullet.The 9x56mm M-S dies are a stock item with Redding, but bullets and brass proved to be more of a problem.The rifle I obtained appears to be an all-original Model 1905 until you look at it closely. 35 Remington level, and has the added advantage of using a spitzer bullet. Switch a 1903 (6.5x54 M-S) magazine with a 1908 (8x56 M-S) and it will probably work poorly at best. All we are left with is conjecture, and a sweet little rifle that is a pleasure to carry and a joy to shoot, hybrid though it must be.One of the tricky things about shooting any of the early Mannlicher-Schönauers is that the spool magazines were sculpted to fit one cartridge and bullet combination, and no other. All of these are questions that can never be answered since the Russians seized the Steyr records in 1945. The stock is numbered 13xxx, and lacks the cheekpiece which was a standard feature on every Mannlicher I’ve ever seen, from the very earliest.Given all of the above, could it have been chambered for the 9x57 Mauser instead of the 9x56? There is no indication the barrel has been altered in any way, and if it was opened up to accept the 9x57, then standard 9x56 should still chamber in it. (It was standard on the 1950 and subsequent models.) Since the serial number on the bolt does not match the one on the barrel, it was obviously switched at some point, either deliberately or accidentally. Accordingly, creating ammunition is something that must be approached cautiously, with an eye to getting a few reasonable loads that provide the performance you want.Hornady bullets proved to be the most useful in the 9x56 M-S.The two Hornady bullets are almost ideal. Until you saddle up and climb aboard, you are not sure how they will react or what they require. Unlike buying a car, where you fill it with gas and drive away, these are more like horses. My 1905 is one of the latter.Beautifully made and finished though they are, the entire series of early Mannlicher sporting rifles – in my experience and, apparently, in Ken Waters’ as well – need to be treated as individuals. Fortunately, this turned out not to be a problem, unlike my 1903, which stubbornly insists on long, roundnose 140- to 160-grain bullets, or it won’t feed at all.With some rifles, you search for the best combination of bullet weight, velocity and accuracy to create the optimum hunting or target load with others, you end up desperately seeking anything – anything – that works. And yes, I tried both begging and bribery. 35 Remington in a tubular magazine, but both work just fine in my Mannlicher 1905.Another bullet that could be useful is any 147-grain, solid or hollowpoint, made for the 9mm, but they were also unobtainable. 350 Legend, and the 165-grain Flex-Tip for the. Exactly what you would use a 125-grain hollowpoint for, in a rifle like this, I really have no idea. 356 inch, I wanted to keep pressures down, and loaded it light. Because the bullet measures. Thanks, but no.Fortunately, I have a good supply of Hornady 125-grain hollowpoints made for 9mm pistol cartridges. Uninstall cleaner app from macThere is a digital rendering of the Powley found at kwk.us, and using the same data, it suggested a load of IMR-3031 that was six grains lighter! Accordingly, I started with it (see table).The medium bore, medium power class of cartridges, from left: (1). Some calculations with the old Powley Computer suggested IMR-3031 as the ideal powder (as I suspected it would) but recommended a load that seemed excessive. Velocities were low and varied, and accuracy was nonexistent.This left the Hornady 170 and 165 FTX. 352-inch, 180-grain Graf & Sons solid proved to be so erratic that I abandoned it early on. Either powder at around 51 or 52 grains fills the case almost to the mouth.All of this experimentation was done with the resized 9.3x57 brass, which has a capacity of 61 grains of water, while the refashioned Hayley brass holds 58.5. It’s really a question of which is more accurate in your rifle. Hodgdon H-4895 delivered low velocities with unacceptable variations, while IMR-4064’s performance was comparable to the IMR-3031. 358 Winchester in power.With this as a basis, I tried both IMR-4064 and H-4895 for comparison. The 9x56 falls between the.
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