There are no marks on this rifle but I think it's one of the many Mauser variations. We took this in at the gun shop but we can't ID it. The we bought it from called it a German Boar hunting gun- Thanks for any help.
Anybody know what this rifle is? Mauser?
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OFT II
US Veteran
That looks like a Mannlicher Steyr sporting rifle. Any idea of what caliber it is?
BlackTalonJHP
Member
Looks exactly like a Mannlicher design. Does it take an en bloc clip? Is there a hole in the bottom of the magazine?
BlackTalonJHP
Member
Now that I look closer I can see the en bloc clip peeking through the bottom of the magazine well, so yes it is a Mannlicher.
Definitely Mannlicher. If still the original caliber (and the presence of the clip suggests that it is), probably 8x56mm Mannlicher caliber. Many militarys were converted to 8x57mm Mauser, indicated by a stamped letter "S."
Bob
Bob
Here's some more clues-
There are no stamping on the barrel of any kind except under the under side of the barrel there are the numbers, "470" and "532". On the under side of the bolt nob is the stamped number "532". On the stock under thwe barrel where it can not be seen unless the barrel is removed is written on the wood, "532 Meijer". The stock appears to be completely hand made and checkered. The very old bullets they came with the rifle have "8mm" on the base. Also, there is a stag horn ring around the tip of the barrel- the barrel is about 19".
There are no stamping on the barrel of any kind except under the under side of the barrel there are the numbers, "470" and "532". On the under side of the bolt nob is the stamped number "532". On the stock under thwe barrel where it can not be seen unless the barrel is removed is written on the wood, "532 Meijer". The stock appears to be completely hand made and checkered. The very old bullets they came with the rifle have "8mm" on the base. Also, there is a stag horn ring around the tip of the barrel- the barrel is about 19".
LVSteve
Member
Mannlicher straight pull of some kind. You see the milsurp ones advertised as Model 1895 or 1895/34, depending on the mod state and where they came from.
If it came from Germany it may be in some funky non-standard caliber, like 8.15 or something. It had to do with the Versaille treaty and what were counted as military arms.
If it came from Germany it may be in some funky non-standard caliber, like 8.15 or something. It had to do with the Versaille treaty and what were counted as military arms.
Smokin' Iron
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You can take it to a gunsmith and have a chamber cast done. The casting can be measured to determine what caliber it is.
Thanks all. So, I'm getting that this is a Steyr-Mannlicker, probably 8x56mm, 19" barrel, straight pull bolt, en bloc clip that has been customized by someone named, "Meijer" who machined off all outward markings, added a custom stock a stag horn ring around the tip of the barrel, a set trigger set-up and added his "serial" number 532. I have found the Austrian coat of arms stamped on the removable clip. From what I see on GB, these guns as stock are not worth much. But this one being well customized might bring more- it's light, quick to bring up, and has a great set trigger.
LVSteve
Member
Some Mannlichers were modded for 7.92x57 (8mm Mauser by any other name) rimless ammo like the Yugoslav M95M and the Bulgarian (I think) 95/24. It might give another clue on the caliber.
It is most likely in 8x56R but if it was done early in the 20th century then it could be in 8x50R.
jlrhiner
US Veteran
Mannlicher-Schonaur (sp?) I had one alooong time ago (7mm I believe) that had the double set triggers. It was factory Mannlicher. The way that magazine housing is built, it looks original.
Random thoughts.
Random thoughts.
LVSteve
Member
Wasn't the Mannlicher Schoenauer the one with the slick rotary mag?
Texas Star
US Veteran
Yes, and Rhiner is 'way off base on the bolt, too. This is a straight - pull action!
The Mannlicher-Schoenauer has a normal turning bolt, like a Mauser or Enfield in that regard. The Greeks adopted it in 1903, but it's much better known for use in sporting rifles and full-stocked (stutzen) carbines. They may have single or double-set triggers. Most have flat bolt handles.
The M-S M-1908 sporting arms were in caliber 8X56mm Mannlicher-Schoenaur. (Rimless. Looks a lot like 8X57mm Mauser.) I had one, and loved it. But ammo was hard to find. Speer imported some from DWM years ago, but not lately. I also got a box of Western brand US-loaded ammo from the 1930's. It's a weaker-loaded round than modern 8x57mmS Mauser ammo.
The rifle shown is probably chambered for some other ctg. with a rim. It looks like a German or Austrian custom gunsmith made it, probably between WWI and WW II.
You'll need a chamber cast and a copy of, "Cartridges of the World." No telling which round it takes.
It might be a "German boar-hunting rifle." Or a German rehbok (roe deer) or red deer, etc. rifle...depending on what was being hunted that day. Maybe chamois in the Alps. Maybe a fox. You get the idea. "German boar-hunting rifle" is just gun show sales hype by an ignoramus who doesn't know what it is.
The action was probably made by Waffenfabrik Steyr.
The rotary magazine on the quite different M-S rifles was designed by Otto Schoenauer. The other designer was Ferdinand Ritter von Mannlicher. I'm sure you can find him on Wiki, etc. He was a major rival of Mauser.
Mannlicher military rifles were used by Austria-Hungary, Holland, Romania, etc.
My bet is that it's a Model 1895 Steyr-Mannlicher chambered in the standard 8x56Rmm military round. The adaptation of the double set trigger is a nice touch and I would further bet that it's a nice shooter. Plenty of mil-surp ammo available right now (on clips), and unless I misremember, it can be formed from 7.62x54R.
Larry
Larry
jlrhiner
US Veteran
Those guys are right. Mine loaded rounds singly into the magazine, not by clip.
Forget I was here.
Forget I was here.
Sporter built on the Austrian M95. The original Military caliber was 8x50R.
A true 8mm at .323 groove diameter. You can make cases by reforming 7.62 Russian cases.
Most all the 8x50R versions of the Austrian Military rifle and Carbine were converted by the Germans once they took over Austria & the Steyr Works
to 8x56R.
The 'K' inspector mark(s) on the action are Steyr Works/Austria mark.
THe M95 is a common fairly recent surplus arm on the market,most altered to carbine form in the 1930's, some in the mid sized 'Steutzen' (sp?) lenght. Original (long) rifles are somewhat hard to find anymore.
8x56R has a slightly larger bore dia at .329 and longer case of course.
Caliber conversions (Military bbls) usually have an 'S' on the top of the bbl along with (19)37, 38, ect w/ W/eagle Vienna proof house markings.
I think the carbines were produced during WW2 at the Hungarian arsenal under German control also.
I think the rifle (action) in the OP might have come from a 8x56R miltary because the front receiver ring has the small cut out to allow the bullet nose to pass easily during loading of the enbloc. That wasn't necessary on the earlier caliber 8x50R.
But,,, it may just be an element added during the sporter process as a necessity because of a caliber change too.
You really need to check carefully to determine caliber/case. There's lot's of '8mm's' too!
Both Military versions used the 5rd enbloc clip. The market was flooded with the ammo in the 90's. Original late 30's German mfg in original marked packaging & clips.
2 5rd enbloc clips to a box. I remember paying 99cents a box for them at gunshows.
If a pre-War made sporter,none of those markings or conversion would apply of course.
Also, it is not all that uncommon to find these 95'sporters in other calibers , some metric, some rimless, even some US sounding calibers even though made in Europe between the wars or even before WW1.
Gunsmiths of the period converted many of these to sporters. Some using the original bbl, some rebbling them.s of
Never in the numbers of Mauser bolt rifles of course. But almost no Military rifle escaped the sporter rifle makers bench. No different there than here.
The DSTs are always a nice touch and almost a given that they'll appear on a European made sporter.
The Yugo conversion was the M95M. It used a sheet metal insert 3 sided magazine of sorts to enable the use conversion to standard 8mm Mauser. The insert remained permanetly inside the mag well of the assembled rifle. CArtridges are loaded singly or with standard Mauser stripper clips. No enbloc clip falling from the rifle after the last round is chambered.
They also have an extractor conversion on the bolt for the rimless case, which along with the mag insert is often missing on these rifles when offered for sale. Check carefully as neither part is easy to find nor cheap. I sold a mag insert alone a couple years ago for $70.
With that, they can also be re-bbl'd and made into most any standard round with the '06 head size and 57mm case length or slightly shorter and still work nicely. Some think they are only marginally safe with the 8mm Mauser round. I shot a couple for many years w/surplus ammo w/o any problems,bolt set back, ect. I wouldn't push them too hard though!
They were a bit brutal in the recoil dept as are the little 8x56R carbines.
A true 8mm at .323 groove diameter. You can make cases by reforming 7.62 Russian cases.
Most all the 8x50R versions of the Austrian Military rifle and Carbine were converted by the Germans once they took over Austria & the Steyr Works
to 8x56R.
The 'K' inspector mark(s) on the action are Steyr Works/Austria mark.
THe M95 is a common fairly recent surplus arm on the market,most altered to carbine form in the 1930's, some in the mid sized 'Steutzen' (sp?) lenght. Original (long) rifles are somewhat hard to find anymore.
8x56R has a slightly larger bore dia at .329 and longer case of course.
Caliber conversions (Military bbls) usually have an 'S' on the top of the bbl along with (19)37, 38, ect w/ W/eagle Vienna proof house markings.
I think the carbines were produced during WW2 at the Hungarian arsenal under German control also.
I think the rifle (action) in the OP might have come from a 8x56R miltary because the front receiver ring has the small cut out to allow the bullet nose to pass easily during loading of the enbloc. That wasn't necessary on the earlier caliber 8x50R.
But,,, it may just be an element added during the sporter process as a necessity because of a caliber change too.
You really need to check carefully to determine caliber/case. There's lot's of '8mm's' too!
Both Military versions used the 5rd enbloc clip. The market was flooded with the ammo in the 90's. Original late 30's German mfg in original marked packaging & clips.
2 5rd enbloc clips to a box. I remember paying 99cents a box for them at gunshows.
If a pre-War made sporter,none of those markings or conversion would apply of course.
Also, it is not all that uncommon to find these 95'sporters in other calibers , some metric, some rimless, even some US sounding calibers even though made in Europe between the wars or even before WW1.
Gunsmiths of the period converted many of these to sporters. Some using the original bbl, some rebbling them.s of
Never in the numbers of Mauser bolt rifles of course. But almost no Military rifle escaped the sporter rifle makers bench. No different there than here.
The DSTs are always a nice touch and almost a given that they'll appear on a European made sporter.
The Yugo conversion was the M95M. It used a sheet metal insert 3 sided magazine of sorts to enable the use conversion to standard 8mm Mauser. The insert remained permanetly inside the mag well of the assembled rifle. CArtridges are loaded singly or with standard Mauser stripper clips. No enbloc clip falling from the rifle after the last round is chambered.
They also have an extractor conversion on the bolt for the rimless case, which along with the mag insert is often missing on these rifles when offered for sale. Check carefully as neither part is easy to find nor cheap. I sold a mag insert alone a couple years ago for $70.
With that, they can also be re-bbl'd and made into most any standard round with the '06 head size and 57mm case length or slightly shorter and still work nicely. Some think they are only marginally safe with the 8mm Mauser round. I shot a couple for many years w/surplus ammo w/o any problems,bolt set back, ect. I wouldn't push them too hard though!
They were a bit brutal in the recoil dept as are the little 8x56R carbines.
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deadin
US Veteran
Years ago I had one of those gunsmithed Steyr straight pulls. It had been tastefully made into a "stalking rifle" with a light weight cheekpiece stock , a 18" pencil thin barrel with a full rib, double set triggers and a 3 leaf express sight. It was sweet little thing and kicked like a mule! (It was in 8x50R and weighed less than 6 lbs. ) The other thing I remember was that you could only get about 3 shots off before the barrel started warping from the heat and the accuracy went all to pieces. Let it cool off and everything was fine again. This was OK because my shoulder could also only take about 3 shots at a time.
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