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Francis, you first called the rifle a 375 however you now are saying it is a 9.3x63, confused. The label in the rifle case says it is a 375 Express and I believe it also is saying its for 40 grs of cordite. The 375 express would be the same as a 9.5x56, sometimes referred to as the 9.5x57. Can you please recheck and clear up my confusion? Thanks

Very nice looking rifle and look forward to seeing additional pictures. I am quite interested in details of the takedown feature. So any picture of that and discussion of the details around it will be most appreciated. I am currently starting work on a Steyr M1895, marked 1896, which I want to make into a takedown also.

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Now that I finally gained access to the OP photo (entered url as search), I see that to which you're referring:










It appears to be a rather nice cased H&H Mannlicher Schoenauer, possibly chambered for the H&H .375 Velopex which competed with the 9.5X57 Mannlicher Schoenauer. If it were .375 RNE (9.5X57MS) it would be proofed for a 43 grain cordite charge, the .375 H&H Magnum used 58 grains Cordite for a 300 grain projectile, 61 for a 270, and 62 grains to push a 235 grain pill.

Excerpt from an article found on the 'net (http://unionsportsmen.org/top-contender-for-elusive-title-as-best-all-around-rifle/):
"The .375 H&H Magnum was introduced by the great British gunmaking firm of Holland & Holland in 1912. It was not their first attempt at a .375-caliber cartridge. At the beginning of the 19th Century inexpensive European bolt actions, mostly Mannlichers and Mausers, were cutting deeply into the British gun trade. One of the popular numbers was the 9.5mm Mannlicher-Schoenauer, a mild but very useful cartridge with bullet diameter of .375-inch. In 1905 Holland countered with the .375 Nitro Express, also called “.375 Velopex.” The cartridge was an anemic flop, best remembered for two things: It was the first commercial belted cartridge, and it was the forerunner to Holland & Holland’s most enduring cartridge development, the .375 H&H Magnum."

Here is an American Rifleman article about early .375 cartridges: Article

Francis had indicated that the receiver side rail is marked '1905' (Steyr 1905?) which would indicate that it was built on a Y1903 ('Greek') military MS receiver, which is consistent with the knob bolt handle.

Assuming rifle matches case, I believe it was built for a customer or shop in India as evidenced by the case label listing ammunition availability in Bombay, Calcutta and Lahore.

The Holland and Holland serial number 24334 should be a sufficient key to unlock its past.

The checkering looks similar to that shown in this image from the 1939 Stoeger catalog:



Edited by Rothhammer1 (23/08/20 05:42 PM)

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