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Recently I bought a Mannlicher-Schönauer M1903 Takedown rifle. Oesterr. Waffenfabr.- Ges. Steyr

It is (as all M1903's are in 6.5x54MSch Cal.) it's not quite original in that the rifle was first supplied with a metal butt plate & trap with cleaning rods. The metal plate has been replaced many years ago with a composite butt pad & of course no cleaning rods. But, other than that, the rifle is absolutely original and in quite decent condition - both wood and barrel.
The action is slick as can be...the best!

I took it all to bits this morning and gave it a damn good cleaning.......I love the smell of bore cleaner in the morning! - ......PS....Ssssch....I haven't told my wife of this acquisition yet!! As far as she knows, 'it's an old rifle, been knocking about for years'....and that's the truth. Just not knocking about in my house.

It has a serial number 16020 and a further code stamp underneath as follows: 1779 ' 22 further, underneath again, there is also a stamp: C6.5 ' 22

I am inclined to think, but do not know....1779 is (I think) the Austrian proof house stamp and the ' 22 is the year in which it was proofed - i.e. 1922
The rifle appears to have also been 'Nitroproofed' again in the UK and has a scrolled
(fancy) GV stamp as well as four other 'crown' type stamps. (I since have just discovered it means proofed in UK during King George V reign as Monarch, so 1922 is highly likely to be the year of manufacture)

I am possibly wrong & I understand that, but does anyone have a better idea?
There is very little real info. on the internet on MSch serial numbers...this is due to the unpleasantries of the 1939-1945 conflict when the factory and all its' records were destroyed during the bombing.

I haven't yet fired the rifle and currently am waiting arrival of reloading dies from the USA...also new Norma brass. I have some load data in mind and many thanks to Scotty and my previous records from 1985-1991 when I last owned a stutzen (carbine) version of M1903 MSch.
Cheers, deeangeo

Edited by deeangeo (11/05/15 05:02 PM)

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