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14 years ago I was given the barreled action only of a British sporterised, Birmingham proofed Mannlicher – Schoenauer model 1900. There is no maker’s or retailer’s address on the barrel, but there are three serial numbers: The receiver is dated “Steyr 1901” and the Steyr factory number is 98. Then there is the George Gibbs, Bristol, serial number B3452. So it was sporterised by Gibbs and retailed by someone who engraved A808 on the triggerguard, Purdey?
The photo shows it beneath my 1905 dated G.Gibbs Mannlicher – Schoenauer M 1903 # B4843 and above my 1899 G.Gibbs Mannlicher number B3085.

As there was no hope for ever finding a proper Gibbs style stock, I made one myself, trying to ape the British style. As I am no gunsmith, let alone stockmaker, but merely a gun tinkerer and hobbyist, the results were never satisfactory to my eyes.

For years I contemplated about altering the shape, but never did so.
Then, a few weeks ago, a stray M-Sch stock was offered on egun, described as a stock for a Mannlicher – Schoenauer GK. (Well, many Germans are apt to call any true Mannlicher – Schoenauer a “GK”, as 1960s rifles in 7x64 marked GK are the most often encountered here)

To me, the photo looked like if “Gibbs” was written all over. So I bought it at Euro 160.- gross. When it arrived, it turned out to be for a M-S M1903 and of the same dimensions, shape and checkering pattern as the one of my G.Gibbs M95 rifle. On cleaning, I found the remains of a number B6017(?) inside the barrel channel. So it is an original G.Gibbs stock indeed. Some work on the inletting of barrel channel and triggerguard fitted it to my M1900 action perfectly. Here it is, shown below my M95 Gibbs Mannlicher. (It’s just perspective and my photographing inability. Both rifles are of the same size with 26” barrels)

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