Hello Austrian firearms experts:

I'm writing a story about a MS 1903 rifle which I would like to be as historically accurate as possible.

My understanding is that this rifle model, and my example, was forged at Steyr circa 1914. But the inside of the rifle stock is stamped "Vienna". Were actions always stocked in Vienna (~100 miles away)? This is a left-hand stock, so must have been a special order. Any idea what part of the city a finishing shop would have been located in, or where a retail purchaser would have picked up a special order gun in Vienna back then?

Steyr was a Satellite Stamping Station to the main proof facility of Vienna. I assume it was within the Steyr weapons making compound?

Cheers,

Raimey
rse

Raimey:

Thank you for the reply.

So when all factory records were lost (or destroyed?), was the loss likely in Vienna or at Steyr, and following WWI when firearms manufacture was interrupted by treaty, or by bombing of WWII?

I don't think the records were destroyed, but I can't say. Possibly Mr. Neuberger might have knowledge.

Cheers,

Raimey
rse

Hello GG,
Are you sure the stock is stamped "Vienna", not Wien or Vienne?
What is the serial number of the rifle? Is there a different number inside stock?
In the time period indicated the main distributor/dealer for the Steyr hunting arms was Johann Springer's Erben Wien (the other was Nowotny Prague); so this could be the maker/provider of the custom stock. Springer's still keep the old records.
Since the Steyr Gun Room decorated by Russian POWs during WWI is still preserved in the factory I would say there is good chance the old records are in existance, somewhere. As Raimey says, Mr Felix Neuberger should know more about the fate of the Steyr archives.
With kind regards,
Jani

When you give advice to Grouse Guy, just remember that you will be helping an extreme anti-lead ammunition advocate who worked very hard to get lead ammunition banned for hunting in Montana.

Ben Deeble (Grouse Guy) has a long history here of dumping hundreds of links to junk science in support of lead ammunition bans. We all should understand that banning lead ammunition is a back door approach to make hunting and shooting unaffordable to the masses. Ben is no friend to those of us who own vintage doubles.

Ask Ben about getting busted for poaching a deer the day before the season opened, on posted land. For some reason, he doesn't like to talk about that.

Hello Jani: I've just seen your response, and thanks for it. I'll pull the stock and take another look at the marks, as it has been a few years, and get back to you. Regards, Ben

....Oraculum Vindobonensis ..
Has looked into this inqiry and with the detected profile of
the interrogator has decided to switch into
the quiescence/off mode of operation.
Thus no wisdom/answer to any
.. anti-lead proponent/advocatus/apostle
.. anti-reared pheasants proponent/advocatus/apostle
.. anti hunt proponent/advocatus/apostle
.. pro wolf/proponent/advocatus/apostle
.. anti everything...
There is a common denominator with many of these
anti folks..
.. they are "unsackable civil servants" or
yuupies / which stands for
young urban unprofessionals, some of them
"Ewige Studenten" with 30+ semesters of sociology/
polit-science trying with some provocative
action to gain PR to end up with an overpaid
MP job.
(Nice example is the recent story of a "Stinke Finger and
champagne in the the other hand" )
... Life is all about show , but why such shabby
subaltern misery show ...

..
The "Oraculum Vindobonensis " has spoken..
..FN..

Well, well. Trump has one fan in Europe. I hope he enjoys his solitude. Felix, for your information, it's not 1955. You fell asleep, and the world moved on. Look around.

Yes Felix... The world has changed. Years ago, mentally ill people like rocky mtn bill were locked up in mental hospitals. Now they are out on the steeets babbling and complaining about a President who supports our gun rights and actually works to make his country better. Some such as Billy claim to be gun owners, yet they support the anti-gun Liberal Left Democrats who work relentlessly to infringe upon the 2nd Amendment Rights of law abiding citizens.

Hello Montenegrin:

Sorry to be so slow getting back to you... I've been traveling.

The # of the M1903 is5633. This is one of a pair (sequential serial #s), and it is actually the other one that is marked "Vienne". I can't find any marks on the stock of the custom LH gun, but it does have a rather unique clip-on cheek piece for scope use (in addition to the raised cheek piece on the right side of the butt) marked "D.R.G.M." on the metal.

Regards,
GrouseGuy

With the D.R.G.M. it was possibly (re)stocked in Germany, or at least with German parts for the cheek piece.
Mike

When I was more rifleman than bird shooter some 60 years ago, I was attracted to all the interest in the Mannlicher Schoenauer, mostly because of the calibre. It looked cool and practical. (I almost bit.) What is the main reason for its popularity to this day?

The detailed machining and hand-fitting that went into the M-S guns were almost second-to-none, and they handle like a fine shotgun. They were fairly expensive, even for their day. Nobody is quite sure how the Greek army could afford them. E. Hemingway both wrote about the gun, and often carried one on the Pilar.
Today the 6.5mm is still considered to be one of the most efficient projectiles ever engineered, with both high b.c. and s.d., so even though it starts "slow" out of the 6.5X54 at around 2,600fps, it also sheds velocity slowly and is likely to punch deeply through any game. Mine at over a century old shoots bug-hole groups with 140 Hornady Interlocks.

Thanks. I didn't factor M-S b.c and s.d.features. I settled in 1950 on CZ Brno 7 X 57. You've raised my curiosity again.

Mannlicher-Schoenauer Vs. Mauser (& clones):
I have had a lot of experiece with Mausers since my teens. But at age 20 I bought myself my first M-S ...
Almost half a century later I have a couple of '98 Mausers, both redone by famous Ferlach gunmakers, one "modern" Mauser M226 (KDF-Kleinguenther), and around eight 'Schoenauers of most ages (1903-1950). I prefer the vintage Steyr product by far. If I could keep only one magazine rifle it would likely be my pre-WWI M1905 stutzen converted to 6.5x57. Smooth as silk and a joy to shoot and carry.

With kind regards,
Jani