The Steyr Männlicher

The latest Safari Magazine from SCI, May/June 2016, has a great article about a couple of European hunting rifles, and an interesting-sounding Remington. Steyr isn't mentioned, but it looks like you could do better for the money.
I see Steyr still has a line called Luxus, with a wood stock and multiple-caliber capability, but it's not a mannlicher. Switch-barrel rifles are intriguing, but usually pretty pricey.
 
Just because a gun has some of its main parts made out of plastic doesn't mean its a bad gun. Look at the Glock, its a top gun in terms of reliability and popularity, and many of its main parts are made out of polymer plastic. And its from the same country as the Steyr Mannlicher, Austria.
Click to expand...

Really depends on the quality of the plastic. Never heard of a Glock (or any of the ~100 other polymer framed pistols) needing a replacement frame from sitting unused in a gun safe for 20 years.

Like I said, If I was planning on dropping $2K on a rifle, I would look elsewhere. A Cooper is not much more than that.

You could buy a used Remington 700, throw away everything but the action and have a gunsmith build something for less than $2K. I did just that for my long range rig.

Doing some quick searching, a Kreiger barrel blank is ~$325, A McMillan stock is ~$500, It will probably cost you $500 or so for a smith to true the action, install the barrel and chamber it.
 
You could buy a used Remington 700, throw away everything but the action and have a gunsmith build something for less than $2K. I did just that for my long range rig.
Click to expand...

So maybe I could do that with my Remington 750 and get something as good as or better than a Steyr Mannlicher?
 
I don't know, but I doubt it. The semi auto Remingtons don't have a great reputation for accuracy.

What are you planning on using this rifle for, and what made you decide you wanted a Steyr?
 
I don't know, but I doubt it. The semi auto Remingtons don't have a great reputation for accuracy.

What are you planning on using this rifle for, and what made you decide you wanted a Steyr?
Click to expand...

With my Remington 750 in 30-06 I was able to hit a target about twice the diameter of a coffee mug from 100 yards away, so they're accurate enough.

As for what I plan to use it for, mainly hunting but also for sport and target shooting. As for why I want a Steyr, I was first impressed with some of the videos on youtube about it such as the one I posted earlier in the thread and so I did some research and talked to people at local gun shops including my favorite gun shop and they told me that the Steyr Mannlicher is a high end rifle of higher quality than Remington, Winchester or even Browning. And from time to time I do save up and purchase high end firearms from high end companies.
 
With my Remington 750 in 30-06 I was able to hit a target about twice the diameter of a coffee mug from 100 yards away, so they're accurate enough.
Click to expand...

Certainly good enough for most big game hunting at reasonable ranges, but any modern bolt gun should be able to do that easily.

However, if I was planning on spending $2K on a rifle, I would expect to be able, with first shot from a cold barrel, to hit a dime at 100 yards, and hit a nickle every time.

And plastic parts aside, I expect the Steyr is an excellent quality rifle, but I can not see it being worth anywhere near what they want for it. Maybe it is an exchange rate thing.

With your budget, for an off the shelf rifle I would look at something like this: http://www.cabelas.com/product/REMINGTON-NA-RIFLES/1871671.uts or this: www.cabelas.com/product/shooting/fi...5-finnlight-st-bolt-action-rifles/1774820.uts

If I wanted to spend a little more, something like this: http://cooperfirearms.com/jackson-hunter or this: http://www.cabelas.com/product/shoo...bolt-action-rifles-by-dakota-arms/1769624.uts

But most likely I would go the custom route mentioned above, because I can build exactly what I want.

You want a Kreiger, Lilja, Hart, Shilen or Bartlein Barrel, you can, in whatever length profile and twist rate you want.

You want a McMillan, HS Precision, Bell & Carlson, or a custom high-grade Walnut stock, you can.

You want a Jewell, Shilen, Timney, Kepplinger, or even the stock trigger, you can.
 
I sold and shot a fair number of Mannlicher-Schönauer rifles when they were more common in the U.S. They are (or were) beautifully made and great looking rifles, and I think the full length ("Mannlicher style") stock is the perfect touch on a sporting rifle.

But using one is a different story. The bolt handle is in front of the receiver bridge and mounting a scope requires that it either be too high, or offset. The "butterknife" bolt looks great, but has sharp edges and I can see no advantage over a plain round bolt knob or a checkered one like the Remington 700. The rotary Schönauer magazine sounds great but has no advantage I could find over the ordinary Mauser-type box. And in those days they cost over twice as much as a Winchester 70. Like I said, IMHO they are great looking rifles and if the goal is to take a "selfie" looking like Karamojo Bell, they are OK. But for a practical rifle, I am not convinced.

Jim
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top