8x68S owner's opinions

[Gert Odendaal]

Mike , here is a photo or two of my .458 MS bolt handle and second safety...turned into a ghost ring sight..

 

[Von Dutch]

Gert, you do know that a M-S in .458 is one of the rarest chamberings! I have never seen one down here.
Also the 10.75x68 and I have only seen one 6.5x68 in Australia.
I have a good mate here who owns every pre WW2 M-S in both half stock and stutzens. He will be excited to hear of your .458 for sure.
Regards.
Mike.

 

[ZG47]

ZG, I am a LR Fullbore shooter and would shoot 3 groove barrels everyday of the week, except nobody offers 30" 3 groove .308 barrels here in Oz!
Regards
Mike.

Von Dutch
I would also be happy to use a three groove barrel. The context of that post was that Gert was ‘going down a rabbit hole’ with his research and I was trying to get him back on track.
All too easy to get lost in the details when sorting out a new bang stick. I have, more than once!

 

[Von Dutch]

Von Dutch
I would also be happy to use a three groove barrel. The context of that post was that Gert was ‘going down a rabbit hole’ with his research and I was trying to get him back on track.
All too easy to get lost in the details when sorting out a new bang stick. I have, more than once!

ZG ,I got that mate, I have the fads for the last 30 odd years in Fullbore. For many many years we shot 1:14" barrels with 155gr Match bullets, but then somebody decided that 1:11 was the new thing.
And as an old Kiwi legend Din Collings once observed, a bullet only requires enough twist to stabilize it. I dont like tight groove barrels either!
Regards
Mike.

 

[HWL]

Gert, the 'two' safety Mannlichers are from memory post war models. But I may be wrong. Also my rifle is a bit unusual as it has a straight butterknife bolt handle.
My understanding is that from about the 1950s all M-S rifles had the 'swept back' bolt, but Steyr still offered many 'options.'
I think this rifle may have been destined for the UK as the brits seemed to prefer the straight bolt. My rifle has a Kahles Helia 39 S1 with a #4 reticle and AKAH Claw mounts.
Regards.
Mike

Your rifle is not unusual....

All the "GK Magnums" , .257 Wea-Mag, 6,5x68, ,264 Win-Mag, 8x68S, 9,3x64, .458 Win-Mag had straight butterknife bolt handle.

Steyr also made a "Model NO", all the standard size cartridges with straight butterknife bolt handle.

But we are off topic here,...back to 8x68S



HWL

 

[ZG47]

ZG ,I got that mate, I have the fads for the last 30 odd years in Fullbore. For many many years we shot 1:14" barrels with 155gr Match bullets, but then somebody decided that 1:11 was the new thing.
And as an old Kiwi legend Din Collings once observed, a bullet only requires enough twist to stabilize it. I dont like tight groove barrels either!
Regards
Mike.

Din and Viv were good friends. I spent many a Thursday evening in their gun shop and sometimes haunted the place for part of an afternoon as well. They both received very good send offs.

 

[bruce moulds]

ZG ,I got that mate, I have the fads for the last 30 odd years in Fullbore. For many many years we shot 1:14" barrels with 155gr Match bullets, but then somebody decided that 1:11 was the new thing.
And as an old Kiwi legend Din Collings once observed, a bullet only requires enough twist to stabilize it. I dont like tight groove barrels either!
Regards
Mike.

you definitely only need enough twist, but knowing what that twist is can be another thing.
here in oz, 1:13" was always the twist for 155 matchkings, but modern longer 155s now suit 1:12.
1:11, 1:10, and even 1:9 are now being used in match rifle and ftr with heavier bullets in 308 win.
bruce.

 

[Gert Odendaal]

Gert, you do know that a M-S in .458 is one of the rarest chamberings! I have never seen one down here.
Also the 10.75x68 and I have only seen one 6.5x68 in Australia.
I have a good mate here who owns every pre WW2 M-S in both half stock and stutzens. He will be excited to hear of your .458 for sure.
Regards.
Mike.

Mike , yes, I know, this rifle has shot fewer than 100 rounds since I got it, and before that only ten rounds..it stood for a very, very long time in a safe...tell your friend he can buy it from me in five years time if he makes me a good offer...

 

[Brian Rothhammer]

Gert, the 'two' safety Mannlichers are from memory post war models. But I may be wrong. Also my rifle is a bit unusual as it has a straight butterknife bolt handle.
My understanding is that from about the 1950s all M-S rifles had the 'swept back' bolt, but Steyr still offered many 'options.'

Stoeger, 1968:

Stoeger 1965:

 

[Gert Odendaal]

Brain, yes, a great description of a great hunting rifle in a great dangerous game stopping caliber...as proof a person can submit every book of the great dangerous control departments and users of the .458 Mannlicher Schoenauer , hunters/game control officers like Richard Harland, Terry Irwin , used this rifle and preferred it to the use of a Mauser action rifle , since the rotary magazine is an unique and wonderful system for dangerous game hunting in any situation...the rounds will never spill at the hunter`s feet...

 

[Brian Rothhammer]

Your rifle is not unusual....

All the "GK Magnums" , .257 Wea-Mag, 6,5x68, ,264 Win-Mag, 8x68S, 9,3x64, .458 Win-Mag had straight butterknife bolt handle.

Steyr also made a "Model NO", all the standard size cartridges with straight butterknife bolt handle.

But we are off topic here,...back to 8x68S



HWL

Stoeger 1958 - Straight handle on 'Magnum Mannlicher Schönauer and offered in 8X68S. There's even a listing for 8X68S ammo.:

 

[Brian Rothhammer]

the rotary magazine is an unique and wonderful system for dangerous game hunting in any situation...the rounds will never spill at the hunter`s feet...

Granddad with his (my) M1910 MS Takedown Model:

'Johnny's Cat' M1910 Mannlicher Schönauer (9.5X57 - .375 Nitro Express Rimless) Takedown Model

 

[Gert Odendaal]

Granddad with his (my) M1910 MS Takedown Model:

'Johnny's Cat' M1910 Mannlicher Schönauer (9.5X57 - .375 Nitro Express Rimless) Takedown Model

Great history to your rifle and I believe a lot of great stories attached to it as well??

 

[HWL]

tell your friend he can buy it from me in five years time if he makes me a good offer...

I hope, I have a right of first refusal,.... and I will take care that it stays in africa...

HWL

 

[Brian Rothhammer]

Great history to your rifle and I believe a lot of great stories attached to it as well??

Granddad was a Goodyear executive in Ceylon (present day Sri Lanka) when he purchased the MS 'second hand'. Prior to that he had been a Kansas farmboy, hopped freights, was a lifeguard at Catalina (California), then went to Akron, Ohio to be one of the athletic young fools that grabbed the landing lines dropped from airships and hauled them to their moorings. That was the 1920s and those were some large ships.

In early 1930s Ceylon he was overseeing operations of growing, harvesting, processing and shipping rubber. As top representative of a foreign (U.S.) firm, he and his #2 were expected to fit in with the colonial country club set, thus when some local Majarajah or other had invited him to a hunt he was to be outfitted 'first class'. Thence the Mannlicher Schönauer. He was later 'stationed' in Singapore until shortly before the Japanese Empire came to visit.

I don't know how many (or few) hunts he went on with the MS but my grandmother told me that for years afterward he would take it out of its fitted case annually to disassemble and oil it. In 1953 or so my dad was going to Santa Cruz Island to do (very) secret 'radio work' and the MS was loaned to him after Granddad had advised him not to shoot wild boar with a '45. After that it rested in its case for decades.

One of my brothers had the leopard's hide until it thoroughly decayed. Granddad used to tell us as kids that he'd "shot him "right between the eyes!", but the hide told another story. It was a proper shot through the vitals. The pith helmet, sadly, also rotted away.

The M1910 Mannlicher Schönauer, however, is well stored and cared for. The fitted case is aged but fully intact and original.

 

[Brian Rothhammer]

This is a Mannlicher Schoenauer M 1903 ( 6,5x54 MS) Take down, from 1930, also with Boehler "ANTINIT" - barrel, which you got for extra money..

Mannlicher

From the 1939 Stoeger catalog. Notice the options, Antinit without rib - 30.00, Antinit with rib - 45.00.
Antinit with rib is the most expensive 'option' listed:

 

[Brian Rothhammer]

Mannlicher, is it still possible to get hold of the scope/scope bases and rings on this particular rifle...will it be possible to get a set for my .458 Mannlicher Schoenauer/

New England Custom Gun makes high quality rings and claw mounts for the MS: https://www.newenglandcustomgun.com/products.php?cat=279

 

[Brian Rothhammer]

Hi Gert, I also wanted to shoot heavier bullets in my 8x68. Therefore I also opted for the 8x57JS standard twist rate initially but was advised as follows:

The velocity of the 8x68 bullet is much higher than the 8x57. Should one opt for the 1:9-45 twist rate the bullet actually "over step" the barrel rifling due to the high velocity of the bullet in the 8x68.

A 1:10 twist rate would eliminate this problem and still stabilize 220-250gr bullets perfectly. Based on this advise I went with 1:10 twist

Regards
Theuns

The quote above is similar to this advice from the 1958 Stoeger:

 

[Gert Odendaal]

A long while since we discuss this great caliber. I recently had some time to spend on the 8x68S action I opened up . While re-loading for my 8x57S I took a photo of the two great calibers' rounds. The 8x68S really dwarfs the 8x57JS in all departments looking at the photo...It will be great if I can complete the 8x68S build this year..I really want to take it to the Kalahari next year. This year I will be taking my .375 H&H Magnum to the Kalahari..my first time as well as my rifle`s first time..photo of the 8x57JS and 8x68S rounds..

 

[ZG47]

@Gert Odendaal Good to see that you are making progress on the 8x68 build. I cannot give you any grief on the subject as I still have a personal backlog of shooting projects and house/garden/tool maintenance.