Greetings from Ontario

[Shootist43]

Welcome aboard DW44VH. Your rifle is very close to my beloved 6.5 X 55 Swedish Mauser. These calibers are fantastic for deer sized game. What part of Ontario or city are you from? I live in the States about 2 miles West of Amherstburg, Ontario.

 

[Phil Giordano]

A warm welcome aboard!

 

[Phil Giordano]

I saw a couple 6.5x54 MS over the years in vintage stutzen rifles by Mannlicher Shoenauer...As far as I know, Hirtemberger still load it. It's a nice little round that witness the value of a 6.5mm bullet was discovered indeed a lot of time ago...
Again, welcome to AH. You do have a classic, nostalgic european cartridge!

 

[Rell]

God bless Canada and keep her.

 

[Justhunt]

Welcome!

 

[snipertarget]

Welcome to AH

 

[fte45]

Welcome to AH! Glad to have you on board. If you need any help we’re here for you.

 

[Brian Rothhammer]

... I recently acquired a 6.5 x 54 from an uncle along with about 80 rds or factory ammo. While searching the interweb for info I came across you fine gentleman. I look forward to picking your brains and reading what's already been said.

This may be helpful: https://www.africahunting.com/threa...908-m1910-m1924-m1925-or-high-velocity.47277/

What you have appears to be a 'Greek contract' Mannlicher Schoenauer that has been 'sporterized'.

A clear photo of forward receiver ring (from above) may reveal significant marks if they have not been ground away.

Regardless, the Mannlicher Schoenauer rifles and carbines, be they sporting arms or civilian, share the same roots and are considered by many to be among the finest bolt action rifles ever produced.



Here is a bit that I posted not long ago:

The Mannlicher Schoenauer was originally prototyped as Model M1900 and shown to various armorers and procurement agents in effort to gain lucrative military contracts.

Elaborate machining required for the Schoenauer magazine and overall high quality rendered the MS rather expensive, however, and the only significant contracts awarded were with Greece which resulted in Models Y1903, Y1903/14, Y1903/14/27 ('Breda'), System 1930 and variants.

Military Mannlicher Schoenauer battle rifles and carbines.

_______________________________________________________

Many of the Y series MS that survived the world wars were sold as cheap surplus for decades afterward. A great number of them have been 'improved' to various result.

Understand, however, that the Y1903.... rifles and carbines were internally identical to the legendary sporting MS that captured attention of 'great white hunters' of the early 20th Century.

Here is page 50 of the 1939 (U.S.) Stoeger Catalog:

Consider as well that $140 in 1939 dollars would be equivalent to $2859.72 today per usinflationcalculator.

 

[Brian Rothhammer]

...A handsome arm you have there in a bit of a unique caliber.

...Your rifle is very close to my beloved 6.5 X 55 Swedish Mauser. These calibers are fantastic for deer sized game.

I saw a couple 6.5x54 MS over the years in vintage stutzen rifles by Mannlicher Shoenauer...As far as I know, Hirtemberger still load it. It's a nice little round that witness the value of a 6.5mm bullet was discovered indeed a lot of time ago...

The 6.5X54 rimless was a proprietary cartridge created for the M1900 Mannlicher Schoenauer prototypes that were built by Oesterreichische Waffenfabriks-Gesellschaft Steyr (OWGS) and introduced at Paris' Exposition Universelle of 1900. It was a rimless version of the 6.5X53R (.256 Mannlicher) used in previous Mannlicher military arms which were fed via the 'Mannlicher Packet Loading System' (en bloc clip). The rimless version was introduced to feed through the Schoenauer rotary magazine. Both cartridges are loaded the same and have identical ballistic characteristics.

En bloc with 6.5X53R

Schoenauer magazine with 6.5X54MS

Greece adopted the Mannlicher Schoenauer as Y1903 and continued to purchase them as revised Y1903/14, Y1903/14/27 ('Breda'), System 1930, and variants, all of which were chambered for the MS proprietary 6.5X54 cartridge.

As Y1903 production began in 1905, Steyr also produced the sporting version, M1903, in half stocked rifle, stutzen (full stocked carbine), and take down form as well as model M1905 with its own MS proprietary cartridge of 9X56. These were soon joined by models of M1908 and M1910 with their proprietary cartridges of 8X56 and 9.5X57, respectively.

The MS will feed through its Schoenauer magazine with a smoothness that made it legend if the cartridges are loaded at or very close to original specifications of overall length and with the proper round nosed projectiles.

If you want it to perform flawlessly, load or have cartridges loaded to these dimensions:

 

[Uncle Sauce]

 

[Global Rescue]

Welcome and look forward to your participation!

 

[Kowas Adventure Safaris]

Enjoy a great Forum.