Mannlicher model 1905 in Africa

[MS 9x56]

I need some advice from the pros here. If I were to bring this classic with open sights to Africa where would be the best region to have success with the 9x56 with open sights ? Also what are the game limitations?

 

[CAustin]

I need some advice from the pros here. If I were to bring this classic with open sights to Africa where would be the best region to have success with the 9x56 with open sights ? Also what are the game limitations?

The question is how well do you shoot the rifle at various ranges? Shot placement is the most critical part of the hunt. The Limpopo area of South Africa would be an ideal place to take your rifle.

 

[318AE]

On my last trip, both of my rifles were ~100 years old, and open sights only. Look for bushveld areas with dense vegetation - more like the east cape, kwazulu natal and Limpopo than farther west, the Karoo or Namibia. Be candid with your PH - it’s not a bow hunt, but he needs to be comfortable doing the work to get you closer. Plan to hunt the likes of Nyala and bushbuck more so than Gemsbok. Your PH needs to know that light is more important too - shots into the sun in the morning are not that great regardless, but tougher with open sights. A rear tang or bolt peep/aperture sight helps a lot too. It’s also tougher to “weave” a shot through the bush etc. 9x56 is a great short to medium range bushveld plains game cartridge.

 

[MS 9x56]

On my last trip, both of my rifles were ~100 years old, and open sights only. Look for bushveld areas with dense vegetation - more like the east cape, kwazulu natal and Limpopo than farther west, the Karoo or Namibia. Be candid with your PH - it’s not a bow hunt, but he needs to be comfortable doing the work to get you closer. Plan to hunt the likes of Nyala and bushbuck more so than Gemsbok. Your PH needs to know that light is more important too - shots into the sun in the morning are not that great regardless, but tougher with open sights. A rear tang or bolt peep/aperture sight helps a lot too. It’s also tougher to “weave” a shot through the bush etc. 9x56 is a great short to medium range bushveld plains game cartridge.

Many thanks that is the kind of information I need.

 

[Witold Krzyżanowski]

I agree with CAustin.

 

[MS 9x56]

The question is how well do you shoot the rifle at various ranges? Shot placement is the most critical part of the hunt. The Limpopo area of South Africa would be an ideal place to take your rifle.

I guess that means I need to go back to the range and stretch it out to find my limits. Here in the hills and woods where I hunt 100 yards is about the practicable limit to shot probability. I need to learn my limits with open sights. I appreciate your insights.

 

[CAustin]

I guess that means I need to go back to the range and stretch it out to find my limits. Here in the hills and woods where I hunt 100 yards is about the practicable limit to shot probability. I need to learn my limits with open sights. I appreciate your insights.

Absolutely yes! 50, 100, 150, 200 and even 250!

 

[spike.t]

Absolutely yes! 50, 100, 150, 200 and even 250!

Sorry Charlie you are getting slightly carried away me thinks..... What distance using iron sights on an impala would you say you are happy to take the shot?.......to the original poster use the rifle but appreciate there will be lots of frustration... but if you want to hunt with it go ahead.... I love iron sights.... Everyone I think has used SA as place to hunt....from my zero knowledge of there I believe limpopo region would be good...but strangely enough there are other countries where you could have a great hunt....will be more expensive but differences in infrastructure etc.....enjoy

 

[HWL]

I need some advice from the pros here. If I were to bring this classic with open sights to Africa where would be the best region to have success with the 9x56 with open sights ? Also what are the game limitations?

It is impossible to answer your question seriously without a pic of that great rifle!!!



HWL

 

[Gert Odendaal]

It is impossible to answer your question seriously without a pic of that great rifle!!!



HWL

Yes, yes, HWL you are correct..then we will tell him about the best place to use that great rifle...

 

[CAustin]

Sorry Charlie you are getting slightly carried away me thinks..... What distance using iron sights on an impala would you say you are happy to take the shot?.......to the original poster use the rifle but appreciate there will be lots of frustration... but if you want to hunt with it go ahead.... I love iron sights.... Everyone I think has used SA as place to hunt....from my zero knowledge of there I believe limpopo region would be good...but strangely enough there are other countries where you could have a great hunt....will be more expensive but differences in infrastructure etc.....enjoy

Then again spike he might be shooting at an eland say 200 yards. Me with iron sights on Impala at 200.....well only if we have a good tracker. Now the OP might be as good as Lee Harvey Oswald for all we know and can knock a fly off a moving cows rump at 100 yards without scratching the cow.

 

[Gert Odendaal]

I need some advice from the pros here. If I were to bring this classic with open sights to Africa where would be the best region to have success with the 9x56 with open sights ? Also what are the game limitations?

Speaking from a black powder hunt perspective: We set ourselves a maximum distance to shoot at an animal up to fifty meters. Only heart/lung shots, this type of hunt needs a hunter who really make use of all his senses, good tracking skills and knowledge of the veld he hunts in. Usually we hunt two hunters together , one to shoot and one observer to see where the shot placement was..I do not think there is a difference between hunting techniques with open sight rifles be it black powder or smokeless powder...with your 9mm caliber I would even go for blue wildebeest, it is easier to get very close and eland if it was possible to get very close to a single /alone animal where the eyes are less and the cows not on century duty...I think open sights is an art of shooting /hunting that is starting to die out...due to the great technology we have access to and to expensive price for animals you shoot at...and lost time in the hunting veld when an animal is wounded and a follow up is needed, when we do the black powder hunt if there is an animal wounded we are fortunately to have a few knowledgeable trackers who also are hunters..due to restrain of participants who only take a shot when he is very sure of success we do not have wounded animal running around..
Since you are the owner of an original Mannlicher Schoenauer you are viewed as a celebrity on the forum...if you upload photos of your rifle you are viewed as a very competent hunter..

 

[MS 9x56]

It is impossible to answer your question seriously without a pic of that great rifle!!!



HWL

I thought I saw some instructions in a thread on how to post pictures but now I can't find it. Is there a way to mark posts for future reference? As soon as I figure out how I will post pictures.

 

[MS 9x56]

Speaking from a black powder hunt perspective: We set ourselves a maximum distance to shoot at an animal up to fifty meters. Only heart/lung shots, this type of hunt needs a hunter who really make use of all his senses, good tracking skills and knowledge of the veld he hunts in. Usually we hunt two hunters together , one to shoot and one observer to see where the shot placement was..I do not think there is a difference between hunting techniques with open sight rifles be it black powder or smokeless powder...with your 9mm caliber I would even go for blue wildebeest, it is easier to get very close and eland if it was possible to get very close to a single /alone animal where the eyes are less and the cows not on century duty...I think open sights is an art of shooting /hunting that is starting to die out...due to the great technology we have access to and to expensive price for animals you shoot at...and lost time in the hunting veld when an animal is wounded and a follow up is needed, when we do the black powder hunt if there is an animal wounded we are fortunately to have a few knowledgeable trackers who also are hunters..due to restrain of participants who only take a shot when he is very sure of success we do not have wounded animal running around..
Since you are the owner of an original Mannlicher Schoenauer you are viewed as a celebrity on the forum...if you upload photos of your rifle you are viewed as a very competent hunter..

Not bragging but my friends all think I am a pretty good shot. I do hunt with muzzle loaders and open sights. I am confident with peep sights out to 200 yards but open sights it is my eye sight that is the limiting factor. I actually do better jump shooting where the gun comes up and it is just automatic.

 

[Brian Rothhammer]

I actually do better jump shooting where the gun comes up and it is just automatic.

The light weight and overall stock dimensions, particularly the 'cast' of the Mannlicher Schoenauer stocks, make them particularly well suited for 'snap shooting' as you've described.

Scroll to page 04 of this Mannlicher Collectors Assn. article: http://www.mannlicher.org/portals/140/tmc_99_rough.pdf

 

[MS 9x56]

Sorry Charlie you are getting slightly carried away me thinks..... What distance using iron sights on an impala would you say you are happy to take the shot?.......to the original poster use the rifle but appreciate there will be lots of frustration... but if you want to hunt with it go ahead.... I love iron sights.... Everyone I think has used SA as place to hunt....from my zero knowledge of there I believe limpopo region would be good...but strangely enough there are other countries where you could have a great hunt....will be more expensive but differences in infrastructure etc.....enjoy

Please pardon my ignorance of African topography but in which country is the Limpopo region located? I am assuming that the cover in That region lends itself to getting closer to the game. I would feel comfortable to 150 yards or meters on an animal the size of an Impala. Thank you for the information.

 

[Gert Odendaal]

Please pardon my ignorance of African topography but in which country is the Limpopo region located? I am assuming that the cover in That region lends itself to getting closer to the game. I would feel comfortable to 150 yards or meters on an animal the size of an Impala. Thank you for the information.

If you hunt in the Limpopo region, adjacent to the Botswana /Mozambique and Zimbabwe neighbour countries to South Africa, the most northern province of South Africa, low lands , bush veld , malaria and biharzia country..thorn bush-veld , some sandy regions/and mopanie bush veld as well...if you get one hundred and fifty meters distance shooting at game you are fortunate, I think that will only possible along the game farm fence..most hunting is in thick bush, if you hunt on foot you will get close to game up to eighty meters at least, depending on how much hunting was done on that farm...open sight hunting is suited in this conditions..

 

[Gert Odendaal]

An example of what Limpopo is about

https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1GGRV_enZA751ZA751&sxsrf=ALeKk03rQF02AdtA1fZgyCXW45encVdTIg:1587312327096&ei=x3acXqa6Bbyn1fAP44yFqAE&q=Limpopo++hunting+region&oq=Limpopo++hunting+region&gs_lcp=CgZwc3ktYWIQDDoECAAQRzoHCCMQsAIQJ1DlV1jDZWD8dmgAcAJ4AIABvQOIAdEXkgEHMi0yLjYuMZgBAKABAaoBB2d3cy13aXo&sclient=psy-ab&ved=0ahUKEwjmuZ2b7_ToAhW8UxUIHWNGARUQ4dUDCAw

 

[MS 9x56]

It is impossible to answer your question seriously without a pic of that great rifle!!!



HWL

I am attempting to add picture. Top is my CZ 550 FS in 9.3x62, next is the MS model 1905 in 9x56 MS bottom is ruger 77 RSI in savage 250-3000.

 

[Red Leg]

An important consideration to remember on an African hunt is that a drop of blood equals a trophy fee - you don't get any do-overs. I think that should take most anything over 150 yards off the table regardless of how good one assumes he is with open sights.

As others have suggested, the Limpopo of South Africa would be a good area to count on working within 100 yards of game animals. Phillip Bronkhorst http://www.pbsafaris.com/ could easily put together such a hunt for you, as could several others who are sponsors here. Mike Taylor could do the same in Zambia www.TakeriReserveZambia.com, particularly should a huge sable from its native environment be high on your bucket list. Other sponsors here have similar terrain where your 9x56 would do well.