Fit for an emperor: the Steyr Mannlicher classic

Guns Magazine, August, 2008 by Jeff John

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The chamois herd grazed lazily on the side of the mountain a little more than 200 yards away. Guide Kefer Hubert and I sat quietly in the blind watching them through binoculars. As we watched, a fly buzzed inside my eyeglasses onto the corner of my eye. I hurriedly shooed it away, the waving of my white hand startling the chamois, an animal with excellent vision and they quickly bounded higher up the mountain. A 6,000-mile trip, a grueling hour's uphill hike and a careful, silent walk to the blind and dummy blows it brushing away a fly. Swell.

The hunt was by invitation of Steyr Mannlicher. a company formed at the birth of the metallic cartridge in the city of Steyr, Austria. by Josef Werndl, who also designed the Austrian Army's first breechloading rifle called, appropriately, the Werndl. Today, the Steyr firm is best known in the US for the iconic .223 Steyr AUG service rifle and Jeff Cooper's Scout rifle. Many dedicated US riflemen remember Steyr as the makers of one of the first precision rifles with a composite stock the .308 SSG sniper rifle.

The original Mannlicher-Schoenauer sporting rifles. made from the very beginning of the 20th century, earned a worldwide reputation for accuracy, dependability and were renowned for their glass-smooth actions, rich bluing and handsome fit and finish The firm survived two World Wars. and Mannlicher rifles were imported into the US through all the 'tween war periods into the 1960s They still draw plenty of attention from serious hunters and collectors at gun shows.

Austrian hunting, which goes back to the dawn of civilization, has grown rich with ritual and tradition From the sounding of the horns at the beginning of a hunt to the homage paid to the animal after a kill, a hunt is highly stylized. Today, hunting from blinds prepared long ago (some locations during Emperor Franz Joseph's reign in the latter 19th century) is most common. Since a lot of hunting is done near settled areas or in close proximity to other hunters, the blinds are constructed in such a way as to direct fire in predictable directions for the safety of other hunters and the townspeople. (It is not uncommon to see blinds or stands constructed within 100 yards or so of the Autobahn.)

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The blinds for the chamois hunt were scattered along the mountainside up from the city of Bad Ischle, a city thousands of years old and where Emperor Franz Josef hunted assiduously for decades, taking more than 1,000 chamois, his favorite game animal. Our party of hunters were given the choice of close-by blinds, or blinds requiring a bit of a hike. Wayne Van Zwoll and I chose to make the hike. I guessed my chances of getting an animal would be better if I worked for it. Since there has been hunting from these blinds for generations, I foolishly believed it would be a gentle hike.

Boys, I'd like to say I ran up the Alpine trail, but I fear I've met the fat, overweight out-of-shape American t hunter and I am he. I had a couple of months to prepare for this trip, but sitting behind a computer all day is poor prep, even with brisk mile-long walks as part of my morning exercise. By the time I'd hiked for a 1/2 hour. I was blowing like a busted bellows, while the guides and Van Zwoll had barely broken a sweat. I slowed down our party considerably by being out of shape, I'm sad to say, but another 1/2-hour's climb got me to the blind. Nonetheless. I have a wonderful memory of some of the most beautiful mountain scenery on Earth. (Two of our party who chose simple short walks to their blinds never got a shot.)

The .270 WSM is perfect for this type of hunting. Launching a 130-grain bullet at a blistering 3,200 fps, it shoots flat enough for virtually any type of mountain hunting and is perfect for the majority of North American hunting. Since the chamois is a rather thin-bodied little goat. the 130-grain bullet is a great choice. On this hunt. we used Norma .270 WSM ammunition topped with 130-grain Nosler Ballistic Tips.

As for the Steyr Mannlicher rifle. it is. understandably, the go-to gun in Austria and sells very well across Europe, despite the fact Steyr rifles see widespread hand-me-down status generation to generation. At 7.9 pounds with a 23.6" barrel in the magnum calibers, it is perfectly balanced, easy to carry and holds three rounds in the detachable magazine. The balance point of the rifle is right at the magazine box.

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The barrel and action are finished in a glare-free matte-gray Steyr calls Mannox, giving the metal a finish virtually impervious to rust. very scuff resistant and. more importantly, the finish protects both the inside and outside of the barrel, unlike most other finishes. A Steyr trademark, it is an exceptional finish for a firearm destined for hard use. The barrel itself is cold hammer forged and displays the handsome pattern the forging process creates. The barrel. made from chrome moly, is threaded into the receiver.

The rifle has a 3-position safety centrally mounted on the tang. Off is all the way back towards the shooter. the middle position is "safe" and allows the bolt to be opened and the chamber cleared. All the way forward locks the bolt closed and a little white button pops up and locks the safety as well. Should you have the set trigger activated and decide not to take the shot, applying the safety all the way to the "locked" position safely unsets the trigger.