My last custom rifle
 

My gunsmith announced his pending retirement earlier this year which set my wheels in motion. i have wanted a Manlicher stocked rifle for some time and was going to do it on the previous build but got sidetracked into a contemporary version of a 1930's era British stalking rifle in 275 Rigby:shock:

Anyway armed with this new info I found a 1909 Argentine Mauser. Most Manlicher rifles are carbines and I wanted a full rifle with a 24 inch barrel to maximize the efficiency of the cartridge. I chose the classic 6.5X55. It's worked for 120 years and I have a soft spot for the older calibers. The biggest problem was finding a stock blank that had some figure in it all the way to the muzzle. After a long search I found a piece of English walnut that fit my needs. I didn't go "all out" on this like I did the Rigby but some of the special features are inletted swivel studs, jeweled bolt and magazine follower,case colored but plate, grip cap and muzzle cap and bolt shroud. It's topped off with a Leupold Vari X 3 2.5X8.

This will undoubtedly be the last custom rifle I have built.....well maybe....but probably:whistle:

A couple more

Rich, That's a fine piece of wood and a beautiful gun! Gary

Very nice ! In regard to the 24” barrel I had a Sako pre vixen Mannlicher in 222 that had a 24” barrel . This was one of those with a square bolt back and a clip . Bought it when I was 14 or 15 for almost nothing kept it a year or two and sold it in Shotgun News and tripled my money . Wish I had it back now lols !

I was about 18 when I fell in love with a Swedish Mauser carbine in 6.5x55. What a nice little gun. Your choice of caliber is exemplary and your gun is magnificent. Shoot it in good health. Merry Christmas.

I love every option in the choices

these are the times I wish I had more reason to be a rifleman

Rich, I rarely shoot high-powered rifles but when I do I grab my 6.5 by 55 Swedish it is an old Swedish Mauser that was stalked by Century Arms. Not a very pretty gun but it is always served me well when I needed it. Let your last rifle I think we are all laughing

I love guns stocked in the classic fashion. Great wood and the sculpted cheekpiece is extremely well done.

That is too spooky!! Just yesterday I was looking through some old papers and found the receipt from Central Sporting Goods Co. in Seattle dated Jan 27, 1962, when I, not yet quite 16, bought just such a rifle for $120 plus $4.80 sales tax, including the Sako Dual-Range Peep Sight that fit on the rear scope base milled integral with the receiver. Sol at Central was the Pacific Northwest distributor for Firearms International. The barrel was actually a hair over 23 5/8 inch (60 cm). I've never found a Firearms International or Sako catalog that lists the Mannlicher Rifle. They all show and list the Mannlicher carbine with nominal 20-inch, actually 19 11/16 inch (50 cm), barrel and a band with the front sling swivel.

Went back to Central on Feb 10, 1962 and got Sako scope mounts and a Weaver K8.

Love the Mauser, love the caliber, and love the classic stock. It's the trifecta for me!

I think I’ve seen one or two others for sale that we’re Mannlicher 24” but all were 222 had square back bolts and removable clips . The only Vixen 222 or 22-250 Mannlicher’s ive seen were 20” . Just so happens in the last eight or so years I picked up a vixen 222 20” Mannlicher with peep sight and a Forester 22-250 20” Mannlicher also with a peep sight , got them both from the same guy . I didn’t keep either of those two very long and made a modest but tidy profit on each .

I don't know how much work Kip will be doing in the future if any. I would suspect he will still do some custom work. Rifles are like small bores I have more than I shoot but I like having them.

W. Clement Stone said "A goal once achieved no longer motivates" :rotf:.

I'm working on breaking in the barrel, got about a dozen rounds in yesterday, shoot, clean shoot repeat. It was so cold that's all I could stand. I'm hoping to get in enough time behind the trigger ti be able to take her out for the late doe season which runs through Jan.1.

I have a little Ruger 77 RSI in 6.5X55. I've been working up loads with Hornady ELD X 143 grain bullets. My other Swed likes the 129, 140, and 160 grain bullets and shoots all three in under a minute of angle. What a great looking rifle you have Rich. What is your choice of bullet?

I’ll bet this rifle cost far more than an annual membership in the Parker Shotgun Collectors Association.

Harry I'm going to start with the 139gr Hornady SST and the 140gr Nosler Accubond. I'm just breaking in the barrel and getting it sighted in to use for the end of deer season and shooting factory Winchester 140gr PSP. so far so good.

FWIW , my CZ 550FS has made meat using the Nosler 140 BT 43 grains of IMR4350 lit by a CCI200 . Uhm 6.5x55 of course .

Had a couple of the older tang safety 77RSI's but sadly they were both in 308 . Would rather they had been a 7-08 or some such , I'm not much of a 308 fan . Only problem I had with them was trigger consistency , one time it would break at 2 1/2 pounds the next time it was 4 pounds . I eventually put RifleBasix replacement sears in both and they then broke at a consistent 2 pounds give or take 4 ounces .

Oh so true :bigbye:

What does this comment have to do with Rich's rifle. Just stirring the pot Bruce.:cuss:

Just curious about why you are not a 308 fan. I've never owned one or loaded for one but the ballistics are very similar to a 30-06. Does it have something to do with getting decent reloadability from 308 cases?

I’m not a 223 , 308 or 06 fan . And I own Mannlicher Schoenauer carbines in 308 and 06 . As to case life I’ve never had an issue with case life or reliability in any cartridge I’ve messed with . I like the 243 , 260 , 7mm-08 and 338 Federal all based on the 308 case . I like the 25-06 , 6.5-06 , 270 , 280 and 338-06 all based on the 06 .

Got it. I like most of the old calibers like the 257 Roberts and 7 x 57. My two favorites are the 270 and 243. I use the 243 with 85 grain handloads for deer much of the time. The 270 comes into play in Saskatchewan for moose and bear and also deer up there. I would have no problem using the 243 on bear at reasonable range but I’ve always used the 270 for them.

MY FAVORITE CALIBERS ARE THE OLD ONES.....32-20 the 25-20 22 hornet the 222 rem the old 30-30 the 32 winchester special the 35 remington and the list goes on.....charlie

Back about 2002-2003 I was bear hunting in Wayne/Monroe counties in PA . We dropped by the bear check station one evening to see what they had gotten in 500 pound plus size . Seems a 13 year old boy was sitting there on a kind of cliff maybe 30-40 feet above the forest floor when this bear wandered by . The kid had a Remington shuckamatic (760) in 243 WIN shooting handloaded 90 grain bullets . So at about thirty yards he puts one behind the shoulder , said bear screams snarls whatever and proceeded to run around in a circle . Young man sat there and watched said he didn’t want to shoot again because he didn’t want to make the bear mad LOL’s . Anyway after a minute or less Mr Bear falls over and is dead when he gets to him . At the check station with innards out Mr Bear weighed 664 pounds .

Great story. I've never shot a bear with a 243 since I only take one rifle to Saskatchewan, the 270. Bears are now legal in Pawling, NY and so I might get a chance at one with the 243. But I’m not sure I would shoot it. After I got all three color phases, cinnamon, brown and black I decided to quit shooting them. But I didn’t stop like I thought I would since my Saskatchewan farmer friend Snuffy wanted them shot. They do a lot of damage to his oat fields in September. They roll on the oats for some reason while feeding and those areas can’t be combined. They don’t touch canola or any other grains but they raise havoc with the oats when they ripen. But I’d probably let a Pawling bear walk. I really don’t need any more skins and I like venison better than bear meat.

I'm right there with you Charlie. I am a traditionalist and those older calibers always interested me. I have taken a few crop damage permit deer with the little 222 and 55 grain handloads just for the hell of it. It's not a deer caliber per se but none of those deer went over 50 yards after being hit and one went only 10 yards. I used a bunch of different calibers for those crop damage deer just to see how each would perform. I even took one with my 32-20 Winchester model 92.

OTE=Bruce Day;261119]I’ll bet this rifle cost far more than an annual membership in the Parker Shotgun Collectors Association.[/QUOTE]
Bruce your math skills are amazing :bowdown: just a heads up it was more than a life membership BUT I'll get a lot of pleasure from this investment. Seeing it was you who made the comment that the annual member wasn't committed to the PGCA I ask What's your point!?

I have never been a fan of the 06 either. No real reason really I have a pre 64 FWT but have never shot it. My favorite caliber is the 7x57 (275 Rigby). Others are the 257 Roberts the 250 and 300 Savages. I have almost everything and can hunt anything on the planet with a rifle suitable for the game intended. This is my first 6.5x55 but I'm liking it a lot so far. I had a Creedmore in a #1 but it left me cold.

I suppose you might say I’m a hardcore fan of most any 6.5mm or 7mm . However I can’t get excited about the 6.5 or 6mm Creedmoor. Now just let me say I’ve shot a bunch of the Savage Model 12 LRP rifles in 6.5 CM and they ALL were tack drivers , those guns also come with the “Competition Accu-Trigger” all the new ones I’ve sold I checked with the gauge and they were all 10-14 ounces from the factory . Anyway the 260 and 243 are more to my liking over the two CM cartridges . Being a big Jack O’Conner fan the 270 has always been a favorite, however I gotta say I like the 6.5-06 and 280 more .

We used to go to a little tavern/lodge deal on the NY side of the Delaware River right before you get to Monticello . Doesn’t appear to be to far from you ! Had thoughts a couple years of getting a N.Y. license and hunt public land in that area until some friends informed me about the crowds .

Monticello is about 2 ½ hours from Pawling. I’ve never hunted public land in NY, never had a need to, but I hear that public land in NY is a zoo early in the deer season. I can’t imagine deer hunting on public land. I like to know who might be in the woods where I hunt. I don’t wear orange only camo and I sure wouldn’t feel comfortable doing that on state land. I also like hunting land where the deer are not spooked to the point that they change their daily habits. But a lot of folks aren’t as fortunate as I am so state land might be their only choice.

Isn't orange a requirement? Sure is here in Mich, and our hunting accidents are 'way down since the law was enacted.

It's not a requirement in NY as far as I know. I hunt on the old Governor Dewey estate and adjoining property. I wear what I want. We've had darn few trespassers over the years. Only 5 of us hunt the property for deer, I am the only bird hunter. We each have our separate section that we hunt and never run into each other in the woods. Even if orange was required, I wouldn't use it. I know it's probably saved lives but I like blending into the surroundings. I don't hunt deer anywhere else except for Saskatchewan on occasion. My biggest bucks have come from there.

I usually wear orange going in and coming out but once up my tree it gets covered . When I googled Pawling I thought it showed close to the Catskills hmmmm . First time I deer hunted the Poconos we had private land to hunt , BUT some Jersey A-Holes got permission also and baited the heck out of the place so we got outta there before the bunny warden tried to get us in connection with them . So opening morning I walked in a public place in Monroe county , sat down by a tree took off my orange and sat on it . Think I heard 98 shots by 9AM needless to say after the first 20 or so shots I had the orange back on and was stretched out on the ground behind a log .

Pawling is about two hours from the Catskill Mountains which are across the Hudson River. The area I hunt is the Quaker Hill area. It's a large area that is made up of estates with mansions. I hunt the old Dewey estate and surrounding areas. Quaker Hill is very tightly controlled with resident funded patrols. It's not an area where yahoo's would try to sneak in. It has happened, but rarely. So I feel safe not wearing orange. But your idea of wearing it in and then taking it off is a good one. But its not necessary for me.

My grandfather hunted the property back in the day. He was a good friend of the Governor. I have been hunting there since I was 13 years old and flying on the airstrip that Dewey put in when he thought he would win the 1948 Presidential election. Pawling was going to be his summer White House. We still maintain the airstrip and our headquarters and hangout is a building behind the hangers. My friends up there are the grandsons of my grandfather's friends on the Hill. It's kind of a unique situation and I realize I am very fortunate.


I understand the value of orange. It no doubt has saved numerous lives. But it's not for me where I hunt.

I too Have a 6.5 Mannlicher ((6.5x54)) My gun is a 1903 Steyr Ser. # dates date of Manufacture as 1910. The Steyr 6.5 is not as fast as your Swede, but very much effective, and pleasant to shoot, easy to load for with plenty of good bullets to choose from. I mostly shoot the 150 to 160 Wt. bullets.

David-- your little MS 6.5 is absolutely elegant!! They are one of the most classy rifles or carbines ever to come directly from the factory. Simply cannot be made better. Don't EVER let it go. Jeff

David now thats a classic rifle. Very nice congrats.

Rich: For over one hundred years those long 6.5 bullets have proven themselves all over the world, even Africa. They do penetrate well, bone does not seem to stop them. They do shoot through a Coyote or a Red Fox at the long angle. I have even bagged a couple of good old "Black Crows" with them. Good Luck with your new rifle. :) Very good choice.