Mannlicher-Schoenauer rifles have carved out a unique niche in the African hunting fields over the years. With their butter knife bolt handles, split rear bridge, and shotgun-style trigger guards (on some models), they have a distinctive look about them. If you do wonder how well they were made, merely cycle the bolt of a Mannlicher-Schoenauer and experience what is probably the smoothest bolt action of them all.
The Mannlicher-Schoenauer action was a collaborative effort between Ferdinand Ritter von Mannlicher and Otto Schoenauer. Von Mannlicher designed the action while Schoenauer was responsible for the rotary magazine, one of the design’s major pluses.
The Mannlicher-Schoenauer is probably the closest associated with the 6.5x54 Mannlicher-Schoenauer cartridge (although there is a 6.5x54 Mauser as well, a beast of a slightly different colour). The 6.5…
