Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Steyr SBS fans

Just wondering if anybody else hunts with a Steyr SBS/Prohunter/SBS Tactical. I have owned two, both in .308 w 20" BBL and they have been the most accurate rifles under $1000 I've ever had my hands on...Sub-MOA groups are the norm.

Don't leave them in a closet though...I know a guy who made that mistake and they multiplied...

i have a Steyr Pro Hunter mountain in .376 Steyr. it's deadly accurate, but i had to send the bolt in and get the small round handle installed. i couldn't stand the butterknife handle.

anyway, i put a Leupold MK4 1.5-5 on it in mounts for Browning A-Bolt.

CDNN Sports had magazines in stock a while back, so i bought plenty to keep the gun in service.

I have a ProHunter in 6.5 X 57, got it for under $500 NIB because of the "odd" caliber. Shoots well under MOA with handloads. As it has a plastic stock I have no resevations taking it out on the rough hunts. Just plain works well. Very under rated rifle in my opinion. Some don't like the looks but I have no issues with the "function"

I have owned a few dozen. right now i have 2 tacticl 20" LW a HBC, a classic carbine 308, a 7x64 bren and a 376.
Even the 376 shoots .75" groups w/ 235 gr. speer over 66 gr of VARGET.
they are all shooters.
what part of SC are you in?
Saturday my wife shot an 8 shot group at 200 yards into 3" from various hunting positions.
i pulled this one shot. it was me not the rifle...


this is with a hornady hunting bullet...

Elk hunting up high in CO. The guides Savage [on the right] was about the polar opposite of my Steyr.


I love this rifle! 300WSM, shoots 3 touching at 100 [Federal MRX loads]had our gunsmiths permanently attach a 1" decel to one of the spacer plates. Glass is a S&B 2.5~10x56ILL.

man, thats nice. you dont see many w/ iron sights.

I've had quite a few and still own two. One of the best rifles made regardless of coin dropped! Tony

I currently own three; two .308's and a .280. All three will shoot Sub MOA. I love them and wish I had purchased more before the price went through the roof in the late 90's. The Steyr SBS Prohunter is not very popular on here get ready for the critics!

I have one and used to be real high on recommending them. The price in the last few years has just about doubled where I find them, that has kind of killed some of the buzz to me.

Thanks for the replies guys. Ringworm, seems like you and your wife both are excellent shots, impressive groups. I actually am hunting with the same load: 41.5gr H4895, 165gr BTSP. You are a lucky man to own an HBC...most people don't even know what that is.

What's this about the SBS not being a popular rifle on here? How do you NOT like a rifle that can shoot like a match rifle, but in a 20" carbine configuration?

Ringworm, I'm originally from the upstate, but work all over...where are you from? Mabey we can go shoot Steyrs and smoke cigars if I'm in your area...I love the smell of a Cohiba when you light it on fire.

Nathan, my other gripe is lack of support here in the U.S. parts and magazines are hard to find much of the time.

but i found a pic of my .376. (before the round bolt handle install)

lack of parts and support is an old gripe that doesnt exist anylonger.
the idea that you cant buy parts for an anvil is equal in value.
I just sent a bolt to Jeff in AL to have the cam switched to ease bolt lift. seems you were able to get a round bolt knob for your 376... thats what $38 + postage?
how does that reflect a lack of suport?
an the comedien henny youngman would say..."compared to what?"
are there as many sources of parts and gunsmiths for steyr as remington?
I ask..."does there need to be?"

i like my .376, but it is far from anvil tough. too many small parts in the bolt assembly.

and good, maybe you can point me to a supply of hi-cap .376 mags.

small parts in the bolt?

are you tring to convince me or someone else?
#1 the bolt body
#2 the firing pin assembly
#3 the bolt shroud
3 parts? none smaller than a zippo lighter. what parts are you removing?
the collar has to heated to remove it as does the bolt handle. the extractor would never need to be removed.
as far as mags go...
how many do you need?
the magazine body and follower are the same as a 308 series magazine. buy a 308 magazine and open it up by equally removing plastic from either side toll it mics out to the same as your grey magazine. my steyrs only hold one magazine at a time.
or you could just buy them NIW from steyr ...
http://www.steyrarms.com/store/index.php/magazines/auto-24.html

Good looking gun - what kind of 'tapeing' is that?

it's skateboard or step safety tape. it sticks pretty will and add serious grip.

ring, who are you trying to convince? me or yourself? i'm not talking about losing [bleep]. small parts break. like the cocking cam. or the circlip holding mainspring tension.

and i see no HI-CAP .376 mags in your link. and yes, i've been there before looking. it's nice they have some of the mags listed now, tho.

376 high caps? thats a different animal. having problems w/ hippos in your food plots?
by the cocking cam i assume you are taling about the collar on the bolt correct? its a solid milled steel ring. If it does use this part "Improved Bolt Cam--2600040011H $25" i know they have them in stock because i just sent a classic's bolt to jeff to have the new part installed to ease the bolt lift.
anyway... hows it break?
besides they are in stock. I just had jeff install one on a sbs classic to lighten the bolt lift.


call jack at the phone number and ask him about HC 376 mags. i guess you should have snapped up the ones CDNN had.

yea, hippos.

yes, i had mine upgraded to the new cam too with the bolt knob fix. by the guy who has that picture on his site.

and with the .376 Scout rifles out there, i'd have thought there would be hi-cap mags somewhere.

i'm not picking on Steyrs, i like mine. but i don't get the warm fuzzies about them when one guy personally kept the whole country in Steyr
SBS parts out of the goodness of his heart.

and i have never seen the hi cap .376 mags in stock at CDNN. must have missed them. i did get the adaptor kit there some 5 rounders from them.

but on the Steyr USA site, i can get 8x68 S hi cap mags, but no .376.

Hippos? I really don't want to know what 10rnds in one mag of .376 Steyr will take down...the Mother Ship? Godzilla? A rabid Zombie Elephant? To each his own hunt...but I'll stick with Hawgs...

Wow...Why do Steyrs make people cranky? My personal experience has been that they are accurate, tough, user friendly, and have a bolt that locks up like a bank vault. The parts are not as common as Reminton or Wichester, but the parts for a Mercedes Benz aren't as common as for a Ford F150 either...

I have an "F150" rifle..Model 70 Featherweight in .308...but It doesn't inspire the confidence that my Steyr does.

The only problem I ever had was the butter knife bolt handle interfered with a low-mount scope...either installl a round knob, or just grind it down a lil. You can kind of see it in the pictures...it's why it looks shiny...Dremel, Diamond Stone, Flitz.

Ring, I agree that the rifles don't break very often...and I'm hard on gear. The times I have needed help I've been able to find it...I even called Steyr with my first one to figure out how to put the bolt back together....

Hey Ring...how did you go from an avid shooter of our favorite ray gun to the sole All King Guru of repair and production? The last Service rep I spoke to from the company was in Alabama...and the last individual distibuter I spoke to was in NC...gotta hate having all the "accolades" and none of the benifits...

i'd just switch over to the STD capacity mags.

clearly, if 4 rounds of 376 steyr aint killed it another few will just be more noise.

I have been shooting steyrs for a while now and have stayed in contact with every factory rep since tony was in Miss. They are some great guys at Steyr who will help you with anything and walk you thru any problem you encounter.
toad, dont get the wrong idea... im not busting your balls. im not dumb enough to FK with a guy who totes an 8 round 19" 5 pound 375 caliber rifle.
i think you dropped this...

peace brother...