We've had a brother and sister, Sarah and Johnny, from our church, staying with us while they finish college. Their parent's jobs took them out of state before the kids finished college so we offered our home to them while they finish school. Both are good shooters and like guns and are interested in hunting. I helped them with putting in for draw hunts last fall and they both drew caribou tags. The season was closed early by F&G and none of us notched our tags. Sarah also drew a cow moose.

I told her she could use any of my rifles she liked. She chose my Mannlicher Schoenauer, 8x56mm. I had it drilled and tapped for a copy of the Redfield MS base and topped it with a Leupold 3x with duplex crosshairs. I would have preferred a PCH but haven't been able to find a 3x so equipped. I also have four boxes of vintage Western 8x56, 200 grain Lubaloy round nose ammunition. It shoots the old ammo well. I don't know how many moose will be killed this year in Alaska with a 1908 Mannlicher Schoenauer with 70+ year old vintage 8x56 mm ammo, but I can't imagine it can be very many, if any others.

We spent a lot of mornings and evenings looking for a cow but I think the warm weather had them feeding later and bedding earlier. Last night about 1800 we were walking from one meadow to check out another and spotted a cow 50 yards off the trail. She stood for what seemed like an eternity while Sarah worked through her nervousness and got settled on the shooting stick for a shot. Her first shot was high, passing through both shoulders and the spine ridge. She spun and moved about 50 feet. She was still on her feet but I could tell she was hurt. She offered a broadside shot and Sarah's next shot was a high shoulder and lung shot. The cow only stood for a couple of seconds before collapsing.

Considering it was her first big game ever, Sarah maintained her composure, followed up with a good second shot and then jumped right in with the skinning, gutting, and hauling.

Thanks for looking guys.



Vintage rifle, classic scope and vintage ammo.



These are Sarah's bullets, both recovered under the hide on the off side. The left bullet weighed 139 grains and had passed through the top of both shoulders and the spine ridge. The right bullet passed through both shoulders and the lungs and weighed 159 grains. The lungs had a good, two inch hole through each of them. The original bullet was the factory Western 200 grain round nose Lubaloy. The Western loading is supposed to have a muzzle velocity of 2170. I haven't chronographed them to verify. The gun was one I bought from my eclectic gun buddy who passed away last year. He'd be elated to know his old rifle was back in service.

Just WOW! That is pretty damn cool!

Well done!!!📯📯📯

Thank you sir.

Hi Marty,
Very nice! Good for you, and Sarah.
John M

Way Cool! (for all involved in contributing)

Awesome!
Interesting to me that the bullet looks to have an open base like a Partition or solid. At any rate it looks like they were matched about perfectly to the speed the 8x56 is producing.

Very cool. Good on you folks stepping up for those kids!

That's too cool! Congrats to the young lady as well!

Nicely done all around! Congrats!

good news to start my day! Thank you for supporting these kids with living quarters and more!

Thank you for sharing. I love vintage stuff and the details of this story.

A great story that will make wonderful memories. Conngrats to you all!

you done a great job

That whole story is just really awesome! She's got good taste and can obviously appreciate the classics.

Great story, rifle, moose, and young lady ! And good for you mart on being a good mentor.

I love it all, rifle, scope, and ammo, but especially the story of the young Lady.

Outstanding! Congratulations from the Yukon.

Great Job Mart!

And if you find those 3x Leupolds with post/picket, send some this way.

Sometimes I forget why I ever logged on here. Thanks for the reminder mart, just hella cool

Uber cool, old school !

Thanks guys for all the kind words. The kids have been a blessing to us. They are great kids. We're going to miss Sarah as she is moving back east next month to be near her family and start job hunting. She wanted to buy that little 8x56 and I would have given it to her but her dad doesn't reload and ammo is nonexistent for it if you don't reload. She and her dad have plans to go rifle shopping for something that will work for her. I've encouraged them to keep an eye out for a good little 308 or 7mm-08. She shot my wife's 308 and liked it and shot it well. She thought the 1908 MS was too cool and wanted to hunt with it since I had the ammo already.

Well done!

That there cow is some good eating!! Bet the kids enjoy that also.

Love to see the classics still getting it done; and properly introduced a new hunter to the sport, fine job Sir!

sweet

Fish and Game aged it as a three year old. It should be great eating. I'm eating some left over roast from my bull I got last week. It's awesome. These kids can flat put away some red meat. They're not much for salmon but man do they like moose and caribou.

I love seeing young folks with old rifles and dead critters. Freaking awesome!

Just awesome!!! Thanks!!!

mart that young lady mite like to know how to reload

Now there is a thought!

Congratulations all around. Both you and your wife and those kids. Heck of a deal.

well done! god bless.

Great story! And great results, in more ways than one. She'll be hooked for life....

Way too go! Cool story, and another young Hunter, Id give her the old rifle and teach her how to reload!

I wish I could. She's leaving next month to move back east near her family and I have to leave Thursday for a three week hitch on my job on the slope. Her brother has voiced an interest in reloading but between his job and full time college, we don't see much of him. I expect he'll stay in Alaska. I have an idea Sarah may end up back here. She really loves it. Right now she's kind of home sick for family but I'm betting she'll be back.

Thats just beyond cool! Congrats to the young lady and good on ya for helping!

Jeff

That's just too cool. My congratulations to the young lady. Real hunting, the old way.

I also love older guns and classics. I have a few modern guns too, and I like to use them now and then, but the biggest thrills come from the older guns, from 75 to 120 years old. I just killed an antelope buck last Thursday with a 6.5 Mannlicher with iron sights.
It's fun.

Heck I have been known to kill game with 1760 style flintlocks and that is also a real thrill.

Tip top marks!

Very cool. Love the old MS!

Which reminds me I've taken deer etc... with a musket issued for use in the civil war. Kind of cool knowing it still is around and works.

That is impressive as hell. Damn fine work !

Good job on the antelope. I have a W.R. Pape 6.5x53 Rimmed I'd love to use on mule deer and antelope. Not too many of them around my parts though. I've seen several of your flintlocks. They are things of great beauty.

Mart you are a kind soul with many virtues worth emulating. You have my admiration and respect. Congratulations to you, you’re family and the new huntress. The rifle choice is note worthy. There is gratification in hunting with a rifle that has a soul. Kudos.

Fantastic. Love seeing these kinds of posts. Well done!

Nothing more I can add...

Very well done. ---Mel

Thanks for sharing the story, you sound like a true class act!

NICE WORK!

Fine job Mart!
Both for you and your wife taking those youngsters in, and for the young lady's introduction to hunting.

Mart, that's awesome!
Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for sharing, may I ask what draw tag this was under? I have put in for so many cow tags since we moved to Wasilla, it's not even funny. My neighbor drew the King's River one and was successful this season.

It was a DM 400 tag. I drew the same one three years ago.

Congratulations for everyone involved .
Look forward to swapping stories and handling rifles later this fall

Phil,

I look forward to sharing a cup of coffee, swapping stories and discussing classic firearms. I'll be home Oct 18 for a couple weeks.

Marty

Outstanding!

Congratulations to the young lady and kudos to you and your wife for your mentoring!

Ed

Fantastic Story and Congratulations to your Student/Hunter!!! Kindness like yours ripples out and goes a long way. Those students will never forget what you and your family have shared.

That is one of the coolest things I've seen in a while! You and my Dad would get along great............

Mart great family leadership, thanks for opening your home. Kurt

Thanks again guys for all the kind words. These kids have been a real blessing to us. With me being gone two weeks of every month, it's been good for Etta to have someone around to help with cleaning and just to visit. She and Sarah have frequent morning coffee and talk sessions and Johnny likes to watch old episodes of Deep Space Nine with Etta in the evening, on the rare nights he's not working or studying. Yes, we're Trekkies. And they both know how to work, a rare quality in the younger crowds. Both have been more than willing to jump in and help around the house and the yard.

It has also been good for them to have mature adults to confer with who are not their parents. Their parents are great folks but sometimes it's good to have some outside perspective on life's decisions. Sarah has finished college and is headed back east to be with her family next month. I think she is torn. She would like to be close to family but loves Alaska. We told her the door is always open.

I'm going to take Johnny and another young man from our church and my English Setter out for a ptarmigan expedition when I get home from the slope. We're optimistically calling it ptarmageddon.

Mart you have a great situation goin. Great hunt , gun, and all. If the gun needs cleaning send it to me and I'll keep it spotless. After each time I shoot it. No need to say thanks, it's free.

Mart, nice hunt and really enjoyed seeing a kiddo with a classic rifle! I've zero experience with those mannlicher schoenar rifles.

I've had my eye out for one going on 5 years now. I've been getting into carving out and checkering high-grade walnut stocks, so am hopping to practice on one of them thar MS rifles.

I read where that Frank Glasser really liked those rifles for the lighter weight. Looked into them, and it appears the carbines only weigh about 6lbs?? If so, that's impressive.

I'm not surprised by the performance of those old western bullets. Elmer Keith talked very highly of em, being pure copper jackets and lead I believe. A western tool and copper, 32 caliber,200 grain bullet at 2100-2200 fps is a perfect recipe for reliable penetration on big game.

Now THAT........is Style.......

You've ruined her with that rifle. She'll never find a modern 308 or 7mm-08 she likes as much.

What a classy way to harvest that moose!!!

Thanks guys. I don't know if I've ruined her. She has pretty eclectic tastes in firearms. She owns an AR15, a Sweet Sixteen, a Taurus copy of a Winchester 62 and a couple of revolvers. She was working with my BAR 30-06 until she got a look at the Mannlicher. Yeah, now that I think about it, she's probably ruined.

It's stories like this that makes me keep coming back. That was absolutely wonderful that you opened your heart and home to these young people. These are memories that will not be soon forgotten. Thank you for posting this and congratulations to all involved.