Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Mausers and Military Rifles 1903/1914/27 Breda Mannlicher–Schönauer Value

Hello,

I recently just acquired a 1903/1914/27 Breda Mannlicher–Schönauer. I have been trying to find some information on this firearm. It shoots a 6.5x54mm M-S. Does anyone have any experience with this firearm? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Take a look here:

https://forums.gunboards.com/

Too bad it's been Bubba'd.

+1 on trying to get info on Gunboards. I'd try asking on the "Mannlicher" forum and on the "Italian Firearms" forum (yours was at least assembled in Italy, I think, and the Italians used captured Greek-issue MSs in WWII ,some of them rechambered for the Italian 6.5 ctg., which is close to the MS ctg).

If you're patient and like hunting for parts, it might be very much worth your while to spend a few years rounding up the original parts to rebuild this old guy! Depends on just how bubulated it is. For example, is this a cut down rifle or a carbine that's been "sporterized" by maiming the wood? What's the bore like?

Always worth re-habilitating an old gun, at least to me. (My wife calls it making a $300 gun out of $1000 worth of parts and gas, plus another $1000 worth of time. But to me they're priceless.)

Here is mine after a few "touch ups". It was not in as good a shape as your gun is when I started. Had a very poor bore and the barrel was bent a bit. Paid $75 for the action. the rest was total junk.

2018 #1 Ant. Buck by Steve Zihn, on [bleep]
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA by Steve Zihn, on [bleep]
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA by Steve Zihn, on [bleep]

I re-barreled it, made a new stock, new bolt handle, new sights, new butt plate, swivels, and trigger guard. Lots of work, but the rifle is a very fine hunting tool and I have now killed 2 antelope and 1 deer with it. It LOVES a load of 4350 and a 156 grain PPU round nose bullet.

The Breda Mannlichers were manufactured for the Greek Military after 1927. Most earlier Greek mannlichers were built in the Steyr factory but the Greek army eventually needed a new order of rifles after WWI. There were some improvements to the rifle design towards the end of WWI. However, the Greeks could not have the due to the WWI treaty of Versailles(1919) they could not be "legally" manufactured in Austria. So Mannlicher sends the actions, barrels, and even some complete assembled rifles to the Breda factory which often assembled the parts on the early ones but Breda soon gave up and just stamped the Austrian produced rifles. Sometimes there are different markings on different parts assembles. Bredas often have a small five pointed star imprinted on the floorplate. Many were shipped to UK where the stampings were removed and were used as a basis on custom bespoke rifles. Many imported to the US were converted to 275 Rigby or 257 Roberts. Szihn is a great smith and his looks very nice. Breda's are generally a lot of rifle for the money.

What is the value of one normally?

Steve it looks like you did a nice job with the stock and bringing it back to life. Are you out near Lander? I am up in Jackson. Shoot me a message would like to pick your brain on it.

$500.00 if it has been bubba'ed. An untouched military one runs around 1400.00. There are many out there but they are the basis for nice rifles and are a gateway drug to getting addicted to Mannlichers.

wrgale. I am in the Wind River Valley between Riverton and Shoshoni
I'll try to send a PM. I sometimes don't have a lot of luck with computers but mine is very old and the system in unsupported now days.

Yeah something is wrong. Your profile says you have only 5 posts yet the PM says "wrgale is over their Private Topic limit."

Steve try wrgalegmail.com

That is a nifty sporter! Kills stuff, too--not just another pretty face!

Steve, is it still in 6.5x54? I understand that conversions of these to other calibers are tricky, although I have shot one in .257 Roberts that fed and fired slick as snot.

My brother has a half-stock pre-WWII commercial sporter very like that one, but his was made as a 7x57 "Mauser".

I suspect the guys in Austria were not too happy to make a rifle that shot their main competitor's cartridge, but in those days the customer WAS "always right."

Thanks to you all for the pics and the info!

Yes Mesa, I re-barreled it with a Green Mountain blank, but the new barrel is also a 6.5X54M/S. I used a 1-8" twist and it shoots very well. In fact I was pleased to find I could shoot groups as small as I did with it, thinking I was past that point in life. But when the sun is out and everything was good for my old eyes I found I could shoot groups at 100 yards of about 1.3" to 1.4" with that rifle and ammo.

About 35 years ago I had a sporterized Greek Mannlicher in 257 Roberts for awhile. The trigger was terrible and the whole package was both too long and too heavy, somebody's idea for a dedicated 'chuck rifle I guess. I traded it for something, maybe a Savage 99, at Corey's in Littleton, NH, sometime in the late 1980's. I hope that whoever has it today has had more success with it than I did.

I SUSPECT that the Fascist authorities had very little respect for any weapons restrictions that came out of the "peace" arrangements at the end of WWI. Italy got a very raw deal from those decisions and they were one of the motives for the Fascist takeover and ultimate alliance with in the Axis, a very poor outcome for all concerned. "Rubber-stamping" some Austrian-produced rifles as "made in Italy" probably wasn't considered a big deal by most Italian authorities of the time. And I suspect some lira or drachma or schillings (maybe all three) changed hands under the table to grease the wheels.

M-Ss are one of the neatest military and sporting designs ever; an oldie that really IS a goodie!

Here is a pic of my Model 1903 Mannlicher-Schoenaur in 6.5x54. Mine has the factory set triggers and a swing away peep sight on it. Sweet little rigs.