Folks,

I've been thinking recently about building a "carbine" size rifle. As I've been searching for ideas, I began to wonder whether a Mannlicher stock combined with a straight, English-style grip would be feasible. (Think of a fine English double shotgun.) So far I have yet to see this type of configuration so that leads me to believe that this may not be the best set-up for a rifle.

FWIW, I was considering the following:

- Standard length commercial Mauser 98 action.
- 20" Pac-Nor bbl., #3 contour.
- 6.5x57 Mauser as my first choice, 6.5x54 M-S as second.

Bottom line: Would that straight grip be too inherently weak, even if the rifle is chambered in a fairly low pressure cartridge? (Please correct me, but from what I can tell both the 6.5 Mauser and 6.5 M-S are considered relatively low pressure.) I also think that choosing a good stock blank would play a role.

Thanks in advance for any input.

i had one like this a few years back that was my favorite sheep gun, it was a 98 action with a 18" barrel in 3006. I wouldn't worry about anything whatsoever with the design, after what mine had gone through I found it always came back and asked for more. I'd still not sure why i sent it down the road, but then again I'm not sure why i've sent several others down that same road

Sounds like a good project to me. The Mannlicher-Schoenauer was built that way for 70 years. I'd suggest going with the 6.5x57mm, mainly for larger case capacity, or the 6.5x55mm, over the 6.5x54mm. Main reason is the slight increase in power, and the better availability of brass for reloading in the situation of 6.5x54 vs the other two. I may have hundreds of 6.5x54 cases, but that's from 30 years of brass collecting, not if you are starting out fresh.

LLS
Mannlicher Collector

If you are going to use a Mauser action, you might as well go for the 6.5X57 or the 6.5X55, as you are paying for the improved performance over the 6.5X54 anyway.

I see no reason at all why you could not use a straight grip vs a pistol grip for such a rifle. The Mannlicher style forend is a neat feature!

The Swede full-stocked Model 94 carbine has a very short barrel and a straight grip.

It's a beautiful rifle.

flaco

I am not into staright stocked rifles, but if that is what floats your boat, go for it.

One thing I would strongly urge you to do is to handle mannlicher rifles with that barrel set up (#3 20" long), assuming you can find some. Even the PacNor #2 contour is too heavy for a mannlicher. Also, I would shorten it to 18-18 1/2".

These reccomendations are squared or cubed if you go ahead with your straight grip idea. That set up will handle like a club if you do not add weight to the butt. In the end you will wind up with a heavier rifle whether you add the weight or not, and that seems to go against what you are shooting for. I definitely would not have the muzzle over .500"

Something like what Lilja called their "0" coutour (do they still make it?) cut to 18-18.5" will help you get a lively rifle you are after. Just about any barrel maker will turn a custom contour for you. I know they will do it cheaper than I would charge to change the contour.

I would not think it too weak if it is laid out properly. Oh, I would ONLY use thin shelled walnut for this project, and strongly suggest quarter sawn blanks. Claro is dicey in a regular stock and no way would I use it here. American Black is only so-so for a regular rifle and would just add nonproductive weight to your rifle and be a bear to finish and checker.

either 6.5 sounds good. I think the 6.5 MS is a smaller head and could require additional tweaking of the action & bolt. The 6.5x57 should require no work whatsoever.

Be sure to have someone make it who has expereince with mannlichers. Or at least use someone who makes very trim and light stoks. Many, many peple leave too much wood on their stocks, and doubly so when they make a mannlicher. A fat and/or heavy mannlicher is the clubbiest rifle in the world.

Soemthing else to think about is using a Fisher Round Bottom bottom metal unit. I am doing an iron sight mannlicher for a guy and he insisted on th eFisher RB unit. At first I was pretty apprehensive because I have astyle of handling th ebottom metal. but I have to tell you, this thing is great! If you go ahead with your stright grip idea then I think the Fisher unit is even more applicable in your case.

I also would not have a cheekpiece on your rifle. Hey, BTW-the guy I was just talking about told me the other day that he had a staright grip rifle with no cheekpiece made one time. He said he liked it. Jim Coffin made the stock for him.

Not my cup of tea, but if you like it, go for it!

I have a 19" Mannlicher in 358Norma I would not want a longer barrel. Don't know the taper but it matches pretty close to the MKX which I would call light sporter.

I have seen statements like part of pinotguys questions here. No offense pinotguy.

It amazes me to think that people are worried about the diameter of the grip on a given gun related to its calibers recoil. What the...?

If you need to worry about your grip cracking because your gun has heavy recoil...whom ever bedded the barreled action needs to stick to another job and stay awaaayy from gun work.

Your grip should never break under the recoil of ANY caliber. That is NOT a stress point under recoil.

Straight grips on shotguns facillitate using double triggers. Personally, I'd much prefer an open pistol grip than a straight grip on a full-stocked rifle.

Marc is giving good advice on bbl weight and length. A #3 is WAAAY too heavy. I have a 6.5X55 with a lightweight 19" bbl and it shoots and handles great.

To me, nothing looks better than a well executed full-length stock; but at the same time, nothing looks worse than a poorly executed full-length stock. Unfortunately it is an expensive undertaking to get a nice custom full-length stock built.

Unless you're itching to burn some cash, my advice is to find a Brno 21F in 7X57. They're not cheap but a whole lot less expensive than trying to replicate one with a new stock.

Hello,
Have always liked the idea of full length stocked rifles and often considered the Ruger International, but it always seems to come up tha that they do not shoot well due to the "light" barrel?? Some advocate that the European full stocked rifles always use a heavier barrel than Ruger and shoot fine?? Now which is correct?? Is there more to the supposed Ruger accuracy problem than the light barrel?? I have other Rugers and for sporting rifles shoot very nicely. Just curious for if the Ruger would shoot well, I will buy one and believe you can get it in 7x57 and perhaps 6.5x55.

PS I stand corrected, current offerings of the Ruger are 243, 308, 270, and '06. Any of these would be fine for me if they will deliver good accuracy.

quote:

Originally posted by dsiteman:
Hello,
Have always liked the idea of full length stocked rifles and often considered the Ruger International, but it always seems to come up tha that they do not shoot well due to the "light" barrel?? Some advocate that the European full stocked rifles always use a heavier barrel than Ruger and shoot fine?? Now which is correct?? Is there more to the supposed Ruger accuracy problem than the light barrel?? I have other Rugers and for sporting rifles shoot very nicely. Just curious for if the Ruger would shoot well, I will buy one and believe you can get it in 7x57 and perhaps 6.5x55.

PS I stand corrected, current offerings of the Ruger are 243, 308, 270, and '06. Any of these would be fine for me if they will deliver good accuracy.

I always liked full stocks too. But I like a little heavier barrel, especially in a short one. Just to make it hold better in a huinting situation. I picked up a Ruger RSI and rebarreled it for my wife to 7-08 and used a heavier barrel (#2 shilen IIRC). It shot great and she took a lot of game from FL to AK with it, before she got into gardening .