I have a near mint Schoenauer fullstock 1952 rifle which has never been scoped ,it fits me perfectly with open sights, but as my eyesight aint great anymore, and i need a scope for it .I would like a mount that wont ruin the rifles original value .I like the two piece EAW ,but i would like something that i am still able to use the open sights if need be, any suggestions thanks ! 2.As it is a fullstock ,can this be floated? or so the stock is affected by weather etc, or is there some solution to this that makes for consistency ? i havent owned a fullstock or stutzen before thankyou

Fullstock bedding is problimatic at best. Shoot it and see.
As for a scope mount, you certainly don't want any hamhanded "gunsmith" to tackle this one. I would suggest Reto Buehler in Grant Pass, Or, (541) 664-9109. Reto is Swiss trained/apprenticed and would do it Right! Tell Him I sent you.
SDH

Some or all of the 1952 models imported into the US had a flat on the left side of the receiver to simplify fitting of a Griffin & Howe sidemount. This is by far the most elegant mount for a M/S but it is fiercely expensive.

I don't know what it takes to conserve the original value of the gun, but all the MS mounts I have come across, have had to be mounted on the receiver wall. The split receiver bridge of the action makes it difficult to do anything else.

I used an EAW swing mount on the MS I had for a while. It seemed to work fine, and allowed me to remove the scope without the use of tools. I honestly can't remember whether open sights could still be used with the scope removed, or whether the front base was too high??

- mike

Look up the mounts on NECG's website. They have both EAW, Jauger, and german claw mounts for these rifles. I have a few of them myself, and I havetwo scoped. One was factory original 1903 with factory mounted scope, and the other uses the Griffin and Howe sidemount. It is also a 1952....see below.

I had a M-S 270 Win RIFLE that had been tuned by Pachmeyer. It had a Griffin & Howe side mount and the base had been WELDED to reciever and matte blasted and rifle PERFECTLY reblued. Wish I still had it as it shot great and was SOOOOOO smooth. The original 52's came with a dummy side plate if I remember that came out when the G&H was mounted and didn't even require the stock be cut. I had a carbine but never had the money for a G&H mount then.

My rifle is amazingly accurate, but the stock is too short for me, and no I will not put a pad on it.

I have always been amazed how well it shoots to its fixed sights too. I wish I knew what ammunition they used to regulate the guns too.

The scope is a 6X Lyman

Post war Mannlicher-Schoenauers were often factory drilled for scope mounts. If it has been d&t on the front ring, than the EAW and Redfield mounts will work. The EAW may let you use the irons, if a high ones are on the rifle.

If only the rear side has been drilled, then the intention is to mount a barrel band and ring on the barrel, just ahead of the receiver.

All post war models have a removeable side plate for using Griffin & Howe, Jaeger or EAW side mounts. These are by far the classiest mounts, and will not decrease the value if properly installed.

The iron sights for any given caliber or usually regulated for the heaviest common bullet that was available at the time the rifle was manufactured. For instance, the 220 gr round nose in .30-06 shot point of aim in my model 1950.

Thankyou for the advice gentlemen,it hasnt been drilled and tapped at all, and looks like it has stood in a gun cabinet all its life! i think the EAW base is too high to allow open sights to be used [there is one at Champlins for sale which has two piece EAW s,]as far as i can tell ,i think i will go with EAW ,but that rifle of yours 333_okh sure is a nice one! with the side mount !sure looks the part, Nice ! Can anyone enlighten me about the original reason for the Stutzen [full stock ]if it had some practical purpose or just looked good ?

Since your rifle has not been drilled and tapped on the top for any of the two piece bases such as EAW or Redfield you may want to consider checking if your rifle has a removable sideplate and think about the side mount. You get to retain an upper receiver that is unmarked and should be able to use your iron sights.
As I check my NECG catalogue the side mounts are actually in the same price range (yes,expensive) as the two piece mounts and look so much better. Even the old Redfield bases that show up occasionally on ebay run about $200 or so.

Good point !thanks for the advice dian 1 thankya ! will look into that !

Stutzen originally referred to short barreled, full stock military carbines first used by the Austrian Cavalry in the late 1800's.

Alpine hunters soon found out that these rifles were perfect for scrambling about the rocks. The extra wood and steel tip gave added protection to the barrel.

The secret to accuracy with a full stock is even inletting. It doesn't matter if it is free floated or full length bedded, as long as the metal to wood pressure is entirely even. M-S stocks were hand fitted, and the pressure is usually perfect. When someone has an accuracy problem with a full length stock, it usually is with budget rifle that has factory inletting and a pencil barrel, like the Ruger 77RSI International.

Keep in mind that original M-S stocks look nice, but they are not factory sealed for wet-weather use. You will usually not find any varnish in the inletted areas beneath the barrel and action, and often not even in the checkering.

IMHO, the best scope mounts for the post war Mannlicher are as follows, the Grifin & Howe, the Redfield, and the NECG mounts. None of them are cheap these days, but you are working with one of the classics. Good Luck!!
LLS
Mannlicher Collector