1910 Mannlicher

[yamoon]

One of the firearms dealers has a 1910 chambered for 9.5x57. The problem is someone has removed the magazine parts and installed a block of wood to convert it to a single shot. What do you think the chances are of finding parts to restore the magazine.
Mike

[mike ford]

Mike,
The chances of finding actual 1910 parts are pretty slim, at least in the US (Axel may have an idea). I think you can find military 1903 parts but finding someone that can grind the spool to match the sides and feed 9.5x57 ammo will be the trick to the whole restoration.
Mike

[yamoon]

Mike
I agree, I put it out there, thought someone might know of a source. The price is ok, but I don’t need a Mannlicher single shot. I am thinking of trying to negotiate an even lower price, hanging it on the wall and keep searching for parts, if I don’t find any hopefully I can resell it. It is a full stock.
Mike

[mike ford]

I can't argue with that, I have had my own "projects", sometimes 40 years. Good luck.
Mike

[yamoon]

I offered 15% less than they had it priced, to my surprise, they accepted. Guess I should have offered 20% less. I hope it is as good shape as they say. I need a 6 1/2 pound rifle with over 30 fps of recoil. I’ll post some photos when it arrives.
Mike

[yamoon]

ms3.jpeg Rifle came today, appears to be as advertised. I was expecting a stutzen with a 19 11/16 barrel, got a full length stocked rifle with a 23 1/2 inch barrel. The rifle appears to be as it left the factory, so I guess different configurations were available. Can you tell me the scope mounting and are rings still available. I will probably shoot it with open sights. There is some discussion about 1910s on the Nitro Express Forum. The original loading seems to be 270 gr round nose bullet at 2170 fps, does anyone have experience with a 235 gr spire point? Will the rifle shoot a shorter, lighter bullet? Found dies & brass made from 35 whalen at Buffalo arms
Thanks Mike ms.jpeg ms1.jpeg

[Axel E]

Mike, yes, non-standard configurations of Mannlicher -Schoenauers were available all the time from the factory. I have seen such with full-stocked rifle length barrels, half-stock carbine length ones and even rifles with “military rifle length”, up to 28” barrels. Post-WW2 such rifles, like a full-stocked 24” barrel 9.3x62, are often marked NO instead of the usual GK, MC or MCA. My own 1910 is a half-stocked 50 cm carbine.
As you already waded through the Nitro Express Forum for 1910 and 9.5x57 M-S aka .375 Rimless Nitro Express load info, you certainly came across my posts as kuduae. I make my cases from W-W 30-06 brass and use RCBS dies from ebay. Formerly I used 270 gr Hornady rn bullets. As I now have to use unleaded bullets for hunting, I now use Barnes .375, 235 gr TSX bullets in front of 55 gr of VV N140 for 2400 fps (20" barrel), but for training and target shooting I use the cheaper Speer 235 gr HotCor semi-spitzer bullets with he same powder charge and the same poi at 100 meters. You have to seat both bullets to a cartridge oal of exactly 3” for proper function through a M1910 mgazine.
Pierre van der Walt in”African Dangerous Game Cartridges” gives two loads using American powders for the 235gr Speer bullet: 43.5 gr IMR-4895 for 2200 fps or 47.5 gr IMR-3031 for 2400 fps (24” barrel).
I just checked: Yes, the rotor/cartridge carrier assembly of a Greek military M1903 action fits the “cradle”/bottom metal of a M1910 magazine. But it will take several hours of careful grinding with a Dremel to adapt it to the much fatter 9.5x57 M-S cartridge.
Finding scope rings to fit your existing bases is near impossible. These mounts were more or less handmade and hand fitted by many individual gunsmithes. All dimensions are variable. Reread my comments on this matter in “Waidmannsheil! #64”. Recknagel in Germany makes pivot mounts for these old M-S rifles. These are much more flexible as to scope size than any claw mounts. They may be available from NECG https://www.newenglandcustomgun.com/ .

[mike ford]

Mike,
I seem to remember that you may have a couple older German scopes, if so and if one happens to fit the spacing of the claw mount bases on your rifle, you may have a chance to fit it to your rifle. The suppliers Axel mentioned have claw mount parts. Failing that, Axel's advice to use swing mounts would be the easiest way to go since it avoids the problem of the ocular bell hitting the barrel when tipping it up. Both Recknagel and Ernst Apel Wuerzburg (EAW) have swing mounts that will more or less directly fit your rifle. The front rings usually come with a base that can be fit to the dovetail cut into your receiver ring. The MS claw mount bases were usually screwed (maybe also soldered/glued) to the rifle and new swing mount rear bases can usually fit the same screw spacing. The main problem, then, would be selecting parts of the correct heights to allow level mounting. To help in this, one or both ERA and EAW can supply spacers to adjust height. With Axel's confirmation that 1903 parts can be adapted; I feel pretty positive about your project.
Mike

[yamoon]

Axel, Mike
Thanks for the information. I will keep looking for a 9.5x57 magazine, if I don't find one in a couple of months, I will pickup one of the 1908 8x56 on ebay, less grinding.. I will probably start with the 35 Whelen brass formed to 9.5x57 at Buffalo Arms, they also have dies. I have 8X57 dies, and 9,3x53 Swiss dies also 8x50M-S dies so I can enlarge the case neck in steps.
Thanks Mike