Stutzen owners advice on caliber choice please

6.5rem700

Well-Known Member
Hi all
at some point in the future I would like to get a Stutzen rifle for general deer stalking
it will be used on muntjac, roe , fallow and Scottish reds
I want to keep recoil in this light weight type of rifle to a minimum if I can
so I can keep my sight picture and see reaction to shot (recoil and keeping sight picture are my main concerns with choice of round/caliber)
I have shot 243, 6.5x55 , 308, 270 in normal modern stalking rifles
but wonder what would be best to fit my criteria in a stutzen and still do the job well on reds
i fancy either 6.5x55 or 7x57
what are your thoughts/ experiences
thanks all
paul
 
I have an old full stock Sako in 308 - fine for stalking but punishing on the range for a series of shots
 
I have a Sauer 202 Stutzen in .243 its loud but not punishing i use it for Muntjack only
 
There is a lovely 308 break barrel stutzen for sale in ACP Shooting in Coolham, West Sussex. I was in there the other day and it handles beautifully and comes with a nice Simmons 1-4 scope all for £450. I'm sure with some of the lighter bullets the recoil would be fine.
 
I have a Steyr-Mannlicher Classic with a full stock in 7mm-08. In the end, a stutzen is just a short rifle (mine has a 20" barrel) so ideally you need a round that works well in those conditions. Anything else is fine, it just means a lot of muzzle flash and noise, which is all just wasted energy.
 
I have CZ550 stutzens in 9.3x62 and 7x64 which both work well on everything. My other c/f stutzen is a Krico in 5.6x57 which does the biz on CWD and munties as well as roe in Scotland and Europe. My CZ 452 .22LR stutzen is a great rabbiter and offers cheap and effective practice.

I do like the look of the new SAKO 85 Bavarian stutzen which would be a great bit of kit in a calibre 270 upwards.
 
Pine marten
how do you find the recoil and sight picture with a 7-08 ???
It's fine. In the field, I don't notice recoil at all, and at the range is only after maybe 25 rounds that I start to have a headache, but that happens with everything. Really, that's all down to the stock design and the Bavarian stock seems to suit me. I have AZ CZ 452 also for practice and the occasional rabbit.
 
I've had quite a few stutzens..all Mannlichers, various calibres from the early Mannlicher Schoenauers through to Steyr mod. L & M. They were all good, but the 6.5x54 MSch & the .243 were the best. The old mod. 1903 in 6.5x54 has one of the slickest actions you'd ever find anywhere and comfortable to shoot, but it has difficulty reaching the legal MV in Scotland for deer with the usual RWS 160gn bullet/cartridge...although you can get it legal with a 140 gn bullet if you home load.

Should you ever find one, a 7x57 would be absolutely ideal. However, a good compromise could be 7mm08 or even 6.5x55.
A .308 is pretty punishing after a few shots, as also .270 & 30-06.
 
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Hi all
at some point in the future I would like to get a Stutzen rifle for general deer stalking
it will be used on muntjac, roe , fallow and Scottish reds
I want to keep recoil in this light weight type of rifle to a minimum if I can
so I can keep my sight picture and see reaction to shot (recoil and keeping sight picture are my main concerns with choice of round/caliber)
I have shot 243, 6.5x55 , 308, 270 in normal modern stalking rifles
but wonder what would be best to fit my criteria in a stutzen and still do the job well on reds
i fancy either 6.5x55 or 7x57
what are your thoughts/ experiences
thanks all
paul


I have a heym Sr. 20 in .270. as a stutzen. I'm not sure you will see the strike of the shot to any of the deer rounds without a mod. It's fun to use, light weight and accurate.

In woodland though, it is chuffing loud, which is why I have a sauer 202 in 270, that is modded. As a hill rifle, it's good and I have never had a problem with warping in the wet weather. Has a s&b 8x56 on top
 
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+1 to deeaneo's comments about .270 stutzens - I had a Steyr-Mannlicher stutzen in that calibre years ago. It was very loud and had a decided kick to it! Also agree that a M1903 MS would be very nice.
 
By the way, I do have a Mannlicher Schoenauer...M1903 - 6.5x54, built in 1922 and magnificent, but, it's a 'Takedown' version not a stutzen....

However I am looking seriously at a 1960 MSch. Mod GK stutzen in 7x57....could well buy it too. Scoping them up with a modern scope for my aging eyes is the difficult and expensive bit.

In fact it would be cheaper to buy a 7x57 barrel for my K95, but not as much fun!
 
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Scoping a Steyr GK is not difficult - lots of split bridge factory mounts to be had. I had a GK rifle in .30-06 which was super accurate and slick as a whistle; sold it and regretted it ever since.

I have stutzens in 7mm-08, 7x64, and .270 Win. Have had others in 6.5x54 MS, 8x60S, 8x57IS, and .30-06.

7x57 or 7mm-08 are really wonderful: low recoil, not much muzzle blast, and a decided step up from the .243 Win or .257 Roberts, the game cannot tell the difference between them and a .308 Win. I have handled the new Sako 85 Bavarian stocked Stutzen, and the Steyr Classic - loved the way they mounted and pointed for me.
 
No I agree finding the parts is not difficult...but can be if you don't understand the German brochures...

I've just done the exact same thing with my MSch 'Takedown' to accomodate a Schmidt & Bender 8x56 with 30mm tube. Mounting it low & allowing the flag safety to operate correctly is not so straightforward.
Since all my rifles are scoped with 8x56 optics I will do the same to the 7x57.

Some of the scope mount systems to overcome the split bridge issue are definitely very ugly and unsightly though.

Depending on what I decide to do, may change the scoping around on my rifles & switch the 30mm tube for a 26mm...it would just mean getting different rings & feet to fit the claw mounts on the takedown.

The job will be done using a combination of Zeigler & Recknagel claw mounts/rings.
Though it has to be said, sometimes you can just get lucky & find a rifle that will accomodate an 8x56 but with a 1" tube...quite good enough on this type of rifle.

I absolutely agree though, around 25 years ago I had a MSch 1903 6.5x54 (pic of me with it in my gallery) I had the rifle for 5 years, sold it, bought it back & sold it again...a lovely stutzen..selling it is among the silliest things I've ever done. You'll see it has an 8x56 scope on it...Zeiss.
 
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I have one in 308win . I find it a bit of a kicker and there's a fair blast. But that's with a twenty inch . I would have loved a 6.5x55 but Sauer wouldn't do it for me with a twenty. Yes in 6.5x57.
I think some of the S. mannlicher have a 22" barrel. But if you roll your own then you can get 123gr game king in 308win and there's loads of stuff inbetween all the way up to 180gr, assuming your barrel twist permits. And you can in most cases travel the world with a 308win and have plenty gun.
 
I was shooting my Steyer 30-06 Luxus yesterday - Shot bullets 150 grain & 200 grain. Both demand respect & a proper hold & there is quite a bang LOL.
Very satisfying!
The nicest stutzen (probably the nicest rifle of all) that I have ever shot was a 1908 vintage 7x57 Mannlicher Schoenauer with iron sights. It was a long barrelled version & it handled & shot beautifully. First shot at 300 yards in the 4" bull. Super smooth action & not aggressive recoil or muzzle blast - I would love to own that rifle!!!!!!!

Ian
 
The nicest stutzen (probably the nicest rifle of all) that I have ever shot was a 1908 vintage 7x57 Mannlicher Schoenauer with iron sights. It was a long barrelled version & it handled & shot beautifully. First shot at 300 yards in the 4" bull. Super smooth action & not aggressive recoil or muzzle blast - I would love to own that rifle!!!!!!!

Ian

There are always about half a dozen Mannlicher Schoenauers in the Holt's auctions, generally in the sealed bids section, and they don't go for all that much money. I had a look at a few last week in the preview, two GKs in .270 and 8x57JS, and two 1950s in 7x64 and .30-06, all estimated at between £250 and £600. Admittedly you're then going to need to spend a lot on scoping them.
 
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