HZa Marked Mannlicher–Schönauer 1903

[cosmoline_smudge]

Hello all and greetings, for my first post on this here forum I have a great rifle I accidentally stumbled upon a couple months ago. I wouldn't say these are really "well documented" but it is pretty typical for one of these rifles. Mismatched bolt, force-matched stock to rifle (interestingly enough it is a 1903 stock matched to a 1903/14 receiver) and lots of the star proof marks that, if my readings serve me right, are all signs of interwar reworking in Italy. Duffle cut, and an HZa Inn4 (or Thn4?) mark on the bottom of the stock wrist. I feel very fortunate to have this rifle.

I may as well briefly introduce myself, I am a younger collector and I mainly focus on Balkan and Soviet related weapons and equipment - Balkan Wars, World Wars, breakup of Yugoslavia... anything from the 1990s and earlier really. I do also dabble in Nazi guns so this was a must have when I got it and the price was definitely right. I hope you enjoy the photos of this neat rifle. I may post a couple of Soviet guns of dubious origins (possible German-related but unknown) in a week or so if there is interest. Thanks for taking a look.

 

[mrfarb]

Cool rifle. Here’s a few other similar ones, yours has the Italian marking as well it seems. We now recognize the depot as Thn for Thorn, back then I misidentified mine as Inn instead of Thn.

HZa marked Greek contract Y:1903/14 Mannlicher Schonauer rifle

One of the rifles built at Steyr for an intended 50,000 rifle contract, probably before the outbreak of hostilities in 1914. Austria stopped delivery of the contract rifles as Greece remained neutral until later in the war. Then as now, Greek finances were something of a punch-line to a joke...

www.k98kforum.com

HZa marked 1927 Breda 1903/14

Picked this up today from a friend, I’ll be honest I’ve admired them from afar but have never researched them heavily as finding them is difficult. The bolt doesn’t match, but the rest of the rifle is really nice with a great bore and matching duffle cut stock. I normally pass on bolt...

www.k98kforum.com

 

[AndyB]

The M03/14 is the last contract made by Steyr probably delivered early 1914, as the contract was not fullfilled and remained rifles were buyed by austrian army after start of WW1.

 

[Jdt]

Very nice find. Congrats! If there's any German connection to being beutewaffen then it belongs here. If just wanting to show your Soviet era arms (which there's multiple fellas here who'd like to see) then post those in the "collector off topic" section.

 

[Pat]

Nice rifle! I have one a lot like it. I wound up reloading ammo for mine and it shoots nicely, very smooth.