doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com Sedgley sporting rifle with Mannlicher stock

Greetings,

For my first post on this Forum, I thought you might enjoy some pictures of a Sedgley sporting rifle from my collection. It is based on a Springfield 1903 action with a 20" barrel in the venerable .30-06 cartridge. Most notably it is fitted with a full length Mannlicher stock, which features a very graceful cheekpiece. Other features include a Lyman 48 rear sight and a steel buttplate that closely resembles a Winchester Model 70.

Although not in the same class as an Owens or a G&H, it's still a worthy rifle in beautiful condition. From my research I believe it is one of Sedgley's Deluxe grade rifles, but am not certain. Although I've owned it for years, I have reluctantly placed it for sale on GunBroker (search on Sedgley Mannlicher).

Cheers,
Peconga in Boise, Idaho

That certainly is a graceful cheek piece.

Can you tell me why that front sight is so high? I don't recall seeing anything like it on the 03s posted here recently (which is all I know about 03s).

Brent

Welcome to the forum, you have a very nice Sedgley Mannlicher and great photos.

Your rifle is not a De-Luxe, they were engraved. The cheek piece would have been an extra.

Your rifle appears to have the speed lock and safety firing pin.

You might also confirm in your ad that the bolt serial number matches the rifle, 1637?

Brent, the high front sight on many 1903s is due to the high hump on the rear bridge of these rifles. The high rear bridge, when used with a receiver sight such as the Lyman 48, will often be found with a somewhat higher-than-normal front bead so that the sights would zero properly. I find that a front bead that's 1 1/16" above bore centerline will zero well with the 30-06 cartridge & Lyman 48 while the 22LR Springfields can use a lower normal-height front bead. Front band-type ramps of this height have been difficult for me to find recently and I'm still looking, have had to use a few older ones that I was lucky enough to squirrel away long ago.

I concur about the Sedgley speedlock striker, its forward position looks identical to mine. It should also have a stronger mainspring to go with the speedlock, at least mine does.
Regards, Joe

jd, it may be just my inability to judge but I would guess that sight is much much higher than 1.0625 above the bore. Looks like more than 1.5" I'm sure I would have noticed if I had seen other 03s with a sight this high. I have only once seen a front sight as tall as this and that was on a muzzleloader using an breechloader tang sight. Any canting with that rifle will cost the shooter dearly.

But I do like that cheek piece. The general idea of it anyway. I may have to steal that idea and adapt it to something. I have an underhammer muzzleloader that needs a new stock. Of course, nothing can make that rifle actually look good. Just less ugly.

Some G&H 1903 sporters will be found with a transverse cut across the receiver bridge to let the Lyman 48 crossarm go down lower. Not sure but I may have seen this on a Hoffman Mauser 98 too.

Thanks for all the appreciative comments and new information about the Sedgley sporter.

Upon further examination it does appear to have a speed-lock conversion (which I honestly had not noticed before). And I also forgot to mention that the serial number "1637" is stamped on the bolt and also on the receiver (tang) in the bolt raceway.

Cheers,
Doug alias Peconga
Boise, Idaho USA

MP Strikes Again!
Best,
Steve

Here is one model of a Sedgley De-Luxe.

Mike, not counting the Mannlicher stocked 1903s, I have seen three general styles of Sedgely (1) standard rifle without cheekpiece and has schnable forend (2) the engraved Deluxe you have just shown (3) an intermediate model, same stock as the Deluxe but no engraving. Don't recall whether this last style is in the catalogs or not. Of course the firm would make whatever you asked for.