doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com Interesting rifle with interesting provenance

Here is the link to this same rifle over on Nitro Express. It doesn't say as I can see what the gun sold for and it seems that was in 2018 but then I was only interested in the pics at the time:
Fraser Mannlicher

That is an interesting thread on Nitro Express, but it is strange that many of the photos in the auction listing are in the 2018 thread. Maybe that is not important, but makes me wonder.

BTW, what are the two metal objects next to the turnscrew in case?

5 round en-bloc clips.

They act as magazine lips and fall out of the bottom of the magazine housing as the last round is chambered.

As they are scarce a piece of duct tape is advisable.

The en-bloc clips falling out the bottom was an undesirable feature of these rifles (IMO) so I designed a small catch that retains the clip as it falls down about half way. It is spring loaded so you just grab it and pull it out the rest of the way. Easy peasy. You can see pics of it on the second page of my project thread in the entry dated Mar 16, 2022.

I figured it was something like that, but I've never seen one of these in real life. Interesting rifles, for sure.

The last time that rifle was for sale, I'm pretty sure Drake had it.
Daniel Fraser fitted his improved trigger mechanism, and I would say the Lyman sight was done at the same time. It is fitted up and has the nose of the comb clearanced in the same manner as he did with the single shot rifles.
The action probably came out of the large batch of 1893 ones that Gibbs apparently sold throughout the trade - you see them done up quite handsomely by quite a few named makers. I have one in 375 Nitro done by Dicksons.

My stocked to the muzzle sporter carbine is built on a Romanian M92 bbl'd action. Top of the recv'r ring still shows the M92 marking. Steyr marking on the left recv'r wall, I don't recall the date, maybe 1899.
Who ever built it did a very nice job using the orig bbl and adding a 1/4 rib for the rear sight.
DST of course. GunShow find @ $200 w/ 1 round of 1917 dated Dutch mfg ammo in a clip.
Seller said it was his neighbors WW2 bring back item.

Some of the sporters have a small hindged 'door' on the bottom of the magazine box to close it off. That keeps the empty enbloc clip from falling free after the last round is chambered.
Then the shooter just pulls the door open , it's over-center spring tensioned like a butt stock cart trap, and the clip is free to drop into your hand.
Lot's of the '88 Sporters have the feature as well.
Here's one on an '88 sporter



My Portuguese Model 1896 Short Rifle is still in Military form though the condition is far from great.
I'll leave it in that configuration I think, not many of them around.

The recv'r ring shows the mark of King Carlos of Portugal. Same as the Kropatchek rifles have.
Steyr marking on the left recv'r wall is 1896 I believe.
6.5x54R cal. excl bore too.
When a bunch of these were imported some yrs back the importer Hand Stamped the recv'r rings with the import info!
Plus they marked in that info that the rifle was of Roumanian , not Portugese origin.
This one included..
At least they didn't punch the letters over the top of Carlos's recv'r ring roll marking.

When Sir Alfred started using the rifle he probably used Austrian made ammunition.

Eley made the cartridge not long after, and here is an early box loaded with Moddite (modified Cordite). The little sticker seems to obscure the word clips of WITHOUT CLIPS .

[quote=BrentD, Prof]I think the Pease rifle has the Lyman lollipop back far enough to avoid the bolt. I imagine the right thumb has to be in front of it, however. While that seems awkward to me, I suppose it will work. I wonder if Pease put that on the rifle or if a subsequent owner did it?

Brent, your query quoted above inspired me to re-read my re-print of Sir Alfred’s book to see what he says about the sight or sights that he used.

He mentions the subject only once, at page 243, when engaging a lioness that had gone to ground at 240 yards:-

“placing the big gun on the ground, I take the .256 rifle, sit down and fire a shot at her scarcely visible head. “Over” her! I give my Lyman half a turn down and shoot again. “A hit!” she is up! “Crack” again, and she is on her back, growling and snarling and worrying her own leg.
I take the 10-bore and go forward quickly, and at 40 yards give her one more and it is all over”.

So, yes the Lyman sight was in place during his ownership, perhaps when he bought the rifle or possibly fitted for him later.