World War II Database

Country of Origin	Austria
Type	Rifle
Caliber	6.500 mm
Capacity	5 rounds
Length	1.226 m
Barrel Length	725.000 mm
Weight	3.830 kg
Range	600.000 m
Muzzle Velocity	678 m/s

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseMannlicher–Schönauer bolt-action rifles were designed by Otto Schönauer (rotary magazine) and Ferdinand Mannlicher (rifle action) in the late 1890s. This innovative design was introduced to the public at the World Fair in Paris, France in 1900. In 1903, the Greek Army reached a deal for what it had designated as the Model 1903 (Y1903) rifles, purchasing both the long rifle and short carbine versions of the weapon, at the quantity of 130,000 across both versions. Despite these Mannlicher–Schönauer rifles being of high quality, the high cost and the unusual caliber meant their home country of Austria-Hungary, and in fact no other powers except for Greece, would purchase them. However, due to war demands, a small number of them would indeed be used by Austrian troops during WW1. In 1914, Greece signed another contract for 50,000 rifles; these would be designated as Y1903/14. From 1927, Greece purchased an additional 105,000 Mannlicher–Schönauer rifles (designated Y1903/14/27) from Breda of Italy, which had taken the design from the defeated Austria-Hungary, to replenish the great losses incurred in its war with Turkey. In 1930, an additional 25,000 weapons (Y1903/14/30), all carbines, were ordered from Steyr of Austria. A great number of them saw action during the Italian and German invasions of Greece during WW2. In 1941, Lieutenant Rigas Rigopoulos submitted a redesign of the Y1903 to improve firing performance; it was approved by the Greek military, but production would never take place due to German occupation. After the war, they saw action in the 1946-1949 Greek Civil War.

These rifles were also sold to the civilian market beginning in 1903. They were popular with hunters across Europe and North America. The civilian version of this design remained in production almost continuously through the start of WW2, and resumed between 1950 and 1972.

Source: Wikipedia ww2dbase

Last Major Revision: Jul 2018

Mannlicher-Schönauer M1903 Rifle Interactive Map

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