Mannlicher Metal Nose Caps And Full Length Wood?

[Rick]

My friend/gunsmith wants to recreate this rifle: It's a custom Mannlicher stocked Husqvarna Husky (selling name here in Canada in the 1960s, not correct model number) with a Mauser steel triggerguard/floorplate and magazine rather than the original alloy, chambered in 35 Whelen:

View attachment 1024468

Metal schnabel nose cap semi fully fabricated. He would prefer not to have to go that route.

NECG and others used to sell this nose cap:



I have contacted NECG, who told me they sourced these Mannlicher nose caps from a company in Germany who is no longer making them. Web searches of other potential sources who used to offer them for sale i.e. Brownells have been fruitless. The source ended about three years ago, apparently, and everything that had made it to North America is gone now.

So:

1. Does anyone have one of these laying around unused, they'd be willing to sell for less than handing over my first born (which we were unlucky enough to not have to offer in trade anyways)?
2. Does anyone know of something similar in shape and lines being offered to the gun trade, and who that would be? Brownells' currently available nose caps look (to my eyes at least) intended to do double duty as field expedient bottle openers.
3. Does anyone have a rifle with this nose camp mounted that they can take pictures from various angles of for me to give my friend (the nosecap on the rifle pictured above is not from NECG but an altered nosecap) as the basis for another alteration project.

As for the full length stock blank, Jerry Fisher's widow Celeste had a very nice Mannlicher length blank for sale among some of his other stuff at the Kalispell gun show a few weeks ago. When this project came up a week later I called her up and she told me one of Jerry's gunsmith friends had come by to visit just the day before and decided to take it off her hands.

So I'm back to looking for a full length Mannlicher blank. I'd like exhibition grade wood of course, but this is specifically intended to be a hunting rifle, not for show, so if it isn't blonde and has some decent dark figure in it, I'll be happy.

Thanks for any help; at 70, this is probably going to be my last rifle and hopefully we'll get the components sourced and the rifle done while I've still got the legs to hunt with it for more than just a couple of seasons.

 

[polkey]

You could use one from a Ruger international (mannlicher) stock. Numrich shows them in stock.

 

[Rick]

That looks close enough and the price is right for now - cheap like borscht as a friends' mom used to say. I'll buy one of those while waiting to see if something closer to that NECG nose cap becomes available. I tried to get a detailed look at pictures of Ruger's International rifles; but what I saw was pretty vague and some suggested they might look more like what Brownells' offers, but at that price I'm going to grab one

Thank you!

 

[gunrunner100]

If that falls through, I'm sure I still have a few from Brownell's.

 

[SuperCub]

I tried to get a detailed look at pictures of Ruger's International rifles

The Ruger International has a nice classic shape overall. I like the straight comb. Something similar to that would be my choice for a full stock rifle except it needs to have a 20 or 21" bbl to make it less clubby in appearance.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[SuperCub]

I wish I had bought on of these Remington Custom Shop Model Seven MS in 35 Rem when they were offered. With a young family and a stay at home mom, a gun like that was not an option. Now they are scarce and quite expensive.

 

[dan belisle]

Brownells used to sell those nose caps, might be worth a look. - dan

 

[dan belisle]

I wish I had bought on of these Remington Custom Shop Model Seven MS in 35 Rem when they were offered. With a young family and a stay at home mom, a gun like that was not an option. Now they are scarce and quite expensive.

View attachment 1024838

Those are beauties, always wanted one in 7mm-08. Like you, too poor at the time. - dan

 

[Rick]

The Ruger International has a nice classic shape overall. I like the straight comb. Something similar to that would be my choice for a full stock rifle except it needs to have a 20 or 21" bbl to make it less clubby in appearance.

The donor rifle/receiver was a Tradex Husqvarna Mannlicher stocked rifle. There were two things I didn't like about the rifle.

First, the forend was a two piece stock; they did an extremely good job of matching the wood and grain and the joint is barely visible, but I wanted a single piece stock. Second is that the lines of the forestock made it look whip thin, like it was too long.

I don't recall what the original barrel measures, but the barrel on the rifle at the top measures 21" - pretty close to the original barrel length on the Tradeswinds imported "Husky" featherweight rifles they imported in the 1960s (I think they were the 4000 series with some changes made for the North American market). The forend and lines on that rifle, in my perhaps prejudiced opinion, are just about right to give the rifle a look of proportion. Not too skinny, not too clubby.

I did ask him to recreate the thin butt and comb that is on the Husky model of rifles simply because 50+ years of hunting with three of those rifles has taught me they put my eye exactly where it should be behind the scope when I bring a rifle up into the aim. I don't want to change what works for me at this late stage of my hunting career.

Whoever ends up with it after I go for the long dirt nap can modify the stock with no complaints from me.

 

[gunrunner100]

I wish I had bought on of these Remington Custom Shop Model Seven MS in 35 Rem when they were offered. With a young family and a stay at home mom, a gun like that was not an option. Now they are scarce and quite expensive.

View attachment 1024838

I had one in 350 Rem Mag. Nice rifles.

 

[AP]

Sako had mannlicher carbines with a steel muzzle cap -- it wasnt a schnabel design but it did have an integral ring that enclosed the end of the barrel which was an elegant feature imo

 

[pdhntr]

Hello everyone,

My first post here and glad to see all the good information.

I build my own guns, mostly focusing on stock making. I have slowed down and only make a few every year now, as my fingers and shoulders have taken a beating.

Like Rick, I am looking for a metal Schnabel forend for a custom build for myself. They don't seem to be made anymore and I am wondering if you (gunrunner100) would be interested in parting with one.

Really appreciate your consideration. Thanks.

Jim

 

[pdhntr]

If that falls through, I'm sure I still have a few from Brownell's.

Hello everyone,

First post here. I build my own rifles focusing on stock making mostly. I am glad to see all the good information here.

Like Rick I am looking for a metal Schnabel forend. The Ruger International is not to my liking and I really would like to find one of the ones that don't seem to be made anymore. At least I can't find them. I don't have a photo hosting site so I can't post a pic but I have a photo of one on my late father's Mauser. It looks very similar to the ones in the pics above.

gunrunner100 would you consider parting with one of yours? Thank you for the consideration. I appreciated it.

Jim

 

[gunrunner100]

Send me a PM

 

[pdhntr]

Send me a PM

I can't send a pm until I have fulfilled all of the requirements of a new member. At a minimum that will be three days if I read the requirements correctly. I understand and respect the requirements of the forum. No problems from me.

Thanks for getting back to me. I will contact you as soon as I can.

Jim

 

[gunrunner100]

Sent a PM to your inbox, not sure if you can read it yet.

 

[guntech]

A custom one made out of ebony looks very nice too.

 

[Rick]

Hello everyone,

First post here. I build my own rifles focusing on stock making mostly. I am glad to see all the good information here.

Like Rick I am looking for a metal Schnabel forend. The Ruger International is not to my liking and I really would like to find one of the ones that don't seem to be made anymore. At least I can't find them. I don't have a photo hosting site so I can't post a pic but I have a photo of one on my late father's Mauser. It looks very similar to the ones in the pics above.

gunrunner100 would you consider parting with one of yours? Thank you for the consideration. I appreciated it.

Jim

You have some help on the way in response to your query sent to gunrunner. I will leave it to him to correct me if I'm wrong but I think the ones he showed me pics of are of the same design as the ones sold by Brownell's. Or at least they appeared to be very similar as they seemed to have the same pronounced raised ring at the junction of the front and side surfaces of the cap.

It must be very popular as a design as they've been selling it forever,. and it does replicate many of the European mannlicher front caps.

My problem is that, just speaking for myself, I prefer the look of the NECG muzzle caps that they imported from Germany and sold until a few years ago.

As posted above by somebody trying to help me out, if you're seeking something different than the common Mannlicher look and Brownell's version that is similar, Numerich sells Sako muzzle caps that have smoother lines. They are cheap like borscht, so you can always grab one to have something to start with.

$16.50 apiece should not strain your budget too much if it is not to your liking.
https://www.gunpartscorp.com/products/862690b

As my friend who made my rifle has disappeared to the south until winter leaves, I can't ask him if he fabbed the muzzle cap on the 35 Whelen he built from me from scratch, or took something existing, built the metal up, and then shaped it until it looked like what he was looking for.

 

[pdhntr]

You have some help on the way in response to your query sent to gunrunner. I will leave it to him to correct me if I'm wrong but I think the ones he showed me pics of are of the same design as the ones sold by Brownell's. Or at least they appeared to be very similar as they seemed to have the same pronounced raised ring at the junction of the front and side surfaces of the cap.

It must be very popular as a design as they've been selling it forever,. and it does replicate many of the European mannlicher front caps.

My problem is that, just speaking for myself, I prefer the look of the NECG muzzle caps that they imported from Germany and sold until a few years ago.

As posted above by somebody trying to help me out, if you're seeking something different than the common Mannlicher look and Brownell's version that is similar, Numerich sells Sako muzzle caps that have smoother lines. They are cheap like borscht, so you can always grab one to have something to start with.

$16.50 apiece should not strain your budget too much if it is not to your liking.
https://www.gunpartscorp.com/products/862690b

As my friend who made my rifle has disappeared to the south until winter leaves, I can't ask him if he fabbed the muzzle cap on the 35 Whelen he built from me from scratch, or took something existing, built the metal up, and then shaped it until it looked like what he was looking for.

Hi Rick,

The photo above is what I am looking for. There seems to be a lot of Ruger International forend tips around, but I am after more of the Schnabel look. This is from a custom Mauser my father acquired in the early 1960s. I am guessing these don't exist anymore so I am left with trying a NECG if I can find one.

I may have a line on some, but I would rather wait to post my results until I have more information.

Thank you.

Jim

 

[Rick]

Hi Rick,

The photo above is what I am looking for. There seems to be a lot of Ruger International forend tips around, but I am after more of the Schnabel look. This is from a custom Mauser my father acquired in the early 1960s. I am guessing these don't exist anymore so I am left with trying a NECG if I can find one.

I may have a line on some, but I would rather wait to post my results until I have more information.

Thank you.

Jim

I took a cheesy cellphone pic of the muzzle cap on my 35 Whelen for you. The rifle metal still hasn't had the final polishing and bluing job applied to it. He didn't have his tanks set up, had other stuff on the go, and it was hunting season. So I spent all of about an hour putting an oxypho blue finish on it to protect the metal before heading out to the range and then up into the mountains hunting.

I don't know if Bill built it from scratch, or grabbed whatever was commercially available when he got to that point in building it, whether he added some metal (or removed) to get to where he wanted to be. They might come back to Canada for Christmas week before heading back down until spring arrives, If they do, I'll ask him what he started with to end up at this point.

If you do get a line on more than one of the NECG ones, put a hold on any leftovers for me (one at least). I'm sure there are still a few kicking around out there; I just haven't started on a dedicated search to find one collecting dust in a corner of some gunsmith's workbench.

Not to many hunters in these days of plastic fantastic, alloys, and carbon fiber barrels asking gunsmiths to build them a Mannlicher stocked rifle...





I think he got it pretty close, but I would prefer a bit more pronounced curve to it than what he ended up with. Looking at it now,it looks like might have just removed a lot of what looks almost like a ridge/rim on the ones Brownell sells.