6.5×54mm Mannlicher–Schönauer

Hunting use

Walter Dalrymple Maitland "Karamojo" Bell, who shot 1,011 elephants, had a high regard for the 6.5mm Mannlicher–Schoenauer, mainly because the light Mannlicher Schonauer carbines it could be chambered in. He used it for approximately 300 of these kills. Daniel Fraser of Edinburgh, Scotland built him a special, lightweight rifle in that calibre. He only set it aside when he was unable to acquire dependable ammunition for it, and returned to the Rigby-made 7mm Mauser he was using previously. Bell's legendary name has remained closely linked with the 7mm Mauser, but the 6.5 Mann.–Sch. was his first preference.

The 6.5×54mm was referred to by the writer Ernest Hemingway as the .256 Mannlicher. Though it never replaced his favorite .30-06 Springfield, he did speak highly of it as a lion cartridge, and it was the favorite of his African guide and professional hunter Phillip Percival. The Kenya game warden and naturalist A. Blaney Percival also favored the 6.5×54mm. The 6.5x54mm chambered in Mannlicher-Schonauer sporting rifles were the most common red deer stalking rifles for hunters in the UK in the first half of the 20th Century.

In part, the 6.5×54mm's reputation for good performance on large game stems from its use of a 160 gr bullet, giving the projectile very high sectional density and therefore penetrating ability. It requires a fast rate-of-twist rifling (about 1 in 9") to stabilize such a long bullet.

Military use

The 6.5×54mm Mannlicher–Schönauer cartridge was adopted by the Greek Army, along with the Mannlicher–Schönauer rifle in 1903. From 1906 until the German invasion and capitulation of Greece in April 1941, it was the standard military cartridge of the Greek Army. The Mannlicher-Carcano round was also used by Greek forces in this rifle, being with its cartridge just 2mm smaller than the desired bullet. During the German occupation it was used by Greek resistance fighters and during the Greek Civil War (1946 - 1949) by the Greek Gendarmerie, militia units and communist fighters of the Democratic Army of Greece. During the German occupation, Carcano rifles captured during World War II were also converted to 6.5×54mm Mannlicher–Schönauer and used by Greek forces.

The Austrian Army used the 6.5×54mm Mannlicher–Schönauer cartridge during World War I. Some Austrian Army regiments and the Polish Legion, were armed with confiscated Mannlicher–Schönauer rifles produced for the Greek Army. Also the Austrian Army used the 6.5×54 Mannlicher–Schönauer cartridge in converted 6.5×50mm Arisaka rifles captured from the Russian Army.

References

References

1. "C.I.P. 6,5 x 54 Mannl. Sch.". COMMISSION INTERNATIONALE PERMANENTE POUR L'EPREUVE DES ARMES A FEU PORTATIVES.
2. "Handloads: 6.5x54mm Mannlicher-Schoenauer". NRA.
3. "W.D.M. Bell and His Elephants".
4. "W.D.M. Bell and His Elephants".
5. Ganyana, "The 6.5 X 54 Mannlicher-Schoenauer," ''African Hunter'' 5 (February, 1999)
6. Ernest Hemingway, ''Hemingway on Hunting'' (NY: The Lyons Press, 2001)
7. A. Blaney Percival, A Game Ranger on Safari (London: Nisbet & Co., 1928)
8. Christos Sazanidis (Χρήστος Σαζανίδης), Arms of the Greeks (Τα όπλα των Ελλήνων), Thessaloniki (Θεσσαλονίκη), 1995
9. Hellenic Army General Staff / Army History Directorate (Γενικό Επιτελείο Στρατού / Διεύθυνση Ιστορίας Στρατού), The armament of Greek Army 1868 - 2000 (Οπλισμός Ελληνικού Στρατού 1868 2000), Athens (Αθήνα), 2000