Mannlicher Sporting M1 Carbine

Post WWII Commercially Manufactured M1 Carbines (U.S.A.)

Mannlicher Sporting

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Assistance Request

If you have any information regarding "Mannlicher Sporting", the company who manufactured these receivers and/or these receivers please e-mail us at Jim at USCarbineCal30.com. Or feel free to post information in the commercial carbine thread on our forum.

Background

A retailer in Florida purchased a large quantity of carbine parts from another retailer finding a dozen of these receivers among them. They sold these receivers one at a time in 2017. They had no information as to where they originally came from or who Mannlicher Sporting was.

Attempts to identify Mannlicher Sporting have so far failed to identify who made the receivers.

The name Mannlicher has been associated with a number of European firearms manufacturers most notably Steyr-Mannlicher. Mannlicher Sporting was a rifle model produced by CG Haenel in Germany. We do not believe these companies were the source of these receivers.

The term "Mannlicher" has been used by a number of companies in the United States to describe a particular sporting rifle style similar to the model made by CG Haenel. One of the more common parts with the term Mannlicher has been the "Mannlicher" sporting stocks made for various rifles by various stock manufacturers.


The Design

Sporterizing military rifles was popular for many years. During the 1960's and into the early 1970's a number of companies offered sporting rifle parts and/or conversions for M1 carbines both military and commercial. One of the best examples were the conversions offered by Williams Gun Sight Company. Their conversions offered a "Mannlicher" stock manufactured by the custom stock maker Reinhart Fajen in Missouri. Williams Gun Sights also offered a limited run "1 of 50" for collectors than can be viewed HERE.


M1 Carbine Sporting Rifle conversion by Williams Gun Sight Company in
the 1960's featuring a "Mannlicher" stock made by Reinhart Fajen.

"Mannlicher" stocks could not use the M1 carbine's barrel band. The stock and handguard were secured to the barrel by the use of one or two bolts inserted through the bottom of the stock. Sometimes using the bolt that held the front sling swivel. This latter design was used by Howa with their Model 300 Sporting Carbine..


The Howa Model 300 used the front sling swivel bolt to secure the stock to the barrel and handguard.


The bolt screws into the hole adjacent the band attached to the handguard.
Further information on Howa's carbines may be found HERE.

The Mannlicher Sporting Receiver


The hole in the bottom of the receiver's front lug is threaded. This is consistent with one means of
securing a "Mannlicher" stock to the receiver instead of the barrel thereby making the barrel a "free
floating barrel" for better accuracy.


During the 1960's several commercial carbine manufacturers eliminated the carbine's recoil plate and
extended the receiver rearward so it would fill the gap. The rear of the receiver was then secured to
the stock with the recoil plate bolt and nut. They learned why the recoil plate existed. The energy
exerted rearward when firing the carbine cracked the stock lengthwise from the rear of the receiver
and/or snapped the wood where the bottom of the bolt at the rear of the receiver was held by a nut
inset into the bottom of the stock.

It's possible these receivers were intended to be used with something other than a wood stock. Which would
likely eliminate the beauty of the wood of the Mannlicher stock.


The large lug at the front of the bottom of the receiver required the additional length to accommodate the bolt that secured
the stock into the bottom of the receiver to produce a "free float" barrel.

If you have any information regarding "Mannlicher Sporting", the company who manufactured these receivers and/or these receivers
please e-mail us at Jim at USCarbineCal30.com. Or feel free to post information in the commercial carbine thread on our forum.