Steyr Mannlicher Luxus appreciation...

[Arac]

I have been hunting with a Steyr Mannlicher Luxus in 7mm RM for 30 years - absolutely love the rifle. Unbelievably accurate and sweet handling, even though it is a bit heavy by today's standard. The rifle is all metal, fit/finish is excellent and the action is very slick. I really like the single set trigger as it makes off-hand shooting a bit easier. My father shot deer with it, I have and my son has too. I suspect his child will do the same in the future.

I purchased a second one the other week so now I have a pair. The new one is in .300 Win Mag and it has the Bavarian style cheekpiece and Schnabel for end. Some of the differences: the fore end is a bit narrower, the swivel mount is a bit closer to the fore end, the safety is on the tang, the triangle on the rear sight is more ivory vs bronze and the length of pull is a bit shorter.

Hoping to go to Africa with my wife in 2027 - we will take this pair with us. Maybe my son will want to come too....that means I should be on the lookout for one more, right?!

Post up with yours if you have one. The 7mm is the bottom, darker stocked rifle.

 

[AZDAVE]

Nice rifles. Something to build a family hunting history with.

 

[steve white]

Styers are no slouch in the first place, but a Luxus is even more refined. I confess that I have not familiarized myself with all the refinements. Could you expand your description of what make these rifles superior? Inquiring minds want to know!

 

[Arac]

Good day Steve! Much of my views on why the Luxus is superior is subjective, and of course differences in taste and preference make life interesting. For example:

1. I much prefer the all steel bottom of the Luxus to the plastic version on the regular SL, L, M, S and S/T. The plastic around the bottom screws crack quite easily and in any event I prefer steel.

2. The detachable magazine on the Luxus is all steel and single stack. The "regular" Steyr Mannlicher, if I can call them that, uses a plastic rotary magazine that pays homage to the pre-1969 Mannlicher rifles. Specifically the Mannlicher-Schoenauer rifles, which had beautiful internal (non-detachable) rotary magazines. Plastic of the day was not what it is today and I have heard - not personally observed - that some gun cleaning solvents can damage this older style plastic. One advantage of the rotary magazine is increased capacity. You can have up to 5 rounds, even in magnum chamberings, while the single stack metal magazine of the Luxus is limited to 3.

3. I like the stock shape and design on the Luxus rifles. They are slimmer and feel more lively in the hand. This is in large part due to the single stack magazine, which permits a trimmer stock design. Note how wide the magazine is on the regular model in the photograph below. This leads to a chunkier feel. The Luxus was also available with Bavarian cheekpiece and Schnable fore-end. The shape of the butt and sweep of the pistol grip fit me much better on the Luxus.

4. I prefer the style of checkering on the Luxus. The regular version often has the skip-line checkering.

5. While the regular version was available with a single trigger, they often came with double set trigger. I much prefer the look and feel of the single set trigger on the Luxus.

6. The width of the stock and inletting required for the wide detachable magazine cause a weak point in the regular rifle's stock. I knew a fellow who cracked his stock while getting into a boat. The wood just above the magazine release is very thin and doesn't have much support.

On the other hand, the regular version came in more cool chamberings - 5.6x57, 6.5x68, .300 H&H and .375 H&H, to name a few.

I like them both, but very strongly prefer the Luxus for the above noted reasons. That doesn't mean I won't own a regular version in the future - maybe a full stocked L or SL....

 

[7x57Joe]

I had a Luxus Stutzen in 7x57 but, sold it in a fit of stupidity! The name of the company escapes me now but, they made a blue steel bottom metal for the standard models.

 

[Arac]

I had a Luxus Stutzen in 7x57 but, sold it in a fit of stupidity! The name of the company escapes me now but, they made a blue steel bottom metal for the standard models.

Oh wow! I have never seen a Luxus Stutzen in real life - and 7x57 is arguably the nicest chambering.

There was someone who made bottom metal, but I can’t remember who either.

 

[7x57Joe]

Oh wow! I have never seen a Luxus Stutzen in real life - and 7x57 is arguably the nicest chambering.

There was someone who made bottom metal, but I can’t remember who either.

Here's the one I had: