I'd never heard of these until a couple weeks ago. One day, out of the blue, my 91 year old grandfather said he'd wanted one all his life. So that set me on a mission. I found a few for sale on Gunbroker, but I avoid buying guns there these days if I can help it. I was able to source one at a local gun shop that was in better shape than anything I found on the internet. It's a "1961 MCA" model in .243 Win. that was made in 1965. They went through numerous revisions over the years, and they made them from 1903 to 1971 (some say 1972). The 1961 MCA was the last major revision and finally included a factory scope mounting solution. Here's a pretty good article about them:
https://www.chuckhawks.com/mannlicher_1961-MCA.htm
I think it might be the finest bolt action rifle I've ever handled. I've included a picture of ours that I took at the gun store before we bought it. My grandfather's poor ol' hips are just about shot, so I couldn't bring him with me. The scope is an old 4x Weaver wide-field that literally has cross "hairs". It was obviously foreign to the rifle because it took me 9 or 10 rounds just to get it on paper at 25 yards. It was shooting almost 2 feet to the right and 6 inches low. Even with the factory Redfield mounts, these guns were clearly still awkward to scope. I'd almost run out of adjustment on the scope by the time I got it centered. But once I did, it shot under MOA. It's all original except for the Pachmayr "White Line" butt pad...which I was thankful for after I shot it. Either I'm getting frail in my own old age, or these kick more than the average bear. It's also missing the front sight hood, but it's my understanding that the hoods obstructed the scope, and that's why you don't see many with hoods.
Anyway, I just wanted to share this. What a great rifle.
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