No. 9—Mannlicher-Schoenauer
The Mannlicher-Schoenauer is a rotary magazine bolt-action rifle that originated with a service rifle produced by Steyr-Mannlicher for the Greek Army in 1903. The rifle’s action was designed by Ferdinand Mannlicher, and Otto Schoenauer designed the rotary magazine. Recognizing the need for a stronger action better suited to the more powerful military and sporting cartridges coming into use at the turn of the century, Mannlicher developed a turn-bolt design that was a radical departure from the straight-pull actions he had previously favored. Like the Mauser, it had a two locking lugs at the front of the bolt, but its bolt head was detachable and its locking lugs were positioned slightly farther back along the bolt body.

There is a stripper-clip slot in the top of the rear receiver bridge, so the rotary spool magazine can be filled with stripper clips—a carryover from its military origins. The follower spring winds progressively tighter as each round is inserted. During single loading, the magazine stop springs back to prevent the follower from unwinding the previously loaded cartridges. The follower’s star-shaped contour ensures that the cartridges in the magazine never come into contact with each other.

The commercial version of the rifle, introduced in 1903, proved to be immensely popular. In 1925, Steyr-Mannlicher introduced guns with longer actions to accommodate popular American cartridges like the .30-‘06 Sprg. and .270 Win. Production was suspended during the Second World War, but resumed in 1950. Steyr-Mannlicher made the Mannlicher-Schoenauer in various forms (full, half-stock and take-down models) until 1972. Steyr-Mannlicher offered Mannlicher-Schoenauers in carbine models with 18-inch barrels that were 39-inches long and weighed just 6 pounds, 12 ounces., and rifle models with 23½-inch barrels that were 44¼-inches long and weighed just 7 pounds, 4 ounces.

Although production ceased in 1972, the rifle’s smooth action, compact size, light weight and elegant butter-knife bolt handle have endeared it to hunters in Europe, Africa and North America. Although the modern “Classic” Steyr-Mannlicher rifles still incorporate some original Mannlicher-Schoenauer features, the original bolt and rotary magazine have, sadly, disappeared due to their high production costs. —Glenn M. Gilbert

No. 10—Weatherby Mark V
Roy Weatherby forever changed the face of American hunting with his ideas on cartridge speed and power, and the rifle that personified his innovative concepts—the Weatherby Mark V—was a landmark design when introduced a half-century ago. The first rifles built for his hard-hitting, super fast magnums were built on Mauser actions, but Roy wanted an all-new, stronger receiver to handle cartridges up to .460 Wby. Mag. The fifth version of his prototype action was unveiled in 1958 as the Mark V. The bolt-action Mark V, made by a number of makers both here and abroad over the years, employs a cannon-breach-style bolt with nine locking lugs in three series. The lugs are the same diameter as the bolt body, so no guides or ribs are required, and the cartridge case head is fully supported. Bolt lift is a mere 54 degrees, and the Mark V cocks on closing. The gun’s racy “California-style” lines, powerful chamberings and Roy’s flamboyant marketing made it arguably the coolest gun of its day and, with the FiberMark, it helped lead the synthetic/stainless revolution. Essentially, Roy Weatherby’s Mark V—the “Rifle of Tomorrow of Today”—irrevocably changed American perceptions of power and performance in bolt-action hunting rifles.

Runners Up: Two rifles received the same number of points as the Weatherby, but because it received votes from multiple staff members, the Mark V bumped the Marlin Model 60 .22 LR and the Winchester Model 1873 from the top 10—I guess we should have made it the top 12. The blowback-operated, side-ejecting Marlin Model 60 was introduced in 1959, and its production—more than 14 million—has helped make Marlin America’s largest rifle maker. The side-loading, tubular-magazine-fed Model 1873 has a better claim as “the gun that won the West” than any other Winchester. Chambered initially in .44-40 Win. and .38-40 Win. (.32-20 Win. was added in 1879), it was the first Winchester with a steel frame, the first Winchester chambered for a center-fire cartridge and the first American-made .22 rimfire repeater. How many other guns have their own Jimmy Stewart movie named after them? —Mark A. Keefe, IV