Steyr Mannlicher Zephyr Classic

The History of Steyr

The story of Steyr Mannlicher began in 1821 when Leopold Werndl, a blacksmith, started manufacturing iron parts for firearms in the city of Steyr. His son Josef Werndl took over his business and founded the 'Josef und Franz Werndl & Comp. Waffenfabrik und Sägemühle in Oberletten ' in 1864. In the following years, he played a crucial role in the development of several rifles, including the straight pull-rifles M. 85 and M. 86. At the beginning of the 20th century, the engineers Ferdinand Mannlicher and Otto Schönauer developed the Original Mannlicher Schönauer, a legendary hunting rifle, the production of which took place until 1973. The company grew over the years and reached a production capability of 4.000 firearms per day before World War I. After the War, Steyr was prohibited from firearm manufacturing after the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye was signed. To avoid going bankrupt, they used their knowledge and machinery to manufacture cars, bicycles, motorcycles, tractors, trucks, dynamos, electric motors, and other things (they were not allowed to resume firearm production until 1930). In 1926, the company’s name was changed to Steyr-Werke AG. It merged with Austro-Daimler-Puchwerke AG in 1934 to form Steyr-Daimler-Puch AG. Both Austro-Daimler (previously a subsidiary of Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft) and Puch (founded by the Slovenian inventor and mechanic Janez Puh) were active in the automobile industry, with Puch also manufacturing bicycles, motorcycles, and mopeds.

They even employed Ferdinand Porsche for a time – he made several contributions to the company – one of them was designing an air-cooled 3.5 L V8 engine for the Steyr RSO Raupenschlepper Ost tracked vehicle. Steyr is known for modifying Fiat cars and adding their engines to some of the models (Steyr-Fiat 1100 Mod E and Fiat 1400, for example). In 1972, they cooperated with Mercedes in the design of Puch G, also known as Mercedes Benz G-class.

During World War II, the company focused on firearm, vehicle, aviation engine, and ball-bearing production for the German military. After a short firearm manufacturing ban after the end of the War, Steyr resumed the production of arms in 1950. In the years that followed, they presented many innovative firearms such as StG 77 (also known as Steyr AUG), an assault rifle with a bullpup design; SSG 69, which was ahead of its time after its release in 1969, and many others. In 1989, Steyr-Daimler-Puch AG broke up into different sectors; Steyr Mannlicher AG became independent. The company has strived to be internationally oriented, so it changed its name to Steyr Arms in 2019.

Steyr Manlicher Zephyr Classic Rifle Review

Steyr Mannlicher Zephyr Classic is a bolt action rimfire rifle first introduced in 1955. It was manufactured up until 1971 when the production stopped. Almost 50 years later, in 2018, Steyr decided to reintroduce the rifle under the name Zephyr II.

The first generation of Zephyr is renowned for its accuracy. It comes with a detachable clip magazine which can hold up to five cartridges. It can be released by pushing a button positioned on the side of the receiver. The wing-type safety with indicators is positioned on the rear end of the bolt. It locks the bolt and the firing pin. Zephyr Classic is equipped with a double-stage single trigger which is adjustable for weight of pull; however, a double-set trigger was also available optionally.

The rear open sight is either fixed or folding and on the front of the barrel, there is a hooded ramp sight. The stock is made of walnut wood and the receiver, which comes with 16.5 mm dovetail grooves for mounting purposes, is made of steel.

Steyr Zephyr comes with a barrel length of 495 mm (19.5-inch).

Steyr Zephyr Classic, chambered for .22 LR

Figure 1: Steyr Zephyr Classic, chambered for .22 LR (Source: https://www.gunsinternational.com/guns-for-sale-online/rifles/steyr-rifles/steyr-zephyr-classic-22-lr-caliber-rifle-s-n-1613.cfm?gun_id=101915230)

Steyr Mannlicher Zephyr Classic Calibers

Steyr Zephyr Classic is available in the following calibers:

.22 LR

The receiver of Steyr Mannlicher Zephyr Classic comes with 16.5 mm dovetail grooves for mounting purposes.

The receiver of Steyr Zephyr Classic, chambered for .22 LR

Figure 2: The receiver of Steyr Zephyr Classic, chambered for .22 LR (Source: https://www.gunsinternational.com/guns-for-sale-online/rifles/steyr-rifles/steyr-zephyr-classic-22-lr-caliber-rifle-s-n-1613.cfm?gun_id=101915230)

Scope Mounts Interchangeable With Steyr Mannlicher Zephyr Classic

Rifles That Have One-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable With Steyr Mannlicher Zephyr Classic

All the rifles listed in the category below have one-piece scope mounts interchangeable with Steyr Zephyr Classic. Rifles that have the same mounting surface as Steyr Zephyr Classic are:

All rifles featuring a 16.5 mm flat-top dovetail

Rifles That Have Two-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable With Steyr Mannlicher Zephyr Classic

All the rifles listed in the category below have two-piece scope mounts interchangeable with Steyr Zephyr Classic.

All rifles featuring a 16.5 mm flat-top dovetail

Best Scope Mounts for Steyr Mannlicher Zephyr Classic

Fixed Scope Mounts for Steyr Mannlicher Zephyr Classic

This two-piece fixed mount manufactured by the Croatian company Rusan is a suitable choice for Steyr Zephyr Classic. It is made of steel and comes with a ten-year warranty.

Detachable Scope Mounts for Steyr Mannlicher Zephyr Classic

If you want to detach your optic without the use of tools, we recommend this two-piece mount manufactured by Rusan. Please note, that although the mount is detachable it is not repeatable, meaning that you will have to zero in your scope when remounting it back on the rifle.

Please note that some of the mounts listed in our offer below come with a recoil stopper which must be removed to fit on the Steyr Mannlicher Zephyr Classic rifle. This can be done easily by the customer, using basic tools.

Help Us Build Our Riflescope Mounts Database

If you happen to own this or any other rifle, we would appreciate it if you could help us expand our database by sending us some photos of the rifle receiver (the bare mounting surface of the rifle without the scope mounts installed). For your help, our company offers a fair return in terms of practical rewards.

Please send us an email for more information. You can contact us here: info@optics-trade.eu