Steyr Mannlicher Zephyr II

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 Mannlicher Zephyr II Rifle Review

Steyr originally introduced the first generation of Zephyr in 1955, naming it the Zephyr Mannlicher Classic. The production ceased in 1971 and for almost 50 years it seemed that Steyr had distanced itself from the production of rimfire rifles. However, that changed in 2018 when the company reintroduced the updated version of Zephyr – Steyr Zephyr II.

Apart from some added modern attributes and refurbished styling, the rifle still resembles the old model. The Stutzen stock has been replaced by a more modern-looking sporter-style stock made of European walnut. The receiver is made of high-quality steel and compared to the first-generation Zephyr; it comes with a narrower 11 mm dovetail for mounting purposes. On the action tang, there is a two-position safety lever which is easily reachable with a thumb.

The bolt body is polished and allows for smooth and short action travel with the locking lugs being positioned on the rear end. Breaking at approximately two pounds of pressure, the trigger is light and responsive. The polymer magazine is detachable and can hold up to five rounds. Additionally, the new model also comes with an added rubber recoil pad which was not an option on the first-generation Zephyr.

Steyr Mannlicher Zephyr II comes with a 500 mm (19.7-inch) long barrel.

Steyr Zephyr II, chambered for .17 HMR

Figure 1: Steyr Zephyr II, chambered for .17 HMR (Source: https://twitter.com/steyrarmsusa/status/935924056125296640)

Steyr Mannlicher Zephyr II Calibers

Steyr Zephyr II is available in the following calibers:

.17 HMR
.22 LR
.22 WMR

The receiver of Steyr Mannlicher Zephyr II comes with 11 mm dovetail grooves for mounting purposes.

Steyr Zephyr II, chambered for .17 HMR

Steyr Zephyr II

Scope Mounts Interchangeable With Steyr Mannlicher Zephyr II

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

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

All rifles featuring a 11 mm flat-top dovetail

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

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

All rifles featuring a 11 mm flat-top dovetail

Best Scope Mounts for Steyr Mannlicher Zephyr II

Fixed Scope Mounts for Steyr Mannlicher Zephyr II

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

Detachable Scope Mounts for Steyr Mannlicher Zephyr II

If you want to detach your optic without the use of tools, we recommend this two-piece mount manufactured by Warne. 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.

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