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Steyr SM 12 L

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 SM 12 L Rifle Review

Steyr introduced the SM 12, a rifle of the bolt-action type, in 2012. Its steel receiver houses the unique Safe Bolt with four frontal locking lugs. There are grooves on the side of the push-feed bolt body so that it continues to operate smoothly in adverse conditions. A patented safety bushing encases the extractor, additionally contributing to the safety of use. There are multiple gas ports on the bolt.

The SM 12 is equipped with Steyr’s Hand Cocking System which allows the user to manually cock the internal firing mechanism using a thumb. The trigger is smooth, adjustable, and secure. It can be pushed forwards to activate an even lighter trigger pull. The magazine holds four rounds, except for the magnum versions which have a 3-shot capacity. The non-magnum models’ barrel length is either 508 mm or 558 mm (depends on the variant), while the magnum SM12 rifles’ barrel measures 635 mm.

Figure 1: Steyr SM 12 L Half-Stock in .243 Win. (L model) (Source: https://www.gunsinternational.com/guns-for-sale-online/rifles/steyr-rifles/free-safari---new-steyr-arms-of-austria--sm12-half-stock-243-winchester-rifle.cfm?gun_id=101577074)

Steyr SM 12 L Calibers

The short action model is chambered for the following calibers:

.243 Win.
.270 WSM
7mm-08 Rem.
.308 Win.
.300 WSM

Steyr SM 12 L Variants

The rifle is available in the following variants:

Halfstock Standard and Halfstock Standard SX*
Halfstock Magnum and Halfstock Magnum SX
Mountain and Mountain SX
Semi Weight and Semi Weight SX
Halfstock Stainless and Halfstock Stainless SX
Fullstock

*SX models come with a polymer stock.

All other SM 12 action lengths:

There are six holes for mounting purposes on SM 12’s receiver, 3 on the front, and 3 on the rear mounting surface. There is no difference in height between the surfaces.

The receiver of Steyr SM 12 L (B: 76 mm)

Figure 2: The receiver of Steyr SM 12 L (B: 76 mm) (Source: https://www.gunsinternational.com/guns-for-sale-online/rifles/steyr-rifles/free-safari---new-steyr-arms-of-austria--sm12-half-stock-243-winchester-rifle.cfm?gun_id=101577074#sm-10)

A1: 11.84 mm

A: 10 mm

B: 76 mm

C: 11.84 mm

C1: 10 mm

BHU: 0 mm

Ø: 6-48

R1: R35

R2: R35

Scope Mounts Interchangeable With Steyr SM 12 L

Rifles That Have One-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable With Steyr SM 12 L

The necessary condition for rifles to have one-piece scope mounts interchangeable is that the mounting surfaces of these rifles match in every dimension. Rifles that have one-piece scope mounts interchangeable with Steyr SM 12 L are the following:

Steyr Pro Hunter L
Steyr Classic L
Steyr CL II L

Rifles That Have Two-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable With Steyr SM 12 L

For two-piece scope mounts to be interchangeable, the mounting surfaces of the rifles must match in every dimension except the action length which can vary. This is because the distance between the two pieces of the mount is not fixed. Rifles that have two-piece scope mounts interchangeable with Steyr SM 12 L are the following:

Steyr Mannlicher Classic SL
Steyr Mannlicher Classic L
Steyr Mannlicher Classic M
Steyr Mannlicher Classic S
Steyr CL II L
Steyr CL II M
Steyr CL II S
Steyr CL II SL
Steyr SM12 SL
Steyr SM12 M
Steyr SM12 S
Steyr Pro Hunter SL after 2003
Steyr Pro Hunter L after 2003
Steyr Pro Hunter M after 2003
Steyr Pro Hunter S after 2003
Steyr Pro Hunter S before 2003
Steyr Pro Hunter M before 2003
Steyr Pro Hunter L before 2003
Sako A7 S
Sako A7 M
Browning A-Bolt LA
Browning A-Bolt SA
Browning A-Bolt II LA
Browning A-Bolt II SA
Browning Eurobolt LA
Browning Eurobolt SA

Should you have any additional information regarding possible scope mount matches, please contact us. We will gladly accept your help and expand our database accordingly.

Best Scope Mounts for Steyr SM 12 L

Fixed Scope Mounts for Steyr SM 12 L

MAKfix Rings are the most suitable fixed mounting solution for Steyr SM 12 L. They are simple to install, reliable, and recoil resistant.

Detachable Repeatable Scope Mounts for Steyr SM 12 L

This two-piece, steel pivot scope mount made by Recknagel is a perfect choice for SM 12 L (Leicht).

Picatinny Rails for Steyr SM 12 L

When choosing a Picatinny rail for Steyr SM 12 L, you need to keep an eye on the distance between the holes on the rail. There are a few manufacturers which produce Picatinny rails for Steyr SM 12 L (B distance of 76 mm). EAW's steel Picatinny rail is an excellent choice as it perfectly matches SM 12's steel receiver.

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 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

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Steyr SM 12 L

The History of Steyr