Steyr Mannlicher THB

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 THB Rifle Review

Steyr THB which stands for ‘heavy tactical barrel’ is a push-feed bolt action rifle with a polymer stock that is based on Steyr’s Pro Hunter series. The rifle uses the renowned SBS (Safe Bolt System) wheel switch is used for safety. This system is predominantly used on all newer Steyr rifles due to its reliability.

The safety is put into the loading position by turning the safety wheel rearwards until a click is heard. When the rearmost position is reached, the protruding grey catch is visible - in this position, the trigger is locked, and the bolt cannot be opened. Inside the steel action is a bolt with four opposed locking lugs. On the top of the receiver, there is a Picatinny rail pre-mounted and ready to be used for a simple installation of optic mounts.

The two-stage direct trigger used on the THB is adjustable for weight and length of pull by turning the two screws positioned on the inner upper side of the trigger. An adjustable cheek pad is available optionally on the McMillan variant manufactured for the American market. The rifle comes with the same two-stage, a four-round magazine with a double stack loading system that is used on a Pro Hunter. It is held in place by two catches positioned on each side. The EU version is only available in 6.5 Creedmoor whereas the models manufactured for the US market come in a .308 Winchester caliber as well.

Steyr THB is available in the following barrel lengths: 406 mm (16-inch), 508 mm (20-inch), 635 mm (25-inch) and 660 mm (26-inch).

*The European version of THB is only available in a 635 mm (25-inch) configuration.

Steyr THB, chambered for .308 Win.

Figure 1: Steyr THB, chambered for .308 Win. (Source: https://snipercentral.com/steyr-pro-thb-full-review/)

Steyr THB Calibers

Steyr THB is available in the following calibers:

6.5mm Creedmoor
.308 Win.

*Please note that the .308 Winchester caliber is only available for the US version of the THB.

Steyr THB Variants

The rifle is available in the following variants:

Steyr THB McMillan Stock
Steyr THB Manners Stock

The receiver on Steyr THB comes with a pre-installed Picatinny rail for mounting purposes.

The receiver of Steyr THB, chambered for .308 Win

Figure 2: The receiver of Steyr THB, chambered for .308 Win. (Source: https://snipercentral.com/steyr-pro-thb-full-review/)

Scope Mounts Interchangeable With Steyr THB

Rifles That Have One-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable With Steyr THB

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

Rifles featuring a Picatinny rail for mounting purposes

Rifles That Have Two-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable With Steyr THB

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

Rifles featuring a Picatinny rail for mounting purposes

Best Scope Mounts for Steyr THB

Fixed Scope Mounts for Steyr THB

If you are looking for a fixed mounting solution to install on your Steyr THB, we recommend this mono-block mount for Picatinny manufactured by the German company ERA-TAC. It is made of high-quality aluminum and comes with a two-year warranty.

Detachable Repeatable Scope Mounts for Steyr THB

We recommend this mono-block mounting solution manufactured by the German company EAW that provides the user with the flexibility of easily attaching and detaching an optic without any tools and retaining zero at the same time.

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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General features of Cantilever Scope Mounts

Cantilever mounts look different, comparing to the others. The expression ("cantilever") itself is explained as a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is supported at only one end. This is also in common with the cantilever scope mounts. They actually are supported only at one end and look this way. These mounts are useful where there is not enough of rail to mount a scope on it.

If the rail is too short for a whole scope mount, cantilever mount can be used. These mounts extend the needed space (missing piece of the rail, basically) and help getting the scope enough forward, so that a shooter can get enough of eye relief.

Of course there are also rifles that have Picatinny rails around barrel. However, all of them are not like that and some have M-loks or some other form of the handguard around the barrel and this means that regular mounts cannot be used. Mostly, they are made of aluminium, because of the lighter weight, compared to steel mounts.

ERA-TAC one-piece mount, 3" extended, 34 mm, lever

Cantilever mounts are used only with AR platforms, usually with design of the AR-15 rifles but they also work on AR-10 and others. Ergonomy of the AR rifles and their high, flat stocks are the reason why they have to have at least 22 mm of height (BH – build height), otherwise the shooter would not be able to see through the scope.

These mounts are made as one-piece mount and are pushing the scope forward and allowing more rail space at the rear end of the optic.

Cantilever Mounts and Rifle Scopes

Normally, wide angle rifle scopes with following magnifications are used on these rifles: 1-4x, 1-6x, 1-8x,... In the past, these mounts were available only for scopes with 30 mm tubes. Nowadays, this is not the case anymore, because there is a variety of scopes with different tube diameters available on the market. Mounts for 1 inch, 34 mm, 35 mm and even other scope tube diameters can be found.

When scope is mounted on such mount on a AR-15 rifle, it looks like a mount sits more over the barrel than the receiver. Receiver is not floating, so this is the only possible place to mount a scope. Cantilever mounts are normally extended in the front end for 2 inches, some of them even for 3 inches. When mounting such mount, it is extremely important that mount is installed and screwed only on the receiver. There are some handguards on the market that looks like the extension of the receiver because of the Picatinny rails on top. We shall not use this extended Picatinny rail for mounting cantilever mounts, because receiver and handguard are two separate parts of the rifle and if we use them both, stress and strains in at least one direction will appear. This means that mount will fail eventually. It is also important to know that design of a cantilever scope mount and attaching the scope on it, might change the balance of the rifle. It might make the rifle more front heavy.

Rings on these mounts are normally using four screws and rings are normally divided 50:50 (upper and lower part of the ring, tightened with screws), which is common on tactical rifles.

ERA-TAC Ultralight One-Piece mount, 30 mm

ERA-TAC Ultralight One-Piece mount, 30 mm

Fixed vs. Quick Release Cantilever Scope Mounts

On the market, even quick release cantilever scope mounts can be found. They are more expensive and must be made of high quality materials, but they can make your rifle much more fun. Choosing and selecting multiple scope options with tactical or sport rifle can be much more exciting and it surely widen the possibilities of using a rifle. On the other hand, tactical rifles are used in harsh environments and in tough conditions, which is the main reason why mounts have to be really rigid and robust. Robustness definitely goes in favor of fixed mounts. These mounts simply do not have moving or gentle parts that can fail in critical situation.

Sadly, having enough of the material that protrudes the mount on the front end, also means that these mounts are usually higher than other Picatinny solutions.

There are also cantilever mounts for railed scopes on the market, although they are rarely used. Examples of this type are produced by EAW or INNOmount.

Why Use a Cantilever Scope Mount on AR rifles?

Steyr Mannlicher THB

The History of Steyr