[Kestrel]

I'm thinking about getting a Swedish M96 mauser, in 6.5x55. The condition is listed as "Very Good", with about 50-60% blueing. Bores are listed as "good" and no pitting. $200

Does this sound like a good deal? Does the condition sound worn out? (I've never had a gun with that little blueing on it...)

Also, what is the difference in a M96 mauser and a M98 mauser?

Also, how do the ballistics of 6.5x55 compare to other calibers?

Thanks for any help,
Steve

[Wildalaska]

Hi go visit this link ,its a fount of info....

Swedish Mausers (http://www.gunboards.com/forums/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=40)

I have a few, great rifles

WilddaswedeAlaska

[cracked butt]

Doesn't sound too bad. Don't see too many worn out swedish mausers.
The main differnces from a 98 is that they cock on closing, don't have a safety lug, have a small ring receiver, and made with alot more craftsmanship than *most 98's.

*A 1909 Argie is at least an equal in craftmanship and quality.:cool:

[Gewehr98]

Like the wood, is it cracked, dinged, chopped down, etc.

Was it sporterized? Is the barrel the original 29"? Or was it a 96/38, shortened by the Swedes on purpose? Maybe it was an original 38 Swede, which came from the factory in a shorter form.

Do the numbers match? (For $200, I doubt it, and wouldn't sweat it, anyway)

What's the name and date on the forward receiver ring, Carl Gustaf, Husqvarna, Oberndorf?


The 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser is a low-pressure round, dating back to the 94 Swedish Mauser Carbine, running about the same pressures as the earlier 7x57 and 7.65 Mausers. It's a phenomenal cartridge in it's own right, the 6.5mm bore diameter tends to give bullets unbelievably good ballistics, even with the non-magnum velocities as delivered by the 94 and 96 Swedish Mauser rifles.

The 96 Swedish Mauser is a thing of beauty, you won't find many rifles so well-crafted for such a low price in this day and age. The 96 Mauser action was very similar to the 93 and 95 Mausers, to the point of having two locking lugs on the front of the bolt, cock-on-closing for the striker, and a smaller-diameter forward receiver ring. These earlier Mausers are referred to as "Small Ring" Mausers. They're not really optimum for cartridges that develop more pressure than their original 7.65, 7x57, and 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser rounds. (.257 Roberts and 6mm Remington, non +P loads, seem to be ok, but they're both based on the 7mm Mauser, anyway)

One thing is certain. A Swedish Mauser in good condition is surprisingly accurate, even with the tiny V-notch rear sight and barleycorn front. Recoil isn't a factor, the heaviest bullets are all of 160 grains, and they move at a rather sedate velocity compared to more powerful rounds like the .30-06.

The next step in the evolution of the Mauser bolt action family was the 98 Mauser. This action had a larger receiver ring, different metallurgy, a third safety lug towards the rear of the bolt, different gas breeching system, and cock-on-opening for the striker. The 98 Mauser is referred to as the "Large Ring" Mauser. The action was considerably stronger, being designed for the higher-pressure 8x57 Mauser round, and as such, is entirely suitable for similar rounds like the .30-06, .308 Winchester, and cartridges that run in the same pressure range. Many 98 Mauser actions found their way into belted magnums, like the .308 Norma Magnum, .300 Winchester Magnum, etc. Mauser also made commercial versions of the 98 Mauser rifle, they are some of the more sought-after fine sporting arms, I'd give parts of my anatomy to have an early Square-Bridge Magnum Mauser in something like .416 Rigby. (But we all can dream, can't we?)

Go back and take another look at that 96 Swede. The blueing isn't the greatest, but even that wouldn't dissuade me from grabbing it at $200, if everything else is intact and in good shape. Let us know how it checked out. Everybody really should have a 96 Swedish Mauser in their collection. :D

[BamBam-31]

$200 sounds kinda high for a 96 in that condition. Check out Empire Arms--I think they just got a bunch of Swedes in. There's one that sounds to be in pretty good shape for $275.

Just my two pennies.

[Gewehr98]

Last I looked, he had all of about 5 Swedes left. The cheapest was this 1900 Carl-Gustaf specimen, at $225.00:

http://www.empirearms.com/82578.jpg

[cracked butt]

Is that one a model 38? That don't sound like too bad of a price.

[Bill Hook]

You won't find many model 38 swedes for under $300; it looks to be a 96.

What did the stock disk say about bore condition? 1, 2 or 3? Still, for $200, I wouldn't concern myself too much if my eyes told me the bore was good.

[cracked butt]

It must be a 96 cut down to be a 38 then? The barel and foreend in the pictures aren't porportioned like a 96.:confused:

[Bill Hook]

It's the so-called 96/38, whose origin is as you said. I looked it up at Empire.

[JohnKSa]

When they rebarreled a 96 after the switch to the M38s, they put a M38 barrel and stock on it. I've seen them called Model 96/38.

Straight bolt like the 96 but the shorter barrel and stock of the 38. Check the rear sight on these guns to make sure they have the 'T' marked sight which is the 38 rear sight.

38s are zeroed at 100 meters, the 96 rear sights are zeroed at 300m which puts them about 11" high at 100 yards.

[Wildalaska]

Ive got a 96/38.......

Its all matching...

Even the barrel!!!!! Never rebarreled, just cut down!

WildhappyhappydanceAlaska

[Kestrel]

The rifle I'm thinking about is the 96 - full-length barrel. What's the deal with the bolt handle? There is a straight handle and a bent handle. Are both of them original? Which is better?

Thanks again,
Steve

[Beetle Bailey]

Most of the M96's are straight-bolt handles. As for which is better, I think it's a personal preference thing. I mean, you aren't going to be wandering around in the jungles of Sweden and have to worry about the bolt catching on a vine, are you :p ? I guess if the bolt somehow got stuck shut, you might have a little more leverage to open it with a (longer) bent bolt, but now I'm just making up stuff to say one is better than the other. My advice is to buy the best condition rifle you can find for the right price and not worry about the shape of the bolt.

BTW, you seem quite busy with the rifle purchases lately, might I suggest a C&R License if you don't already have one :D ?

[learnedmonkey]

I was torturing myself the other day, looking for guns I can't have thanks to our wonderful jobless economic recovery, and I found some Swedish m96 mausers on gunbroker, starting at $240, or $250 for an instant purchase...seemed to be in good condition, as far as I could tell. Just a head's-up.

[buttrap]

Hell of a deal for what was a 39 buck gun 20 years ago......

[JohnKSa]

Hell of a deal for what was a 39 buck gun 20 years ago......
Only 7 years ago, I got my M96 for $65. That included shipping! A year or so later, I got a very nice M38 for $139 and another M96 for $79.

It hurts to see what they're going for these days. But, on the other hand, they're easily worth it.

The true M96 rifles should have straight bolts. The true M38 rifles should have bent bolts. The M96/38 rifles can have either, but tend to have straight bolts.

If you've got an M96 with a bent bolt then it would probably be smart to have the headspace checked before firing if the numbers don't match. It could be that some importer stuck a spare bolt in the gun so they could sell it more easily.


Ken,

I'm betting that they rebarreled at the armory and stamped the proper number on the new barrel. If you just cut down the barrel, the steps would be in the wrong place for a 38 stock, I think. If you ever restocked it, you'd have to either cut down another 96 stock, or re-inlet a M38 stock. Given the Swede's remarkable attention to detail, I suspect that they wouldn't tolerate either of those options.

[Sydwaiz]

I just can't resist the opportunity to show mine off again! If you missed it in the other post, I got it a couple of weeks ago and have yet to shoot it. If you're wondering, it's a CG-63 with Elit sights built on a 1918 CG receiver. Full floating barrel too.
http://www.rsktool.com/Markspics/CG63.jpg
I'm already thinking about getting a regular Swede next.

[mrming]

I haven't seen swede's move particularly fast as of late. I'd say you should keep looking for one in better condition, unless the $50-80 difference is a deal breaker for you.

[Kestrel]

I called SAMCO again today. The guy says the guns are actually only in "Good" condition. (They barely speak English.) Does this sound like a clunker?

Thanks again,
Steve

[Bill Hook]

Forget SAMCO. They once had good stuff, but no longer. I suggest looking at the dealer lists on gunsnet, parallax, and gunboards and shopping around for a week or two, perhaps trying private sales, as you can do better. I'd expect that $250 is more realistic for a VG.


http://members.tripod.com/greatsouthernarms/mauser.htm

http://www.sarcoinc.com/guns12-1.html

http://www.militarygunsupply.com/shop/item.asp?itemid=CRSW963

http://www.fltargetmaster.com/

[Wildalaska]

I'm betting that they rebarreled at the armory and stamped the proper number on the new barrel. If you just cut down the barrel, the steps would be in the wrong place for a 38 stock, I think. If you ever restocked it, you'd have to either cut down another 96 stock, or re-inlet a M38 stock. Given the Swede's remarkable attention to detail, I suspect that they wouldn't tolerate either of those options.

I orignally thought of that, but its my understanding that they did in fact cut down 96 stocks...the stock on this one is matching and the number stamps on the barrel are the matching font to the reciver

WildesotericstuffAlaska

[Damnathius]

I'm betting that they rebarreled at the armory and stamped the proper number on the new barrel. If you just cut down the barrel, the steps would be in the wrong place for a 38 stock, I think. If you ever restocked it, you'd have to either cut down another 96 stock, or re-inlet a M38 stock. Given the Swede's remarkable attention to detail, I suspect that they wouldn't tolerate either of those options.

John,

The Model 96/38 has both a cut down barrel and a cut down stock. Here's a pic I took of the cut down area of the stock on one of my 96/38s a few years ago. Note the reinforced area. This was necessary to keep the end of the stock from splitting since the opening in the channel on the 96 stock was in the wrong spot for Model 38 band and retainer positions.

http://www.coneville.com/hobbies/guns/fill.jpg

RE $200 Model 96:

It's interesting that the prices on these things are getting up there like this for a Model 96 with 50%-60% blueing. It was just a few years ago that you could get beautifully blued Model 96s with all matching numbers in the $150 range. Supply and demand, I suppose. The demand for these fine rifles has increased and the supply has decreased.

Still, the real deals make themselves available in local gun shops. My wife's all matching Model 96/38 was bought 4 or 5 months ago in a local shop for $150, and it's in great condition.

Anyway Steve, you might want to wait for a nicer one to turn up for the same price, but that advice is just based upon what becomes available in my own area occasionally. It seems that most Swedes that are available online demand a premium these days.

Good luck,

Dave

[M67]

Gewehr98: The 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser is a low-pressure round, dating back to the 94 Swedish Mauser Carbine Actually, if you're interested in the history of the cartidge, I have a bit of trivia for you. The origin of the 6.5x55 isn't Swedish. It's Swedish/Norwegian. It was designed by a joint committee representing the armed forces of both countries. The Swedes chambered it the 1894/96 etc. Mausers, the Norwegians chambered it in the 1894 (and variations) Krag Jørgensen. The reason you guys know the cartridge as "Swedish Mauser" is probably that the Swedes have exported some of their surplus rifles, us Norwegians have pretty much kept our Krags to ourselves. After all, they only produced about one rifle for every tenth Norwegian, and the population have increased since then. Come to think of it, the 350,000 German tourists who left the country in 1945 left behind all their small arms, in a country of 3 million. We kept all those to ourselves too... :)

[JohnKSa]

Ken & Damnathius,

Thanks for the information on the 96/38 stocks. Ya learn something new every day!

[Gewehr98]

It was painfully rude of me to not include the 6.5x55's Norwegian heritage in my description. I'm glad you stepped up to fix that.


Sydwaiz, you keep showing off that Carl Gustaf 63 and I'm gonna have to start selling off parts of my collection until you accept a bid from me. That CG63 has a nice spot reserved in one of my safes right between an 1899 Oberndorf M96 and a 1942 AG42B Ljungmann... ;)

[Damnathius]

Thanks for the information on the 96/38 stocks. Ya learn something new every day!

Not a problem John. It is certainly an ongoing learning experience with these things, and we'll most likely never know all there is to be known about them. :)

[RoadDawg]

Looking for any information and history. A couple of years back I picked up a M94 Carbine - Oberndorf dated 1895. The stock was sporterized, unfortunately, but all of the serial numbers match. It's a great shooter and I'm trying to find the few pieces that are missing. So far I've had no luck. It is missing the unit disc in the stock (two screw variety) and the front sight guard/loop. Also looking for some stripper clips. Did this carbine come equiped with a bayonet???