school me on this milsurp and did i get a good or great deal?

[bhhacker]

I had a like new in box s&w 22a-1 in camo that i bought off a friend at work for 100$ They had won it in a raffle and werent gun fans so they sold it to me for a really good deal.


I decided to put it up for trade on a local group of mine and got an interesting offer.

A man offered me a mauser model 1896 for trade. He lives a town away from me that i cant get to so we agreed to do a transfer using a cargo plane that was coming into my town.

I show up and this rifle looks pretty good. The bore looks immaculate. Its got a little light rust and some bluing is off but in pretty dang good condition.


I dont know much about mausers, but a guy at the range let me hold one about a week ago and i saw how accurate his were.



I take it home and discover its NOT an 1896, its an m38.


So i paid 100$ for the pistol i traded, 10$ for shipping it back to him.


Im into this rifle for 110$

Are they any good? Did i get a good or great deal? Anything i should look for? all the numbers match. I will be scouring google for more information too but anything that i should know as a proud new owner?



Some Eye Candy!

 

[bhhacker]

i wonder why they would have a turn down bolt of you cant attach a scope it it?

 

[rcmodel]

Because they made all the type II M-38 that way.

That is not a scope bolt handle.
It's just a turned down military bolt handle to get it out of the way instead of sticking straight out the side poking you when you fall down on your skis.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_Mauser#m.2F1938_Short_Rifle

rc

 

[silicosys4]

I hated the 22a i had, just a horrible gun...so I think you came out ahead.
If you compare prices I bet you'd find out a nice unmolested milsurp Swedish mauser is only going up in value, and has already surpassed the value of that 22a. I see average milsurp m96's going for $250-300 and really nice ones going for $400+

I would clean it up and keep it original, no drilling and tapping or sporterizing.

 

[carbine85]

You did well. It's a nice looking rifle.

 

[rust collector]

Your M38 is probably worth more than the model 96, as they were made in fewer numbers and were considered more desirable for sporting use. The only downside is that stocks were beech. Some model 96 stocks were walnut.

Many parts are numbered on these guns. If yours matches, it is probably worth 3x what you gave for the pistol. It will continue to grow in value if you keep it original. The craftsmanship exhibited on these guns will probably never be seen again on that scale. They are generally very accurate and a joy to shoot.

 

[BSA1]

Can you afford to feed it?

 

[bhhacker]

I reload so i can bring the cost down. I almost pooped myself when i saw a box of 20 SPs going for 30$

I bought one just to have some ammo to test this with and if i like how it shoots, ill load my own.

 

[mike28w]

Wow ! If you don't want it , let me know !!
I regret ever selling mt '96 Swedish Mauser..... You will definitely want to reload for it as factory ammo is pricey !

You did great, imo..... mike

Trivia: Many moons ago , Kimber bought a bunch of Swedish Mausers and sporterized them and sold them ! They were rumored to be quite accurate.

Another trivia: I had to get a gunsmith to make a slightly taller front sight for mine....they were zero'ed for 300 yards. It shot ~6" high at 100 yards.

 

[henschman]

Those carbines make great hunting rifles. That cartridge is very popular for big game hunting in Scandinavia. I would make that trade any day.

 

[Kp321]

+1 on the trade. The Smith 22A is not my favorite pistol and I love M-38's so that sounds like a real deal.

 

[sayak]

Easy to feed if you have the dies and brass.

 

[Sock Puppet]

Nice looking rifle; I think you did just fine. I don't find myself as interested in firearms I can "just go down and buy new at the store" anymore.

 

[NeuseRvrRat]

i put mojo sights on my 1896 and have been very pleased with its accuracy. they make a set for the M38 as well.

 

[captmoto]

You pretty much stole it. The Huskys draw a premium on top of being an M38. Good deal.

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

Good trade...
I have one with the turned down bolt handle as well. Good shooter and well made.

 

[eastbank]

i believe 1941 was the first year the model 38 was built from the ground up as a model 38 rifle, 96 rifles were converted before that. i have and shoot 96,s a fsr cg-63 heavy target rifle and a few original 38,s. very good rifles indeed. eastbank.

 

[MikeJackmin]

That's an excellent rifle at an excellent price. The more you handle it, the more you will appreciate the craftsmanship that went into it. These guns are tack drivers and well-balanced shooters. The 6mm cartridge is routinely used for moose and hits harder than the paper ballistics suggest.

Please resist the temptation to modify it by drilling holes or cutting the stock, as it would remove hundreds of dollars from the resale value. If you must mount a scope, sell it and use the cash to buy an already-modified rifle, and a couple of hundred dollars worth of ammo to go with it.

 

[GRIZ22]

Privi makes ammo for much less than $30 a box. Check SG Ammo.

 

[bhhacker]

eThe big bummer is with me living in alaska i cannot have any ammo shipped in by mail, it needs to be barged in which is a whole nother beast to deal with.

I took it out shooting yesterday and wasnt particularly impressed, but it might have had something to do with the weather as it was hovering around 0 degrees and i probably wasnt shooting my best


So if i was inclined to sell it, What would i be looking at? I have checked gunbroker and guns in worse condition have buy it now options of about 400$. Is that what i can assume the average price is for mine?


My disc says that the barrel was unissued or like new, and that it has no deviations when firing bullets so i think that might bring extra value though you guys probably know better than me.

 

[dozo46]

Swedish Mausers

Do M-38 barrels by Oberndorf, Gustav and Husqvarna have the same threading?
Can a barrel from one be screwed into the receiver of another?
thanks

 

[WardenWolf]

You did well. Definitely better than an 1896. You got lucky: the poor guy didn't know what he really had, and you scored.

 

[Jackal]

Great rifle for Alaska, those buggers are MADE for the cold.

 

[rust collector]

re dozo46's question

I have no experience with this action/barrel interface, but all such firearms are built to gov't specs for the express reason that parts must interchange. Given the precision of these manufacturers, I would be amazed if thread profiles weren't compatible.

 

[bannockburn]

I think you did great with that trade. Your M38 looks to be in decent shape and is definitely worth a whole lot more than the S&W Model 22A you traded it for.