The 6.5x55mm cartridge was developed via a couple committees in both Norway and Sweden, starting in 1890. Norway was under the Swedish crown, at least in theory.
After much arguing back and forth, they decided on the 6.5mm and then started weapons trails from various vendors.
They tested Mauser model 91s, German 88 commission rifles, Mannlicher Rifles, British Enfields and others.
After the 1892 weapon trials, the three best choices were narrowed down to the Mauser, Krag-Jorgensen and Mannlicher.
From December 1892 through 1893 Paul Mauser continued to make modifications and improvements to his previous Mauser rifle designs in an attempt to nail down the contract.
Eventually the Swedes settled on the designs by Paul Mauser. The Norwegians decided to go with the Krag-Jorgensen Design. This came down to a difference in the senior Officer Corps way of thinking in both countries. The Norwegians, thought that they needed a rifle that was used as a single loader with the magazine rounds kept in emergency reserve.
The Swedes thought that the rifle should always be a magazine rifle and that the days of single loaded fire were over.
Back in Sweden, the Cavalry branch had been the last to get updated weapons during the last major upgrade within their armed forces. (they were still using Rolling Block Carbines) So they were allowed to take the first orders of the new 6.5mm weapons.
On August 7th, 1894 the final carbine variant was adopted by the Swedes as the model 1894 carbine.
The initial order of 12,000 1894 carbines was made in by Mauser company in Germany at the new addition to the Oberndorf Factory on the Neckar River.
The steel was Swedish supplied and Swedish inspection and acceptance officers were assigned duty at the German factory. The first 20 carbines were completed by Sept 1895. The entire first order of 12,000 carbines was finished in just six months.
In 1898, production was started at the Carl Gustaf State Rife Factory in Eskilstuna Sweden. They made an additional 113,000 carbines as well as the later m96 rifles. (Note that Mauser in Oberndorf also made the first runs of the m/96 rifles.)
The m/94 carbines and m/96 rifles had a rifling twist of 1 turn in 200mm. The original ammo was a 156grain (10.1gram) bullet going about 2,100 fps from the 17.5 inch carbine barrel.
The 9 gram (139 grain) spitzer boat-tail bullet design was accepted by the Swedes in 1941. It gave about 2,360 fps from the short carbine barrel.
