Buying a Swedish Military Mauser

[Ovenpaa]

One rifle I have never owned is the Swedish Mauser, come to think of it we have not even had one in via any customers so other than shooting an M41B I have very little knowledge of them so I need to change things and am considering finding a rifle for myself.

My initial thought was a Carl Gustav M1896 however there are also the Husqvarna offerings plus the M38 plus the German built models to consider, so my question is what would be a good starter Swedish Mauser and why? It will be used for target work to 600m and I prefer older as opposed to newer rifles in general.

Anything to look out for avoid?

[dromia]

They are all potentially fine rifles, as always condition is everything. The nice ones seem to be in short supply nowadays and they attract a premium price.

Bore condition is critical for accuracy so give any prospective purchase a good inspection, matching receivers and bolt numbers are also important. Ignore the stock disc information as even if it could be provenanced to the rifle that numbers would be wildly out of date.

I used to prefer the M96 long rifles but as I get older the M38s are coming out more so that would be my choice although the do seem to be a bit scarcer to buy than the 96s.

[Robert303]

I had a lovely M38 which was a great rifle to shoot the only reason I sold it was to raise funds for a Swedish Sniper which is based on a 1914 Carl Gustav. After that it gets a bit tricky as the rifle appears to be an m/41B having all the 1955 modifications made to it but with the wrong scope having an m/42 AGA scope and not the reconditioned German Ajax scope. I'm satisfied that it is not one of the US 'bitsas' but that is about as far as I can go. It bears British 2004 Proof Marks which I suspect were done just before it went to auction. It's a very accurate rifle.

Having said all of that you need to consider if you'd be OK with the original military open sights or want one fitted with one of the three, possibly more, Swedish target sights. Holts had quite a few of these not that long ago and it might be worth checking out the prices realized. A good book if you can get it is :-The Swedish Mauser Rifles (Steve Kehaya and Joe Poyer) there was another one called I think 'Armed neutrality' both will help out with model numbers etc.

Here is the manual translated into English:- http://pdf.textfiles.com/manuals/FIREAR ... 1b-m96.pdf
This shows some of the target sights:- http://dutchman.rebooty.com/targetsights.html
How to take it apart:- http://www.alpharubicon.com/leo/1896swedish.html

[dromia]

Dana's book on Swedish Mausers is the one to consult if you are looking for a good informative read and currently the most up to date tome on the subject.

I had an original M/41B sniper for a while but couldn't get off with it because of the high scope height, even with an original leather cheek riser. It was superbly accurate but there was no point in keeping it if I couldn't avail myself of that accuracy.

[M41B]

I would advise having a look at it the book “The Crown Jewels” but I can’t remember who wrote it, I’ve got a copy if you want to borrow it but I’ve just moved so it’s really in a box somewhere in the house. It you are ever at Bisley, you are more then welcome to have a go of mine to see if you like it. I prefer the Swedish Mauser to a K98 as I prefer the 6.5 round to the 7.92mm. Mine is very accurate certainly I out 600 yards but that is with homeloads, it didn’t like the Prvi stuff when I tried that. Mine is an 1899 German made one.
Regards
Mat

[Ovenpaa]

Thanks Mat although I doubt I will be down at Bisley any time soon. As much as I would love to own an M41B finding an all original version is going to be difficult. I looked at one a couple of years ago and gave up counting the different serial numbers after the first 30 seconds and it was up for GBP1500! I have found a copy of the book, https://www.abebooks.co.uk/978088935283 ... 352836/plp and the Viking has been set the task of finding me the cheapest copy on the internet which she is usually very good at.

[dromia]

I would advise having a look at it the book “The Crown Jewels”

That is Dana's book.

[M41B]

I doubt you will find an all matching M41b as apparently when they were rebuilt all the common parts were put together, eg the barrel bands and when reassembled they just took any part from the parts bin and put them back together. That was part of the manufacturing process that had been set up where all parts were interchangeable due to the close tolerances. Only the barrel, Bolt and action were kept together during the process.
Regards
Mat

[ukrifleman]

I would look for a good CG M96, but get the bolt crack tested for piece of mind.

It might seem like overkill when it has been proofed but, there have been issues with bolt lug failures in the past plus, they have no 3rd safety lug and there is no way to know what has been put through it previously.

A Swedish M96 is probably as good as it gets for a military when rifle used for target shooting.

If you can find a good example, you won't better it.

ukrifleman.

[Robert303]

Here's the other good reference book
The Swedish Mauser Rifle

Kehaya, Steve; Poyer, Joe

Published by North Cape Publications, Tustin, California (1999)


https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/Sear ... auser&sts=.

Ask around reputable dealers and see what they have. If you can't get to Holts or any other auction with some Swedish Mausers see if any dealer you know is going and can check the rifle out for you.