Curious About The Swedish Mauser

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Brandi

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I was watching Shooting USA and they were discussing Swedish mausers. I really liked the looks of them and according to the show they are usually found in excellent condition. I liked the silver look to the bolt and stuff, similar to stainless or something? I've become a recent fan of 6.5 calibers after getting my Grendel and I've read the 6.5x55/6.5 Swede is an excellent hunting caliber.

What kind of prices do these guns usually go for? I looked at some different sites and prices were all over the map but seemed to stay between $250-$800.

Does anyone have any experience with these rifles? Like them, hate them?

I'm thinking I might add one of these to my list of "wants" for the future.

Thanks
 

AKguy1985

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I've had an M96 and an M38 swede. The M96's go for about $275-$350 and the M38's go for $300 on up. The M38 being the more desireable model. They are very accurate rifles. Check out simpsonltd.com. They always have some for sale.
 

Perplexed

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I've had a number of M96's, a M38, a M94, and a M41/b scoped sniper's rifle. Personally, I found the M38 to be the least to my liking, while the M41/b was easily my favorite, followed by M96's that had been through the FSR (Frivilliga skytterorelsen, Volunteer Shooter's Organization) program. These FSR M96's were rifles configured for target shooting, usually with rear diopter sights installed by an armorer and sometimes wooden pistol type inserts mounted on the underside of the stock.

At the range, I find the Swedish Mausers to be a joy to shoot - very accurate with a relatively mild recoil (except in the M94 carbine!) I sold off all my examples that did not have a diopter rear sight though, as I find the diopters the easiest to use with my eyes.

Pricewise, a nice M96 can go from $250 to $400, depending on the year (earliest and latest typically the most desirable), manufacturer (Carl Gustafs rifles being far more common than the Mauser Oberndorf rifles), the type of wood (walnut, beech, and elm being the most common), and whether or not the rifle is "numbers matching". As AK said, the M38 is typically around $300-400. A M96 with a FSR diopter set can go for $100 more, while M94's are $800-1200 for a complete, unconverted example and M41/b's generally go for $1500-2000.

If you're interested, I had a FSR M96 for sale in the classifieds - PM for more info :)
 

TedKennedy

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I love the 6.5 Mausers, and built my wife's deer rifle from one. 6.5x55 is a great caliber, perfect for deer/hogs, in Europe they kill moose with them. (Americans need Magnums, go figure)

Lots of good choices if you're reloading, as well.
 

dlbleak

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i got my m96 at a pawn shop for 250 out the door. its more accurate than i am and a joy to shoot. keep in mind that if you plan on shooting any military bolt action shoots that the FSR sights are not legal. thats why you have to have both!
 

Perplexed

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What are FSR sights, and why aren't they legal?

Is the 6.5x55 more mild than a .308/30-06 recoil wise?

FSR is the organization that promoted shooting as a sport, both hunting and competition-wise; the rear diopters were made by several different companies, each with their own design. Here's a link to a page that features most/all the sights: http://dutchman.rebooty.com/targetsights.html

Their legality may stem from the fact they were not factory issue, though their use was widespread during FSR-sanctioned competitions.

As for recoil, IMHO the Swedish 6.5 "Prickskytte" military cartridge is definitely milder out of a M96 than a M2 ball 30-06 round out of a Springfield M1903A3. I haven't shot a bolt-action chambered for .308, however - maybe someone who's shot both that and the Swedish round can chime in.
 

excat

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FSR is the organization that promoted shooting as a sport, both hunting and competition-wise; the rear diopters were made by several different companies, each with their own design. Here's a link to a page that features most/all the sights: http://dutchman.rebooty.com/targetsights.html

Their legality may stem from the fact they were not factory issue, though their use was widespread during FSR-sanctioned competitions.

As for recoil, IMHO the Swedish 6.5 "Prickskytte" military cartridge is definitely milder out of a M96 than a M2 ball 30-06 round out of a Springfield M1903A3. I haven't shot a bolt-action chambered for .308, however - maybe someone who's shot both that and the Swedish round can chime in.


So, it would be legal to put a scope on one for hunting purposes then?

Thanks for the clarification.
 

Brandi

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Wow, great info, thanks all. The prices are better than I expected, definitely putting one of these on my list.

One of the things I read about the 6.5 Swede was how good a hunting caliber it was. How across the pond it's the most popular caliber for hunting big moose and such. Over here the internet has trained a whole new generation of shooters that you can't hunt elk with anything smaller than a .338 Win Mag, or moose or brown bear. Nothing smaller than a .308 for hogs or black bear. That without a bullet that punches through a bad guy wearing a denim shirt and a parka and then two interior walls and an exterior you are at a distinct disadvantage should someone break into your home. These guys make my eyes roll involuntarily at their "facts"... and yet, the world survived without all these horrible outcomes before the development of the S&W 500 magnum.

Folks over there must think American's have lost their minds when they read our forums about the "minimum" caliber for ***** is. Anywho, thanks for the info, I apologize for the soapbox rant there. I really like the history behind old military weapons, I've always stayed in the U.S. arena but that Swedish Mauser is pretty cool!
 

Perplexed

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So, it would be legal to put a scope on one for hunting purposes then?

Thanks for the clarification.

I don't see why not, but my bigger concern would be the process of putting a scope on a Swedish Mauser. Unless it's a M41/b that was scoped by the factory, I wouldn't suggest modifying a SM. instead, you might look for a sporterized SM - there's plenty of those out there - and scope it. Otherwise, you'd likely hurt the value of an intact SM and take one more out of the hands of collectors who value originality.
 

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