The Accurate Reloading Forums
6.5x55 Swedish Mauser
13 August 2010, 05:29
Cary Howard6.5x55 Swedish Mauser
Are there any of you guys out there that own a Swedish Mauser? I have always been a high powered rifle, and scope kind of guy. I spend most of my free time trying to perfect my long distance shot. I have always been drawn rifles capable of shooting 1000 yards or further, and had no desire to shoot anything that wasn't. Well a good friend brought a Swedish Mauser to my range a few months ago and told me to shoot it. Keep in mind this rifle is a M96 Swedish Mauser with iron sights. My first 5 round group at 100 yards was under 1/4 inch MOA and my 2nd 5 round group was at 200 yards and it measured 1/2 inch. That same afternoon I owned that rifle!!!!! Since then I have bought 2 more M96's and 2 M38's, and they are all just as accurate as the first one that I shot! I was just wondering if anyone else has had the same luck with one of these as I have!!!!
13 August 2010, 05:45
Geedubyahere is a little number chambered in 7 x 57 on a mauser action, handcarved mesquite stock, bedded, douglas barrel, timney trigger and leupold 3 x 9 scope.
Shot these last Sunday morning.
GWB
13 August 2010, 05:46
seafire/B17GWell Welcome to the Forum...
Welcome to the Swedish Mauser fraternity...
and to answer your question...
yes that is pretty common...the rifles can shoot more accurately than most of their owners..
I have one that was built as a sniper rifle... however the spendy site was ripped off of it before it came into my possession.. those are worth 3 to 5 times of what they were asking for the rifles at the time..
13 August 2010, 06:01
Cary HowardSeafire,
Thank you for the Welcome. So you have a M41B... I have been looking for one of those for a while now, but I absolutely refuse to pay what everyone is asking for those. I have not paid over $200 for any of the ones that I have bought so far and yes I know that I'm ripping the guys off that I'm buying them from, but I offer and they accept!!!! The rifles that I have bought all have matching numbers, and most of the M41B's that I have seen do not. I would pay more for one that does have matching numbers, but $1200 is a lot of money for a pieced together rifle. Have you tried to find a sight for yours? Is it the scoped M41B or the one with the micrometer sight?
13 August 2010, 06:05
seafire/B17GYeah Cary...
that is the micrometer sight.. I've seen them advertised for prices ranging from $550 to $1300.00...
mine is manufactured at the Karl Gustav Works and is data stamped 1919...straight bolt handle and has a different mid site than the slide ones commonly seen... it has a dial site that is marked out to 600 meters..
it is not set up for a scope ...
13 August 2010, 06:06
Cary HowardThat is a nice rifle Geedubya, pretty impressive groups too!!! How far were you shooting?
13 August 2010, 06:14
Cary HowardSeafire,
PM sent
13 August 2010, 06:31
vapodogquote:
Originally posted by Cary Howard:
Keep in mind this rifle is a M96 Swedish Mauser with iron sights . My first 5 round group at 100 yards was under 1/4 inch MOA and my 2nd 5 round group was at 200 yards and it measured 1/2 inch. That same afternoon I owned that rifle!!!!! Since then I have bought 2 more M96's and 2 M38's, and they are all just as accurate as the first one that I shot!
Someone should hoist the flag on this....
Some of us are not totally immune to bullshit!
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"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery."
Winston Churchill
13 August 2010, 06:55
JpatI have a family of Swede's now. I sold a few M96's, but kept the best one. 2 M38's, an M41b, a 1943 Husqvarna 46a 9.3x57, a 1955 Husqvarna 640 8x57 built on a 1947 FN 98 receiver (1 of 10,000 over 15 years), a 1962 Husqvarna 1600 6.5x55 small ring 98 action. The Swede bug is strong! Some of the family on the left. (Center, 8x57 640 w/ original Short side rail mount, 1907 CG M41b, 1907 CG M96, 1942 Husqvarna M38, 1943 Husqvarna M38b (complete refurb))
M41b mount and scope:
1600:
46a:
13 August 2010, 07:21
Cary HowardWell way to be a show off Jpat!!!!!!!!!!! No I'm kidding, That is a nice collection you have there!!!!! I think maybe you should sell that M41B to me!!!!
13 August 2010, 07:32
Bobsterquote:
Originally posted by vapodog:
quote:
Originally posted by Cary Howard:
Keep in mind this rifle is a M96 Swedish Mauser with iron sights . My first 5 round group at 100 yards was under 1/4 inch MOA and my 2nd 5 round group was at 200 yards and it measured 1/2 inch. That same afternoon I owned that rifle!!!!! Since then I have bought 2 more M96's and 2 M38's, and they are all just as accurate as the first one that I shot!
Someone should hoist the flag on this....
Some of us are not totally immune to bullshit!
I agree. I'm not buying it either. There is a guy in my shooting club that makes claims like that. He heckled me during a presentation I was giving on curio and relic firearms when I stated some were capable of excellent accuracy. Asking me what I considered excellent, I stated 1-2 inches with iron sights. He haw-hawed and claimed all of his milsurps were capable of 1/4 inch or better groups. A few weeks later at the range he was shooting a Lee Enfield and a Garand. I set up beside him and began to paste his ass with a few 1-2 inch groups out of my 98/22 8x57 Czech Mauser. He couldn't keep anything inside 4 inches. Thoroughly pissed, he packed up and left claiming bad reloads.
13 August 2010, 07:54
Cary HowardHey Bobster,
Come set up on my bench with your 98/22 8x57 Czech Mauser and we'll shoot. Maybe you don't know the difference between a Lee Enfield, a Garand , and a Swedish Mauser. I'm sure anyone that has shot a Swede and a Garand will tell you the difference. I own a Garand and I couldn't shoot 2" groups with it if I tried! I know the Garand is in some people's eyes the greatest rifle the US military ever had... But I wouldn't go to any shooting event with a Garand, when I have a Swedish Mauser in the safe!!!!
13 August 2010, 08:26
BobsterI've got 4 Swedes and they are very accurate for open sight military rifles, but they don't shoot any better than my 2 98/22's. I've been around rifle shooting for 40 years and I've shot 3 shot 1/2 in groups on very rare occasions. Never seen anybody come close to 1/4 in or 1/2 inch groups from the bench with any bolt milsurp. I see a lot of shooting(recreational and competition) because I am a range officer. I've also shot plenty of Lee Enfields, M17's and Springfields. I just don't buy a 5 shot group that can be covered by a dime out of a stock open sight milsurp unless it is a freak one time occurrence. A 200 yd 5 shot 1/2 in group is a fantasy.
13 August 2010, 09:55
Heavy Metal 1"I just don't buy a 5 shot group that can be covered by a dime out of a stock open sight milsurp unless it is a freak one time occurrence."
Well, no, I've done it several times. I can't do it
every time of course, but I have done it with both of my Swedes and with my 98/22. That's with carefully crafted handloads, not factory or surplus ammo.
13 August 2010, 13:30
vapodogI once worked with a guy that claimed his M-70, 7mm Mag could group inside a nickel at 300 yards.....so one day I called him on it.....I told him I'd give him a dollar for each shot he could put inside a nickel at 100 yards if he'd kick in a dollar for each shot that was outside. This got his attention as his claim was far better than my calling him out bet!
Off we went to the range where his best of the day was to show me a 3" group at 100 yards~~~~~he never once in a whole box of ammo hit the black mark of the nickel size!
On another forum a guy argued that he could consistently shoot 3/4" groups at 200 yards with iron sights (again with his milsurp Swede!)
These folks are pure bullshit and need to be called when they appear.
I have some pretty fine rifles and none of them can do that using a Leupold 14X scope and carefully selected handloads!
How gullible do these folks think we are?
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery."
Winston Churchill
13 August 2010, 16:47
ldkierI have a C.G. 96 that I dearly love. It is a 1903 with a disc of #3 (servicable), but in good condition. It saw action in the winters war in Finland as a "lend-lease", and came back to Sweden evidenced by the armory stamps.
It shots amazingly well, eventhough the bore is somewhat "black". It will ring the 300m gong every time with the standard service sight set at 300m.
These rifles are perfection, in my estimation.
Someday I hope to use it to a big game advantage. Otherwise it is just fun to shoot, and look at. Especially thinking of its history.
Personally, I think the Swedes really did it up good with these rifles and ctg. namely 6.5x55.
"The lady doth protest too much, methinks"
Hamlet III/ii
13 August 2010, 17:42
900 SSI get 1" fiveshot groups and three inside 1/2" at 100 meters with plain open sights fairly often. Quite magic when you look through the sights.
But its still no way to get five inside 1/2 or 1 inch, repeatable at 200 yards with a standard swedish mauser.
13 August 2010, 17:59
Bobsterquote:
Originally posted by vapodog:
On another forum a guy argued that he could consistently shoot 3/4" groups at 200 yards with iron sights (again with his milsurp Swede!)
These folks are pure bullshit and need to be called when they appear.
I have some pretty fine rifles and none of them can do that using a Leupold 14X scope and carefully selected handloads!
How gullible do these folks think we are?
quote:
Originally posted by Cary Howard:
"Keep in mind this rifle is a M96 Swedish Mauser with iron sights . My first 5 round group at 100 yards was under 1/4 inch MOA and my 2nd 5 round group was at 200 yards and it measured 1/2 inch. That same afternoon I owned that rifle!!!!! Since then I have bought 2 more M96's and 2 M38's, and they are all just as accurate as the first one that I shot!"
Even if you were good enough and lucky enough to acquire a rifle capable of doing it, what would be the odds of then buying 4 more more rifles capable of the same thing! You have a better chance of winning a lotto 5 times in a row that randomly buying 5 rifles capable of 1/4 moa accuracy.
A fellow at the range was bragging about his 1/4 in group one day, so I strolled over to gaze on it. It was a typical 3 inch group with two shots touching. His idea of measuring groups was to fire 5 shots and measure the distance between the two closest shots! I've seen that more than once.
13 August 2010, 18:00
butchlocVD - don't you know that almost everybody on the net can shoot one hole groups at long distances

all day long
13 August 2010, 18:02
butchlocOh and i had a 41 sweede awhile ago, it would do about 2-3" for me
13 August 2010, 18:10
wasbeemanWell, it's a dirty job but somebody's got to do it.

Put enough lead downrange and anybody can shoot A good group. Lotsa times they cut them out and carry them around in their wallet. I don't care if they're shooting a fucking lazer. With open sights, if they shoot a 5 shot .25" group at 100 and a 5 shot .50" group at 200, it's their day to rob a bank. They won't do it consistantly or even often.
Shooting a XR-100 in .223 with match prepped ammo and a T36 scope, I would usually agg in a match (5 groups of 5 shots each) between .5 and .75 at 100 and between .5 and 1.00 at 200 and I won a helluva lot more matches than I lost.
A fellow once asked, "what's a good 5 shot group at 100 yards/" I told him, "in cyberspace, it can be anything you want it to be."

Aim for the exit hole
13 August 2010, 19:36
seafire/B17GWell its a dirty job, but I'll do it..
I know most of you guys and respect MOST of you..
however, we have a new member on the forum here.. and what purpose does calling him Full of BS on one of his first posts here serve???
Geedubya was able to refrain from calling BS...
so was Jpat...
we haven't seen the guy shoot.. so none of us know what he can do or what he can't do..
A new member doesn't come here just to spread BS.. they come here to share information..with fellow shooters..
the thread was about 6.5 Mausers .. NOT " I can shoot Dime sized groups at 100 yds with Open Sights!!!"
Why can't you bananas back off and give the guy a chance.. before having to be the self appointed AR Police Patrol...
whether anyone can do something or not, is immaterial..we need to welcome new members to the board... not chase them off, by showing them that we are full of folks who think they are so smart and want this forum to be some sort of exclusive club....
a couple of you guys disappointed me here..
and one, well I gave up on his pompous fanny long ago..
13 August 2010, 20:45
bartsche
Oh My! Someone is in deep Pucky.

roger
Old age is a high price to pay for maturity!!! Some never pay and some pay and never reap the reward. Wisdom comes with age! Sometimes age comes alone..
13 August 2010, 23:47
seafire/B17Gquote:
Originally posted by bartsche:

Oh My! Someone is in deep Pucky.

roger
aww don't sweat it Rog...
that and a quarter will get someone a cup of coffee, were it costs a quarter...
14 August 2010, 08:11
wasbeemanMake that a generic flag for anyone that makes that sort of post. New or old.
you could look at it as starting him off on the right foot.
Aim for the exit hole
15 August 2010, 04:39
vapodogquote:
Originally posted by butchloc:
VD - don't you know that almost everybody on the net can shoot one hole groups at long distances

all day long
Not and get away with it.....!!!!
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery."
Winston Churchill
15 August 2010, 06:30
JpatI was at a Members shoot from another forum last summer. There were all the guys that had magic AR's there. The 50 and 100 yard lines were full and people waiting. Well the 175 yard line was empty, so I set up. I was shooting some good targets and had them on the bench next to me. It was soon noticed by guys walking by. I was shooting a 1907 CG96, the one in my pic. I had morons on both sides soon enough blasting away, one guy had a slant .50BMG style break and every time he would pull the trigger I got the case and muzzle blast in the side of the head. So out comes the equalizer. My Cetme w/ a Hensoldt 4x original scope. I loaded a few mags and pushed back so my muzzle was in line w/ his receiver. He was gone in 2 rounds. Then I took out the 24/47 and started having fun again. The day ended w/ a AR vs. AK competition. I had my Wasr2 in 5.45x39 and made it to the end. My crappy AK iron sight outshot AR's that had money pouring out of them. The other "winner" was shooting a Wasr3 in .223. We had a shoot off at 175 yards and we called it a draw. Less guys on that forum converse w/ me now. You really never do know! I'm a VG shot, not a dead eye. But, good enough.
When I shot NRA smallbore in the 1970's I was asked more than once to shoot the center bull again to make sure I did not miss the paper on my points target. 249 points was my best out of 250 possible. You really never know. NRA smallbore was 50 feet w/ a bull the size of the bullet, .22"
16 August 2010, 23:29
Clemquote:
Originally posted by butchloc:
VD - don't you know that almost everybody on the net can shoot one hole groups at long distances

all day long
I can do it with one shot.

27 August 2010, 20:46
WarriorPerhaps this question is best answered by Scandinavians and Europreans:
http://www.cybertorpedo.com/af...er-schoenauer_01.htmA quote by Chuck Hawks ... "The 6.5x54mm Mannlicher-Schoenauer became a favorite of many well-known professional hunters in Africa before the beginning of the Second World War. Included in that number was the legendary ivory hunter W.D.M. Bell, who is reputed to have killed over 1000 elephants. Bell used the 6.5x54 with 160 grain solid bullets for brain shots on elephant. The factory loads at that time had a MV of about 2230 fps. He liked the moderate recoil and deep penetration of the little 6.5mm cartridge."A quote from Wikipedia ... "The 6.5 x 54 mm was referred to by the writer Ernest Hemingway as the .256 Mannlicher. Though it never replaced his favorite 30-06 Springfield, he did speak highly of it as a lion cartridge, and it was the favorite of his African guide and professional hunter Phillip Percival[4]. The Kenya game warden and naturalist A. Blaney Percival also favored the 6.5 x 54 mm[5]."How come the 6.5 x 55 Swedish survived to this day and the 6.5 x 54 Mannlicher-Schoenauer died down?
Ballistically there is not much difference as a hunting rifle.
Would be interesting to hear some views.
Warrior
27 August 2010, 22:18
260remguyI think that the reason that the 6.5x54MS and 6.5x53R are less popular in the U.S. then the 6.5x55 is because so many surplus Swedish Mausers have been sold here and because such a smaller number of Greek and/or Dutch surplus military rifles chambered in 6.5x54 and 6.5x53R have been sold here.
I don't believe that any U.S. rifle manufacturer has ever chambered sporting rifles in either 6.5x54 or 6.5x53R. The 6.5x55 has only been chambered in limited numbers, relative to the volume of rifles chambered for U.S. commerical sporting cartridges, by Remington, Ruger, and Winchester/USRA.
I can remember in the 1960s/70s when the only commonly available factory loaded ammunition for those 3 cartridges was the Norma brand, although you would rarely run into a box of CIL/Dominion brand or pre-WW2 old-stock Western brand 6.5x54MS ammo.
During the 1960s, thousands of Swedish Mauser military surplus rifles were sold in the U.S. for under $100, often by mail-order. I remember getting into a heap of trouble as a small boy, age 4 or 5, for getting myself covered in cosmoline while playing with a barrel full of Swedish Mausers at the S.S. Kresge 5-10 store in Claremont, NH, where my Grandmother lived. Can you even imagine that happening today, a 5-10 store selling firearms in open barrels in the aisles?
1 of the 1st rifles that I bought as a teen was an 1894 carbine that had been over-stamped "Interarmco G33/50" on the front receiver rings, where the original production year stamp would have been. The rifle went away at least 20 years ago, but I still have the dealer's tag for that rifle, showing that I paid $37.50 for it.
Jeff
27 August 2010, 22:32
Idaho SharpshooterTwenty years ago a gentleman had a couple crates of NIB Swedes at a gunshow. Take your pick for $75, Three for $175.
Bought three, shot them all and kept the best shooter. It's a great hunting rifle if you can still shoot the irons.
Rich
28 August 2010, 00:57
260remguyI bought a minty Husqvarna build M38 in 1995 because the SN was so approprate, 6555xx.
Jeff
02 September 2010, 23:37
JustCnot exactly a stock mauser, but a 6.5x55AI
Difficulty is inevitable
Misery is optional