I have a Mauser 96 that was made in 1916 by Carl Gustaf that is a long way from being full military. Someone has drilled and tapped two hole in the top of the rear bridge for what must have been a receiver sight of some sort, The sights are gone from the barrel, and the numbers do not match on much of anything. I do not feel I would be depriving anyone of a promising military rifle for a collector if I rebarreled it to something else and restocked it.

What I am wondering is, has anyone tried one of these actions in building a 257 Roberts or something similar. I already have two 6.5X55s so really don't think that would be an option either. I have seen what appears to be the same action rebarreled to 9.3X57 and that might be an option I would consider. I was also curious about using one of these actions for a 9X57 or 9.5X57. Does anyone have any experience with using one of these for any of the above rounds? What are your thoughts on using one? Is it a waste of time or a feasible conversion? I know a 98 would be stronger, I have a few of them also, but what is safe in a good Mauser 96?

I know it is not economically feasible to do this, but many rifles I already own fall in that catagory. One more won't upset the apple cart further, but I am concerned from the safety aspect.

Many thanks

Idared,

I am looking forwards to the responses you get here I have a M38 carbine all matching numbers 6.5x55 that I have often wondered what could be made out of it, it is a very slick action.

Why are the 96 mausers so weak ??

Actually, the Model 96 is not "weak", but it does lack the third "safety" lug of the 1898 Mauser design. This third lug doesn't touch anything at all in normal use, just sitting in its recess in the action floor under the receiver bridge.

It is NOT a theoretical feature, as I found out one day when my wife's FN Browning Safari-grade rifle came apart. That third lug was bearing HARD in its recess as the bolt set back in the receiver.

I have a lot of faith in the '96, however, and Swedish steel has always been amongst the very best in the world. No nation that I know of willingly equipped its troops with boobytraps.

P.O. Ackley: "The Model 93 and its companion models (including the '96-BB) are usually considered safe for the short cartridges which the magazine will accept without alteration. Such cartridges include the .308 Winchester, 7x57, .257 and so forth. Many gunsmiths use these actions for cartridges like the .243 Winchester and comparable wildcats, and as far as is known, no more trouble has developed with these actions than with currently-manufactured commercial actions."

These words were written quite a while ago, but the actions haven't changed. I used some very ambitious handloads in a variety of 6.5 Swedes, working up carefully, and NEVER had any trouble whatever. 140 grains at 2800-plus from the 6.5x55 is not a cream-puff load by any stretch, and my rifles ate up such ammo with complete aplomb for years. I also had a couple of Danish-issue target-quality '98 Mausers in the same caliber at the same time, and found no difference in their performance in handling powerful loads. (These had 28" Schultz & Larsen heavy barrels and excellent target aperture sights. NICE rifles!)

I think a nice 7x57 would suit admirably....if more bullet weight is desired, why not the 8x57? Not much action work would be needed (if any) to use these rounds.

Regards from BruceB (aka Bren Mk1)

Guys,

This issue has been hashed to death on these boards before. Strength of the action is not the real concern here, how the action deals with case failure is. How the pre-98's deal with vented gas is the limiting factor. They just cannot compete with the 98's and therefore should be loaded with lower pressure cartridges.

That being said, many firms have sporterized these and offered em in high pressure rounds. I believe Husqvarna even offered em in 9.3x62. But that doesn't mean they should have.

I'd go with a .257 bob and load to factory equivilent pressures.

Idared,

The rifle as you describe it is a military target model -- the rear bridge screw holes are not in-line, but at diagonal corners of the rear bridge, correct? These rifles may intentionally lack the rear sight. Different peep sights used were the Soderin, and the Elit, among others.

I don't think these are all that common -- you may want to consider leaving it as is, picking up one of the peeps (occasionally seen on E-bay) or perhaps one of our Swedish brethren could send one over to you -- sell it, and buy a Husky 46 -- this is the model you are thinking of in 9.3x57. The action they used is a variant of the 96 style, the 94 carbine action. Here is a link to more info than you ever imagined on Husky firearms:
http://hem.bredband.net/b102212/hvastory.html

And here is a link to info on the Soderin peep:
http://hem.bredband.net/b103679/soderin.htm
And the Elit:
http://hem.bredband.net/b103679/elit.htm

And a wealth of info on various Swedes here:
http://pub113.ezboard.com/fparallaxscurioandrelicfirearmsforumsfrm33

Model 46's in 9.3x57 are available from our own SamB, whom I might add is a great fellow to deal with, and Buffalo Brothers, whom I have never done business with.

HTH,
Todd

IF you should decide to rebarrel it, any of the German 57 mm cased cartridges would be a great option. I'd make it a 7x57 or a 9,3x57 for sure.

As long as the action is a healthy one, these cartridges are all well within what the m/96 was designed for.

The .257 Roberts would probably also be an interesting alternative, but as interesting as it sounds I don't have any experience with the cartridge so can't say with any certainty there.

Pettson

Many thanks for your replies. I should probably have stated in my first post that I also have a very nice 275 Rigby(7X57) on a Mauser 98 already also. In fact it is perhaps my most favorite rifle behind my 30-06 on a 1903 Springfield.

I would really like to make a 9X57 as I have quite a bit of Kynock ammo and also some formed brass from 8X57 from an earlier project. As I stated above a 9.5X57 also intrigues me.

I realize that the 9.3X57 perhaps makes the most sense, but making sense has never been my strong suit anyway when it comes to firearms.

only 1 choice
9x57

get out of the littlebore doodrums

jeffe

A Model 96 isn't worth the money to rebarrel.

I have one of these that was rechambered to 6.5-06. I bought it for it's parts, but after I shot it a couple of times, I decided that anything that shot that well deserves to continue on. The Swede 96's and 38's are as strong as the small ring 98's, they just don't vent gas as well or have the third safety lug on the bolt. Good actions, though you won't ever find any resale value after it's been sporterised. - Dan