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I Came across this information from Mr. Chub Eastman:
If there is a drawback to the 6.5x55, it's the fact that the first military rifles—the Swedish 93 Mauser in Sweden and the Norwegian Krag—were not necessarily strong actions. Consequently, chamber pressures established for the civilian market were set at a very modest level. This had nothing to do with the case design, which is as strong as most modern cartridges, but the strength of the original actions. The military rifles that flooded the U.S. market from Sweden after WWII were a newer Model 96 Mauser, which was considerably stronger than what the 6.5x55 was originally designed for.
On a recent moose-hunting trip to Sweden I was fortunate enough to get a tour of the Norma facility. More than 80 percent of the actions used in the company's ballistics lab were the same Model 96 Mausers that were imported into the U.S. I guess this speaks to the strength of the Model 96.
In a good, strong action such as the 96 Swede or 98 Mauser, higher chamber pressures can be handled without any problems.
My Note: I guess its safe to load it up a "Little Warmer" then the ammo that you can buy in the USA.
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Ol' Mr. Chub needs to get his facts straight.
The Swedes never used the '93 model action. From day one, they used the '96 action, designed specifically for them by Wilhelm and Paul. The same action they started with then, they were using at wars end after WWII.
So, this pretty much null and voids "Chubby's" argument. :cool:
metzgeri
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My close friend is a retired gunsmith. He drilled and tapped many a '96 Swede in his day. Always claimed the Swedes were butter soft. Tough exteriors but butter soft interiors. However, as long as you stayed with the 6.5x55 cartridge you were very safe. He barreled up a few .308 Swedes and didn't like the work. He always claimed the 03-A3 was the worst. Tough exterior and tough interiors.
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It's generally true that we don't consider the Swedish m/1896 as a 1893 Mauser action. But......
The m/1896 is a simplified 1893. There are 3 primary differences between the 1893 and 1896 none of which deal with strength. The differences relate to the method of manufacture more than anything.
1- the square bolt face was found unnecessary and dropped from the design.
2- the guide rail in the left side wall of the 1893 action and the mating groove in the 1893 bolt were eliminated with the 1896 model. (still present in the 1895 Chilean, which is a different action than the 1893).
3- the 1896 model uses a guide rib on top of the bolt body and a corresponding groove underneath the rear receiver bridge to keep the bolt aligned.
As a result, the 1893 model Mauser offers a more stable bolt function _in_rapid_fire_ over the more wobbley 1896 Swedish action.
The real difference isn't even noticed until you fire the rifle in rapid succession using forceful bolt manipulation. This is where the straight bolt handle shines. It's faster than any bent bolt could be. But the guide rail of the 1893 is just superior to the guide rib of the 1896 in keeping the bolt aligned in rapid forceful function. You wouldn't know this unless you spent time with the 1893/1895 and 1896. The 1893 & 1895 Mauser actions were more complex to manufacture as a result of that guide rib in the left receiver bolt race.
My modest Mauser collection has:
1871
1871/84
1891 Argentine rifle
1893 South African-Chilean
1895 Chilean
1896 Swedish
1898 German Gewehr 98, Brazilian 08, Argentine 09, German K98k, Czech Persian 98/29, Czech Turkish 98/22.
But true that there was never a "1893 Swedish" rifle or action. No difference in the early ones from the late ones. They are absolutely the same in all ways.
Swedish actions are just like other Mauser actions metallurgically. There may be very minor differences in the chemical analysis but they're all low carbon steel that was case hardened. Much/some of that case hardening was subsequently removed during the finishing process, i.e. abrasive polishing. Drilling & tapping a Swede m/96 action isn't a big deal at all. I've done a couple and just did a 1940 Mauser Oberndorf K98k that was no problem. My 1916 Mauser Oberndorf Gewehr 98 has a much harder skin.
Dutch
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The first Swede Mauser was the M94 carbine, for what its worth.
Based on my experience drilling and tapping Swedes, the metallurgy of the CG 96s is different from the M38s made by Husqvarna.
