Swedish Mauser..???......A couple questions..

A friend has a Mauser he wants to trade. I have a couple Mausers..but no Swedish. He says it's a 96/38.. Receiver is marker Karl Gustafs..1907.. It has been "worked on"..but I like it. Short barrel. Bore is great..No top handguard wood..From reading..it looks more like a 94/38. Has been sporterized..No provisions for standard rear sight,,but has peep sight..Stock has had a sling swivel added to bottom of stock..but has slot through stock too. I assume that was for sling attachment ???. All numbers match...EXCEPT the bolt handle itself..and that would drive me crazy !..Maybe checker the bolt to do away with 3 digit number..or a NOS unnumbered bolt sleeve ?? ...Any thoughts on this one are greatly appreciated..I'm leaning towards it..Thanks..j..

It would help if you could provide pictures of the rifle. Its tough to really know what going on with the rifle without a reference.

He's OOT for a couple weeks hunting out West..I looked thru sources for one with no standard rear sight..and saw a few with peep sights. What is that slot cut into the stock for..Sling attachment ?..and..If I switch to a new bolt sleeve..will it need headspaced again ?..There is no round disc on the stock..thanks..j..

So it would have either been a M94, M94/14, M96, or M96/38. There was no M94/38. Most likely was a M96 or M96/38 which was then sporterized (if he was saying a M96/38 thats likely what it was). Hard to say for sure with sporterized rifles unless you have photos and clear dimensions and even then those can still not reveal their secrets as a sporterized M96 with a cut down barrel and a M96/38 with cut down barrel would be basically the same. It should likely shoot great though so depending on what you want it for it could still be a good buy but it wouldn't be a collector piece.

I've read all I can find on the Internet..My conclusion...96/38..Dated 1902. For sure "Sporterized"..but with peep sight..No provisions for other rear sight..No wood handguard. Like I said..I can't see it again for a couple weeks. All the #s match..except the bolt handle. If I replace it..should I have it checked for headspace ?..and What is that slot in the stock for ? This one has sling swivel on the normal place on the bottom of the stock..I'm just learning about Mauser's...and Arisaka's...so I'm sure some of my questions seem very amateur.. That's why I appreciate the help that the Forums give...Thanks..JV..

So yes if you replaced the bolt you should verify the headspace as the bolt handle is attached to the body which has the locking lugs on it. I am confused as to what you would be gaining by replacing the bolt as the number on the new one would also be mismatched as well. No idea about the extra cut in the stock without photos, could be done post service, likely a sling swivel.

No need to apologize about asking questions, that's what we are here for. Rome wasn't built in a day and you can't gather all the knowledge instantly. Personally I am not super knowledgeable on Mausers. I have a bit of a working knowledge on many milsurps but that's about it as I am more a generalist than a specialist.

As far as the bolt..Just a personal thing.. There are tons of NOS...unnumbered correct bolt sleeves on Ebay...about $25.. The slot is cut through the stock ..about 1/4 wide x 1 1/2 wide. Some sort of sling attachment was my guess..but I can't find any info to verify..The search continues.. A while back I was looking for the correct bayonet for my Arisaka 44 carbine. W Forum member told me of one at auction...and it will be delivered today. Completes my very nice 44..thanks..jv..

Hi Ozark, the 96/38 is a long rifle cut to measures of the new 38 model.
I have one myself, dated 1906.
Very nice rifles indeed, and short enough to be handy.
Here a couple pictures.
Just the finish of the woods is awkward here, since the guy who sold it to me wanted to preserve the stock and put on a finish that resembles that of grandmas night table...

I also added a pdf file from a local collector. Everything is in Italian, but pictures are pictures and they'll show you how one such rifle should look like.
The only thing not 100% correct is the Vasteras rear sight, which was not commonly issued, but was used for target shooting.

But that does not affect the rest of the rifle.

Attachment 111750Attachment 111751Attachment 111752Attachment 111753Attachment 111754

Unlike most other countries the Swedes started of with a 6.5 x 55 carbine in 1894, known as the m/94. In 1896 they developed the long rifle that is known as the m/96 also in 6.5 x 55 caliber. In 1938 it was decided to reduce the length of the m/96 and they created the m/38, this was initially done by altering the old m/96 rifles hence the older dates seen on the receivers. New m/38 rifles were also built by both Carl Gustafs and Husqvarna, the Husqvarna rifles are often but not always found with a turned down bolt the Carl Gustafs made rifles always had straight bolts. The older conversions are often referred to as m96/38's and the new built rifles as m/38's but in Swedish service there was no such distinction and they were all referred to as m/38 rifles.
As an aside if you come across an m/96 rifle with a screw cut muzzle it was done to accommodate the blank firing attachment and NOT a sound moderator, these rifles were referred to as the m/96b, they were not a down grade and shoot just as well with ball ammunition as a standard m/96.

Thanks guys.. A picture really is worth a thousand words. I'll keep learning...and I'll try to return the favors..jerry..