New Swedish M96

[Calfed]

I recently won this M96 at an on-line auction. It looks to be in extremely good shape and these are becoming a little pricey here in California. Thought I better get it while the getting it is still good. I got it for $200 plus shipping.

It is not "all matching", but isn't a total mix-master, either. The receiver, bolt, all bolt parts, buttplate and stock are all matching. The floor plate, bolt release, barrel bands are not. Stock disc is marked "1" in the barrel condition segment.

Did Swedish armories play "mix and match" with these rifles when they were in for service, or was this likely put together with non-matching parts after it was imported?






I'll try to get a bore picture posted.

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[ptf18]

What is the finish on the stock?

[Calfed]

What is the finish on the stock?

I think it is a birch stock...not sure of the finish

[saddler]

Aw, man - they saw you coming & took you for a ride

Ill take it off your hands for $5 - I'm passing the local dump & will drop it off there to save you a trip....

Hey - $200 - nice find AND legal in commiefornia to boot - whats not to like??
Get it to the range - the M96 is a great all-day-shooting rifle and amazingly accurate

Enjoy it !!

[Patrick Chadwick]

Did Swedish armories play "mix and match" with these rifles when they were in for service, or was this likely put together with non-matching parts after it was imported?

That is a very good-looking rifle, and I think you paid a fair price. But M96s are usually 100% matching, so it seems likely that this is a bit of a mixmaster. "Mix & match" was not Swedish practice. There was no stock of war-damaged rifles and no shortage of serviceable ones that might have made such recyling necessary.

And don't place any trust in those stock disks. They have often been plundered from scrapped rifles and even made new (the screw head on the stock disk looks as if is was removed non-professionally). Whether original disk or not - the condition marking would only indicate what it was half a century or more ago!

[westkraut]

Very nice and a good deal too. After firing my first M96 I was hooked on their quality and now have a herd of sporters and custom rifles as well as 5 Norwegian Krags in the 6.5x55mm. Superb quality rifles!

[krinko]

Swedish Mausers were rebuilt, restocked and reblued over the course of their service life and may be found with mismatched bolt releases, floorplates and bands. There are also blank bolt releases, floorplates and bands.
The Husqvarna M38 rifles will frequently be found with electropencilled numbers on cocking pieces and safety levers.
All done in Sweden.
The Ultrablonde beechwood restocked rifles like the one you show, are most likely to exhibit mismatched minor parts.
Here's mine, altered to this configuration after the original bolt was damaged by a PMC overpressure round---





-----krinko

[Calfed]

Thanks, guys.

I bought this a s a "shooter" but am glad the major components match. The bore looks incredible. It is hard to get my cheap-a$$ camera to show how shiny and sharp the bore is...but it is.



I also noted a "crown O" on the stock that seems to show that the rifle was serviced at the Östersund Tygstation.



I was planning on using this rifle at a monthly vintage military rifle silhouette match last week, but ended up using one of my Swiss rifles instead. Before the match, I went to the range and put a few rounds down range with it. I mainly fired it to see where it is hitting. I used three different types of ammo, 2 rounds each. No earth shattering group or anything, but given the different brands and bullet weights of the ammo and my newness to the rifle, I was impressed.



Since I didn't shoot this rifle in the match, I have enough ammo to try some real group testing, hopefully this week.

[Calfed]

Thanks, Krinko

Nice looking Swede target rifle. I'm shocked that it had to be recovered from a factory over-pressure round.

As I posted above, I've been told that the stamp just behind the trigger on my M96 stock indicates that the rifle went through the Armory at Östersund Tygstation.

I've got two of the Husqvarna M38's and can confirm what you say about electro-penciled numbers.

One has no electro-penciling and one does...

[Calfed]

Went to the range last week and shot some new Swiss rifles and this Swede.

I only had a few minutes to kill, so was only able to shoot a few groups with each rifle. The Fiocci 142 gr rounds were kind of mediocre @ 100 yards



The Prvi 120 grain match @ 100 yards was better.



I still haven't handloaded any 6.5 x 55 rounds yet. That is next on my reloading list. I'll also try a group with the Hornady match.