1899 Swedish M96/38

[Clash77]

I picked up my first Mauser yesterday at a gun show. An 1899 Carl Gustaf M96/38 all matching with an almost new barrel and a neat micrometer sight. I've had a fascination with Swedish Mausers ever since I saw one in a book when I was a kid, I'm excited to finally get one.

Just thought I'd share and see what you all can tell me about this neat rifle.Attachment 37170Attachment 37171

Also, what's the surplus ammo market look like for these? I got a box of milsurp ammo from the guy who sold me it, and another vender had a few boxes for $20/box. Is that the best I can do on surplus ammo for these?

I'll get some better pictures up tomorrow.

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[Clash77]

Better pictures up.

Does anyone know anything about the micrometer sight? I've honestly never seen one before, but I don't know very much about these rifles. It appears to be graduated from 250m to 600m

[ptf18]

Clash77: Your rear sight insert is typical of the version of m38 you have. Previously it was a m96 with the ladder sight that your rifle still has. As you can imagine with the shorter barrel of your m38 the sight radius is different than the m96 that your rifle once was. Thus the ladder sight scale did not accurately allow the rifle to be sighted in to the ranges listed on the ladder. So the insert that you have was installed which would allow the rifle to be sighted in properly. Im not sure how the change of ammo from the older round nose ammo to the spitzer nose bullet affected this. That was one reason some rifles had range plates on them.

If you look at your sight you'll see a little slotted screw within the center of the elevation dial. That little screw rotates and will allow you to fine tune the elevation for the ammo your shooting.For example. If you shoot at 200 yards set your elevation dial to 200 (actually its 200 meters)and fire 3 rounds ACCURATELY. If your not centered up in your 200 yard target , carefully adjust that littel screw untill you are centered up.

THis doesnt mean the rest of the dial settings will be "on" for the ammo your using unless your using the Swedish m41 (?) ammo that that sight was designed for but your 200 yard setting will be spot on...if you do your part.

[Clash77]

Thanks for the reply Very interesting about the sight, I didn't know about the little screw for fine tuning. I put some Swede surplus ammo through it and it seem to be pretty spot on, albeit hight at 100 yards.

[Patrick Chadwick]

The fine adjustment backsight insert is the army standard Västeras add-on. (the second a ought to have one of those little o accents, but I can't find it on this keyboard)
O. G. in front of the number on the system are the initials of Olof Darling Gibson, inspecting officer at Carl Gustafs Stads Gevaärsfaktori from May 1. 1898 to March 31. 1902. This was a very early M96.
IKO No. 314 on the buttplate indicates that this was rifle no. 314 of the Ingenjörskären = Engineer Corps.