Source for mint M96 barrels ?

[smlemon]

Called Lothar and a new exact replica, long chambered in the white is $285.00 plus shipping. I know they make great barrels but with headspacing, bluing, sight swapping etc I could quickly find myself with a $800 replica.

Option two might me to buy a Swede made M96 with a code 1 bore (assume threads are the same), swap the barrels and send Gustav it down the road for $250 or so with the caveat that it is a code two bore. Funny thing is witt that none too perfect bore it will shoot the 160 Hornadys into 1.5 " (5) @100, even after 20 shots. After shooting, I give it three Wipe Out runs and the last patch is almost as nasty as the first.

It's never easy !

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[vintage hunter]

You can't pay those stock discs much attention. All they really tell you is the condition of the bore at the last inspection, which was most likely long before it hit the surplus market. It is also known that they are sometimes swapped out in the attempt to fool an unknowing potential buyer into believing the bore may be in better condition than it really is. Only way to find out how good or not a rifle will shoot is by taking it to the range.
And also there's nothing written in stone saying barrels with a new/mint bore will shoot any better than a wore/pitted one. Most barrels with anything closely resembling a trace of rifling left can usually be made to shoot acceptably after a meticulous cleaning and a bit of experimenting to find a load/bullet combination it likes. It may not be with the bullet you would like but who cares as long it turns an otherwise wall hanger back into a shooter.

[Patrick Chadwick]

Funny thing is witt that none too perfect bore it will shoot the 160 Hornadys into 1.5 " (5) @100, even after 20 shots. After shooting, I give it three Wipe Out runs and the last patch is almost as nasty as the first.

So do you want to shoot it, or sit there and admire the bore? You seem to have a good-shooting barrel. Why pull up the plant to see if the roots are growing? Shoot...clean...shoot...clean...shoot...get the idea?
But...

...After shooting, I give it three Wipe Out runs and the last patch is almost as nasty as the first.

...I think you're being mean on the "clean". You don't have to clean until the patch is spotless, but it should at least look much lighter than the first one!
Better make that: Shoot...clean...oil...clean again a couple of days later...shoot...etc.etc.

Just make sure to ALWAYS clean from the breech end. It only takes a couple of seconds to remove the bolt, but the muzzle crown will remain crisp.
BTW, if it is NOT crisp, having it freshened up is often the most cost-effective single improvement you can make on an old milsurp.

---------- Post added at 09:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:28 PM ----------

You can't pay those stock discs much attention. All they really tell you is the condition of the bore at the last inspection, which was most likely long before it hit the surplus market. It is also known that they are sometimes swapped out in the attempt to fool an unknowing potential buyer into believing the bore may be in better condition than it really is.

Excellent advice. I would put it even more drastically. All that a stock disc with a "1" stamped on it tells you , is that it has a "1" stamped on it.

---------- Post added at 09:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:36 PM ----------

It has a code 2 bore and does not shoot as well as any of the many 38/84/96-38/96s I have owned over now 5 decades.

So how was your eyesight way back then? And how is it now? Your rifle performs as well as any advanced teenager can expect with open sights.

[smlemon]

The rifle has a crappy bore. Lotsa cleaning, fire lapping etc and it's still rough and has a 5" long loose spot 6" back from the muzzle. It will shoot just okay but every 96 and Husky 38 I own/owned are/were sub MOA rifles with the right loads and optics.

As it is a real Mauser with a very nice Euro walnut stock, it's exceptional among 96s.
The only real question is do I buy the new barrel and go through the sight swapping, headspacing and bluing OR just buy a minty 96 and swap the barrels and resell the other one with the warning it has a so so barrel.

Option 1 will end up at around $400, option 2 net of $200.

Right now the Obama economy has killed my internet sales (Ebay, Amazon, gun sites), so I have no "play around" stash. I'm getting some .268 cast bullets and will burn them up trying more fire lapping and see what I end up with.

If anyone has a minty bore M96 barrel gathering dust, I am a buyer.

Thanks.

[smlemon]

Some of the nice folks at Castboolits sent me some sized lubed and gaschecked 160 gr 6.5s. I ran another session of fire lapping as cast bullets work better on rough bores as they expand to fit the nooks and crannies. Bore looked about 80% when done.
The acid test was loading jacketed bullet and see how they did.
Took Sierra's "best load" (4895) for 140 SMKBTHP and put it behind 5 each of SMKs and 140 AMaxes.
Then picked a 4350 load and did the same. I figured the groups would open up as the jacket fouling built up in the bore.
First went to the two 4895 loads which did about 1.5". Then the SMKs with 4350, did 1",then the AMaxes which had 5 touching, 3 in one hole.
Do I clean it or not ? Was it the load and or the bullets ?
Still have not used the 1200 grit fire lapping. This is what makes shooting interesting !

[vintage hunter]

Like we said, shoot- clean shoot- clean then experiment with different load combinations until you find one it likes.
Glad that fire lapping process worked out for you but I never thought much of it. From the research I've done and the reviews I've read it has ruined more barrels than it's improved.