Determining Caliber - Mystery Rifle

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danyboy1899

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I recently acquired a very nice Mauser sporter for a fantastic price since the caliber was unknown. I was in the market for a hunting rifle and I like a little mystery in my life so I bid on it.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/PYLRvr8fDvPWsC1d9
^The Rifle in question

So I'm trying to determine what round it's chambered for. It will chamber a 6.5x55 dummy cartridge, but not an 8mm. I've measured the muzzle diameter to be 0.25 inch, or 6.4mm.

My gut is telling me it's chambered in 6.5 swede, but what else would you do or check to be confident enough to test fire?
 
As per Post #2 - cerrosafe casting and at minimum, a caliper that you trust to be accurate, then find the SAAMI chamber drawings and dimensions on line. "Because it fits" is a VERY poor way to go about that - 243 Win, 260 Rem, 7mm-08, 308 Win, 338 Fed will all "fit" into a 358 Win chamber; 308 Win likely "fits" into most 30-06 chambers; 7x61 Sharpe and Hart will "fit" into a 7mm Rem Mag chamber; 257 Roberts will "fit" into a 7x57 chamber - although I have not tried it, I believe that 300 H&H "fits" into a 300 Weatherby chamber - because it "fits", does not identify the correct cartridge for that chamber.

At least some military barrels will have no markings - I bought a Swede M94 replacement barrel from TradeEx - is no marks on it at all to indicate the chambering, except for a Swede crown - could be reamed out now to about anything. Is apparent to me that some home guys have run a reamer into a chamber and altered it from original - then NO markings to indicate that alteration - the user knew what he had done - not worried, then, about anyone else ...
 
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Personally, I'm in your boat dannyboy- 6.5X55 Swede is most likely. The step-pattern on the barrel is consistent with an M96/M38 Swedish Mauser barrel, and it's quite obviously built on a small ring Mauser action (again, Swedish M96/M38), so there's a 99.9% chance its just a restocked/sporterized Swedish Mauer with an original barrel.

Certainly, chamber casting is the way to be 100% certain, but if it were my own gun I'd try a 6.5 bullet at muzzle to make sure it engages the lands properly (as you did), then give it a shot.

Then again I'm just a stranger on the internet...
 
Had a p17 that came from an estate. Only marking was 06, I tried that on a bench, got a face full of powder. Had been chambered in 308 Norma. Glad I had glasses on. A thorough exam is worth your time.
 
a j cave - I have similar here - but the bolt face is opened up to accept the belted case rim - was my first clue that it was not "normal" 30-06 - and then could see the recess for the belt - looking from rear into the chamber - in total is three here - 308 Norma Mag, 300 Win Mag and 300 Weatherby Mag - look identical from rear and the clues that I mentioned - as you say, thorough exam is well worth it!! None are marked in any way that I have found, to indicate what they were re-chambered for. With no markings, likely means that they were not "proofed" after re-chambering, either ...
 
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SomebodyTookMyName said:
Personally, I'm in your boat dannyboy- 6.5X55 Swede is most likely. The step-pattern on the barrel is consistent with an M96/M38 Swedish Mauser barrel, and it's quite obviously built on a small ring Mauser action (again, Swedish M96/M38), so there's a 99.9% chance its just a restocked/sporterized Swedish Mauer with an original barrel.

Certainly, chamber casting is the way to be 100% certain, but if it were my own gun I'd try a 6.5 bullet at muzzle to make sure it engages the lands properly (as you did), then give it a shot.

Then again I'm just a stranger on the internet...
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I have an M96/38 and it doesn't look anything like any of the Swedish Mausers I've ever seen. The bolt and parts of the action look quite different (and I don't think the bolt was ever blued as it's stainless), especially the safety. Only the M96/38 and M38 have the down-turned bolt handle.

I'm not sure if there are other 6.5x55 SE Mausers out there that I'm not aware of so it's possibly still that cartridge, but just thought I'd mention that.
 
Could be 6.5x57, 6.5x64 although I did not check all dimensions. Use the 6.5x55 case to see if you can measure where the lands are with a long bullet.
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Thirsty_Fox said:
I have an M96/38 and it doesn't look anything like any of the Swedish Mausers I've ever seen. The bolt and parts of the action look quite different (and I don't think the bolt was ever blued as it's stainless), especially the safety. Only the M96/38 and M38 have the down-turned bolt handle.

I'm not sure if there are other 6.5x55 SE Mausers out there that I'm not aware of so it's possibly still that cartridge, but just thought I'd mention that.
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From "Crown Jewels" book by Dana Jones, for sure was earlier Swede M94 carbine that had turned down bolt handle. The Carl Gustaf 96/38 will have had straight bolt handles from their parent M96 - so did earliest Husqvarna made M38 - until Husqvarna curved down bolt handles were "approved". Is not clear to me from that book if any Carl Gustaf made M96 military arms ever had the curved down bolt handles. I have M38, M96 and M94 receivers here - plus Husqvarna commercial ones - I can not tell the difference between the military ones - except for the markings on the receiver. So far as I know, all the military Swede rifles mentioned, including ones made for them in Germany by Mauser - were all initially chambered for 6.5x55, although the bullet weight and shape was changed over time, from the original ...

As per tables in that book - it appears that Carl Gustaf was making some M94, right into the 1930's, at the same time that they were making M96.

In the 1950's many / most M94 Swede carbines were sold off as surplus - companies like STIGA bought many - I have one, by STIGA, that is chambered in 30-06, and proofed as such - the original serial number and Inspector Initials on that receiver jive with M94 production records, from back in the day. You can find pictures, etc. on Internet - the Swede Royal Palace Guard still uses them - at least for public display - the M94-14 version with the bayonet mount.
 
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To me it looks like a Swedish M96 barreled action. The bolt handle appears to a commercial handle replacing the straight original. Also the safety has been replaced with a commercial one to allow for a scope. As shown, the action has been drilled and tapped for scope mounts as well. The stock is also commercial as is the front sight. All this makes me think that it's almost certainly in 6.5X55 caliber. BTW, M96 actions #### the firing pin on closing the bolt.
 
Potashminer said:
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In the 1950's many / most M94 Swede carbines were sold off as surplus - companies like STIGA bought many - I have one, by STIGA, that is chambered in 30-06, and proofed as such - the original serial number and Inspector Initials on that receiver jive with M94 production records, from back in the day. You can find pictures, etc. on Internet - the Swede Royal Palace Guard still uses them - at least for public display - the M94-14 version with the bayonet mount.
Click to expand...

I have an m94-14 carbine converted by... someone. The entire gun is matching except for the bolt and the bayonet mount, but it's been bored out, rifling re-cut and rechambered for 7mm Mauser. I think it was done in Norway in the 50's, but I can't narrow down by whom
 
There is a notation in that Dana Jones book that multiple Swede surplus M94 were bought by Sam Cummins, owner of Interarms, in 1955. Some were "re-arsenaled" by Madsen (Dansk Industri Syndikat) in Denmark to both 7x57 and to 7.62 NATO. That book says no new barrels were used - the original 6.5 barrels were re-bored and the chambers reamed. About 3,000 of those in 7x57, were sold to El Salvador. Many of those ended up back in USA by an un-named arms dealer and were sold on surplus market. - page 58.

If done like my STIGA (also converted in Denmark) - will be proof marks to show was to a particular standard - I do not know how they did stuff then - if I was "proofing" an assembly, that would be a barrel, a receiver and a bolt - but often the proof marks only showing on the barrel - I have no clue how they matched up what receiver or what bolt was used for that proof test??
 
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If the base of the case fits well with a 6.5x55, and it will set a primer off id bet its chambered in 6.5x55. If the head space was too far off it would fire a primer.

Also you could fire form a 6.5x55 case with 10gr of pistol powder, some cream of wheat and some glue on top to make it a blank then compare it to a 6.5x55 case.
 
Sheesh - Remove the bolt, point the gun downward, and insert a 6.5 x 55 round into the chamber. Have a look at where the round has seated relative to the breech....
 
Place two layers of masking tape on the rear of a 6.5x55 case... if the bolt is hard to close on that case it is most likely safe to fire it...
 
A chamber cast is mandatory to be sure.
Last year a friend sent me some cases fired from a 7mmMag.
There was almost no neck left and the body was blown out.
Turns out it was rechambered to 7STW and never restarted!!
Cat
 
Again, doing a chamber cast is easy and does not cost to much. It beats having a face imbedded with gun powder from blow back. I was black marked for months. It is prob a 6.5/55 but trust me, it’s is not worth the risk.
 
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