Husky sporter....8x57 or 30-06? Recommendations?

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Alvin1095

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Hello fellow CGNers
I'm looking to get a Husky Swedish Mauser sporter for next years spring bea season. I'm also gonna start to learn reloading on this rifle. Should I go for a 8x57 or 30-06 chambered husky? Also are there any particular features I should look for on such rifles?
I know these rifles are prone to stock cracks behind tang. If I do find one with a crack free stock, should I glass bed it or install magnum cross bolt to keep it from developing cracks?
 
Alvin1095 said:
Hello fellow CGNers
I'm looking to get a Husky Swedish Mauser sporter for next years spring bea season. I'm also gonna start to learn reloading on this rifle. Should I go for a 8x57 or 30-06 chambered husky? Also are there any particular features I should look for on such rifles?
I know these rifles are prone to stock cracks behind tang. If I do find one with a crack free stock, should I glass bed it or install magnum cross bolt to keep it from developing cracks?
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..and cracks are also common inside the stock right behind the recoil lug....It wouldn't hurt to do some glass bedding there, maybe with a length of threaded steel bolt buried inside the bedding. 30-06 will give you many more bullet options for reloading than an 8mm. And 30-06 brass is everywhere.
 
I use 8mm for my moose gun out of a K98 that was a'll premed when I got it. I really like how accurate the gun is once zero'ed. If looking at cost and ease of finding ammo 30-06 over the longer term would be a better idea. I am now invested into 8mm enough to hunt for life. No reason to switch caps now. Unless I can get a 30-06 CZ to match my scout rifle 527 (haven't shot but carrying it this yr for deer and I love it).
 
Alvin1095 said:
Thanks for the reply guys, I think I'm gonna go with 06. One more question, will the action handle hotter 30-06 loads?
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heronfish said:
A 98 or 1600 will easily digest book reloads.
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They sure will. Husqvarna built the 98s on FN actions, and chambered the 1600s in 7mm Rem, 300 Win and 358 Norma Magnum.

My 1600 in 8X57 shoots 180 Nosler BTs into an inch at 100 yd, and does so at over 2600 fps.

Ted
 
Alvin1095 said:
Thanks for the reply guys, I think I'm gonna go with 06. One more question, will the action handle hotter 30-06 loads?
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If you want a 30'06 just grab one of the many HVA 1600's Tradex has listed. They are not sporters, but their own designs made in house. Very good and strong actions on those, will be D&T for '96 bases already, side safety, hinged floorplate, good to go.
The HVA FN'98's would be a good choice as well, early ones are very much direct clones of the military '98's while later ones are commercial versions...minor differences between the 2 actions. They may or may not already be D&T, a low swing Beuhler type safety will be required, will not have a hinged floorplate but military style or the FN commercial button style release.
I would skip the '96 actions in 30'06.
 
Gotta love the Husky's! Quality rifles at an affordable price, you won't go wrong buying one. And they will handle any cartridge they are designed for, with ease. In a destruction test done a number of years ago the 1600/1640 action was the only action that did not destruct when fired with a barrel full of tamped sand.
As for calibre, either will do the job nicely and very close on ballistics as well. I have a 308, a 30.06 and an 8x57. The 30 cals do real well with 165 SGK's or SST's. The 8x57 works great with 150 SGK's so Ive never bothered to try any other projectiles.
Ive yet to see one locally with a split in the stock, lucky maybe. But if you do get one, a reasonable bedding job, with clearance for the rear of the tang will sort the problem.
 
Backcountryal said:
.... In a destruction test done a number of years ago the 1600/1640 action was the only action that did not destruct when fired with a barrel full of tamped sand.....
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I remember that test being done. It was the late 1960s, and I was working for RUKO of Canada Ltd, the importer of Husqvarna firearms at the the time.

Sounds unbelievable, but is true, 30-06 barrels filled with sand and fired,.....crazy!
Ted
 
If you go 1600, I really prefer the early ones with the steel trigger guard, polished blued steel suits the rifle much better then the later painted cast aluminum they used.
 
Hitzy said:
If you go 1600, I really prefer the early ones with the steel trigger guard, polished blued steel suits the rifle much better then the later painted cast aluminum they used.
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Re: that alloy bottom metal. Note that it isn't the common aluminum that you may be familiar with. Years ago, I had to cut and file one of those trigger guards and found it to be an incredibly hard alloy. Yes, it can get rough looking when the black wears, but its easy to take apart and repaint and it does make a light rifle even lighter. Also the fullstock versions (my favorites) only came with alloy bottom metal. You can't swap the alloy and steel, the stock bottom inletting is different.

That said, and even given the sometimes indifferent wood quality and stock cracks, all the Husqvarna lightweight sporter models are one of the very last great rifle bargains out there. Get one while you can.

(By the way, that's one in an MPI stock lying across the neck of that nice 10 pt. Whitetail in my avatar to the left.)
 
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