Looking for info on this rifle

factionrr

CGN frequent flyer
Rating - 99.7%
357   1   1
Hey guys, first off im not sure if this is even the right forum. I just aquired this rifle in a multi rifle trade. I really didnt look at it very long as I had more interest in the other rifle. The person I traded with didnt really know much about it either.

From what i can find on the internet it is a Ljungmann or AG42 made in sweden. This rifle was made in 1948 and is amazing shape. Any of you guys familiar with this rifle or have owned and shot one? Are they rare? And roughly what is one worth?
IMG_2687.jpg

IMG_2689.jpg
 
Hey guys, first off im not sure if this is even the right forum. I just aquired this rifle in a multi rifle trade. I really didnt look at it very long as I had more interest in the other rifle. The person I traded with didnt really know much about it either.

From what i can find on the internet it is a Ljungmann or AG42 made in sweden. This rifle was made in 1948 and is amazing shape. Any of you guys familiar with this rifle or have owned and shot one? Are they rare? And roughly what is one worth?
IMG_2687.jpg

IMG_2689.jpg
The AG42 is among the most accurate military semi auto rifle. They were adopted in 1942, about 30 000 were made. They are gas operated using direct gas action,no piston like most of gas operated rifle. In fact your rifle is the AG42b, the "b" models are improved version of the AG42. The improvements came in 1953 and an original AG42 is extremely scarce since they pretty much received all modification to become AG42b. Those rifle shoot very well, the 6.5X55 round is very accurate and low recoil. Many are around in canada so they are not extremely hard to find. I have 1, didnt shot it much but its very good and i also have the egyptian Hakim in 7.92x57, the Hakim was built with the AG42 tooling that sweden sold to egypt. The AG42 throw the brass quit far and the rifle is very sensitive to powder used because there's no gas adjusment. They sell between $300-$400 depending of condition. Dont ever loose the magazine because they are extremely hard to find. Btw, the rifle belong in milsurp forum:)
Joce
 
Thanks for the info, and yeah i wasnt sure where to place this. Hoping to get out this weekend and put a few rounds thru it. I seem to having a hard time finding ammo for it tho, atleast locally. cheers
 
You might get some brass damage rendering these cases unusable for reloading because these guns have a very strong ejection system. This can be modified at the gas port though. If you do reload be careful what powders you use.
 
An AG42B, B was an update . I have one and it's a ton of fun to shoot. Watch your fingers when you move the bolt, it's dam fast. It's a gun I have in my collection and I would never let it go, because it's that good. The gas valve/ set screw is not adjustable but there is a mod you can do if the brass are ejecting way too hard. I have never had that issue though. The prices for this gun are never as high as they should be, so most are a bargin.
 
Thanks guys, Im really excited to get out and shoot this rifle and its a welcome addition to my collection, wont be selling it anythime soon. Appreciate all the info on it. cheers.
 
You might get some brass damage rendering these cases unusable for reloading because these guns have a very strong ejection system. This can be modified at the gas port though. If you do reload be careful what powders you use.

Nice rifle. A smooth shooter.

I had the pleasure to shoot one years back. I remember an ad in perhaps the old Gunner or something like that, where it said ......"Accurate and powerful, excellent counter-sniping Rifle.........."

The only way I ever thought this worked was maybe a section or two of infantry squeezing off well aimed shots continuously at every possible hide location while others advanced to eliminate the threat.

Never owned one myself, but was witness to the destruction on handloads and brass as mentioned by CZ Brno. Man those things eject! And the extractor, would pull the once fired Imperial case head right of the still swollen case in the chamber.:eek:

Never ever saw that happen with any other auto loading rifle. Saw torn rims from gas impulse off due to powder burn rate/bullet etc, but never saw them pull the case head away form the body without rupturing the rim.

Either the extractor was very strong and had a large bearing area or that was the worst case of field head-space I ever did see.:D Anyone else ever witness the case heads being pulled on handloads????
 
These are very ammunition sensitive. If gas port pressure is too high, the breech will try to open while residual pressure is so high in the case that it cannot extract, and the extractor will rip through the rim. Clear the resulting jam, lock the bolt back, and the case will literally fall out. These originally came with a little spare parts kit which included an extra extractor.
There used to be a good supply of Swedish ammunition in brown boxes available. It was "practice" or target shooting ammunition. Rims were regularly torn through. Solution was to lubricate the ammunition.
They are really accurate.
 
These were not issued to everybody. Maybe one man in a squad would have one
Also there is a very good reason for that rubber doughnut on the bolt cover!
By the way, that stock disc was there to record bore wear.
Just a small add. If you want to close the bolt remove the magazine first. Obviously a loaded magazine will close the bolt by just operating the the carrier
The bolt spring on these makes an M1 Thumb laughable, expecialy if it mashes your digit against the opening for ther gas tube:eek:
 
We used to train the sales kids from the local Canadian Tire stores who sold guns on safe firearm handling at our club as a community service gesture.

I used to bring my M42B, gather them around, and close the bolt on a pencil...man those kids would jump! Sure got that message across!

M42B-1, Pencil -0
 
The most undervalued semi auto milsurp considering how few built, quality of wood/metal and the round being well ahead of it's time.
 
You might get some brass damage rendering these cases unusable for reloading because these guns have a very strong ejection system. This can be modified at the gas port though. If you do reload be careful what powders you use.

I have only owned two semi's in my shooting career and this was one of them.I totally agree on the gnarled up brass situation but my biggest problem was finding the darn stuff when I had emptied the clip.I swear this rifle flung brass at least 20 feet at times.It was fun to shoot though and I felt it only had moderate recoil,no bruised shoulder.
 
Nice find. At least you got the mag. Try Epps and a few others for the small parts kit. You will not need it though, if you follow some simple precautions.

These are an extremely accurate rifle, especially for an autoloader. Now the not so good news. They are a handloader's pet.
First, there is almost no ammo that will work without violent extraction and brass damage. That means rims bent, or torn off, as well as case bodies badly dented. Some rifles throw the rubber bumper off the cover. This no ammo situation includes Swedish surplus if you can find any. Apparently these were not issued to all troops in a unit. Perhaps 10% may have had one, the rest bolt actions. This would have created a logistical problem to have separate ammo and the Swedes ignored it. (At this point stop reading this and go read the section "Gas Gun Reloading in a Sierra Bullets reloading manual). Great, now if you have done that I can speed up. The Swedes never resolved the violent cycling problem. Their solutions to the problem were band-aid at best, such as oiling the rounds. Students of bolt thrust are cringing right now I know, especially with the taper of the 6.5x55 case. I'm not sure if fluted chambers were around when these were made. Too bad.

The Swedish military ammo was for use in bolt rifles of the Mauser 96 type and others where a slow burning powder was an asset. Any commercial 6.5x55 Swedish ammo you buy will also be loaded with slow burning powder, probably in the IMR 4350 range. You need to shoot reloads with faster powders, in the Reloader 15 up to Rel 12 powder range, to lower the port pressure and lessen the cycling violence. I am not advocating these powders only. Get a powder burn chart and you will see Hodgdon, Vihtavuori, IMR, Norma and others. If you can reduce this violence you probably won't need the spare parts kit.

Stick to 139-140 grain bullets.

As usual with gas gun reloading, the safe plan is to use the hardest primers available.

As for takedown, they are very easy if you keep your head screwed on. They have one of the strongest main springs of all auto loading rifles and will mess you up if you are careless. Garands and M-14s are pussycats compared to a Ljungman. Click on my name at the top left of this post. Next find the link "Find more posts by bc308". Next go to the end and find my July 2, 2006 post about takedown. Basically, never try to take it apart if the spring is compressed. When it is not compressed you are quite safe. Inverting it just lets the bolt/cover slide off easier. While you are at it check out those old posts by other CGNers. There is a wealth of info there.

As I say in the post, it was a long time ago that I had a Ljungman. In the late 60s and early 70s they were as common as SKSs are today. Every surplus dealer had them and many mainstream sporting goods stores as well. Some Swedish surplus ammo was available too, but sold without instructions and tips, such as oiling the rounds. Therefore watch the date of any post where the rifle is being disparaged. Good research and good luck.

Since that 2006 post I have acquired another. That shows you my opinion of them.
 
Last edited:
Imperial only ever offered one loading of the 6.5x55, a 160-grain bullet.

It was too slow for the AG42B rifle and all kinds of fun and games could (and did) develop with it. But it was the only ammo available.

The AG42B rifle is made SPECIFICALLY for the 139-grain bullet and a charge of FAST powder. Anything else will get you into trouble.

Best bet is handloading and installing a gas regulator of some sort. You can LIMIT the amount of gas getting to the Carrier/Piston by installing a set-screw up at the Gas Block on top of the barrel. Several people on this forum have done so.

The rifles generally use much too much gas to give anything other than violent ejection. This is because the rifles were built to work flawlessly at extremely LOW temperatures.... and picking up fired brass in the middle of a war just is not done: no handloaders in the trenches. For the brass, this rifle was a one-way trip.

For those of us who own these critters, 70 years later, installation of a gas regulator is simple and effectual. Do it right, use handloads and the rifle becomes an absolute pussycat, albeit one which can make a single-ragged-hole 10-round group at 100 yards.

And it gives us the usage of these fine rifles, likely the most accurate semi-auto rifles ever built.
.
 
Back
Top Bottom