400.00 is a fair priceHere's the only kind of bad picture I have... You'll be able to see the wood type though. I think it's walnut but not 100% sure.
- Mint new m96 mauser -
- Thread starter Fred24
- Start date
The stock on that rifle is stained Beech.
I have quite literally seen thousands of the Swedes. None of the rifles I have seen have been unfired since leaving the factory as new.
The Swedes were very careful to maintain their rifles properly. Mind you some of the later releases were pretty grungy and worn.
The M94/96/38 rifles were mostly re barreled several times and FTRed to as new condition regularly during their service lives. The rifle you have in your pic is such a rifle IMHO.
Still, it is a lovely piece and even if the $500 mark is a bit high, IMHO it is worth it. If you don't beat it to hell when you take it to the range, it will appreciate well beyond that figure.
One other way to tell if it is original is if the cleaning rod is serial numbered to the receiver. Rifles with matching cleaning rods are very few and far between in my experience. I have seen collectors pay a very decent premium for matching numbered rods.
The matching rod would not indicate the rifle hasn't gone through and FTR, just that the REME was being very careful.
I have quite literally seen thousands of the Swedes. None of the rifles I have seen have been unfired since leaving the factory as new.
The Swedes were very careful to maintain their rifles properly. Mind you some of the later releases were pretty grungy and worn.
The M94/96/38 rifles were mostly re barreled several times and FTRed to as new condition regularly during their service lives. The rifle you have in your pic is such a rifle IMHO.
Still, it is a lovely piece and even if the $500 mark is a bit high, IMHO it is worth it. If you don't beat it to hell when you take it to the range, it will appreciate well beyond that figure.
One other way to tell if it is original is if the cleaning rod is serial numbered to the receiver. Rifles with matching cleaning rods are very few and far between in my experience. I have seen collectors pay a very decent premium for matching numbered rods.
The matching rod would not indicate the rifle hasn't gone through and FTR, just that the REME was being very careful.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not wishing to pick a fight here, but I have often seen people refer to the bore size / bore condition tags on rifles.
I don't see the relevance of something that may have been correct decades ago. It is a "nice to have" component for completeness of a firearm, but cannot be relied upon to mean anything "today".
Every gun was new once upon a time, but you still have to asses it on what it is like now. It could indicate minimum bore size grade 1, but a peek down the barrel shows a frosted weak rifled tube.
OTOH it could be max bore size Grade 3, but on inspection exhibit a shiny bore with strong rifling. I'll take the latter.
Here are walnut ones -
And here is a Elm one -
And Beech -
The threaded muzzle was for a Blank firing attachment and many rifles in military service did not have the threading for one, not just the FSR rifles!
For a few others go here as for some reason I cannot upload anymore pictures -
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php/1129963-Swedish-Husqvarna-M38-6.5x55mm-Mausers-Lots-of-pictures?highlight=m38+mauser
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php/1129963-Swedish-Husqvarna-M38-6.5x55mm-Mausers-Lots-of-pictures?highlight=m38+mauser
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Holy immaculate Swedes Mkrnel! Beautiful! Where did you find those?
My new to me 96, 1900 Obendorf, with original German walnut stock looks like hell compared to those
That because these two have never been shot since made in 1930, I had to remove the original now hardened old grease from their bores!
They came out of the Swedish Weapons Officer who made them estate in Sweden!
RememberTheSomme
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I'm not a Swede fan Mkrnel, but those rifles are fabulous.
Rifles such as those are very rare gems indeed. I suspect you already know this and unless they were given to you a value premium was paid at the time of purchase. Thanks for posting them. Lovely rifles.
The rifles I am talking about all were at a commercial distributor. I was lucky enough to be able to pick through them for the best available. Some were almost as clean as the rifles you posted.
The big thing was that the rifles came in on a pallet. Ten rifles per row and fifteen high. Then they were banded in place with steel bands. The only saving grace to those pallets was they used heavy pressed cardboard on the corners.
I never did find a very nice M94. I guess they all went into the US. Back then the carbines were running around $75 retail and the M96s were around $25. Less if you purchased a pallet full.
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Yes these rifles are very unique and one offs that are probably the only ones in existence as well and yes they came at a premium! they probably will not be mine for much longer as at least 2 advanced collectors want them badly, one wants to return them to Sweden were he said someone from there is using him as a buyer to try and get them back there!
Have a look at my M38's in the link above too! they are very nice as well and the 2 x 1944 examples are very rare too!
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ANY m/96 long rifle dated after 1926 is a very SCARCE one. The Swedes closed down production at Carl Gustafs Arsenal in 1926. However, some VERY SMALL limited runs were made, mostly in 1929, 1930 and 1935. Weapons Officers during their training, had to make a complete m/96 Rifle or m/94 Carbine to graduate and become an Inspections Officer. However, these Weapons Officer firearms usually had a name on them in place of the Serial number. Some blank receivers were stamped with the current date when they were replaced on a rifle, but the serial number of the original rifle was generally used on them, so you have rifles with serial numbers that fall into a block of serial numbers from earlier years that are stamped with a later date.
About 1935, some target rifles were made but were not adopted. These had 1935 dates on the receiver.
ANY m/96 long rifle dated after 1926 is a very SCARCE one. The Swedes closed down production at Carl Gustafs Arsenal in 1926. However, some VERY SMALL limited runs were made, mostly in 1929, 1930 and 1935. Weapons Officers during their training, had to make a complete m/96 Rifle or m/94 Carbine to graduate and become an Inspections Officer. However, these Weapons Officer firearms usually had a name on them in place of the Serial number. Some blank receivers were stamped with the current date when they were replaced on a rifle, but the serial number of the original rifle was generally used on them, so you have rifles with serial numbers that fall into a block of serial numbers from earlier years that are stamped with a later date.
About 1935, some target rifles were made but were not adopted. These had 1935 dates on the receiver.
I have a few Husky M96 rifles made in 1943 and 1944, one in as new condition that looks not to be shot or used, just as good as my M38's!
1943 dated Husqvarna M1896 rifle, don't have pictures of my other Husky M96's at the moment!
Thanks for all the great pictures of all these beautiful rifles. As my sidebar tells you, I live in UK where, if we are VERY lucky we are permitted to have two identical calibre centrefire rifles. I'm extraordinarily lucky in that I actually DO have two .308, two 7x57, and two 7.5x55 but they caught up with me when I got to 6.5x55, and I only have the one example. I'd dearly love to own an M38, but it's extremely unlikely ever to happen. Your collections of many examples of just one calibre are unheard of here unless you have a dealer license or are an established collector.
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I should have clarified my post about the m/96 rifles made after 1926. Carl Gustafs ARSENAL ceased regular production in 1926 but made a small number of m/96 rifles as noted.
The Husqvarna m/96 rifles had a production of about 18,000 rifles in 1943 and 1944. This production could be done because the Husqvarna m/38 rifles contracted had been completed. These rifles were initially made for Civilian shooters, and were a Swedish Shooting Association Contract. They were made to the same standards as the original m/96 rifles, approved by the Government, but sold with the provision that the Government could buy them back at the original price if they were needed in an Emergency. Another provision was that the rifle could not be "significantly harmed." That is, it was allowed to drill a couple of holes in the receiver for improved target sights as it did not compromise the strength or integrity of the rifle, but the rifle could not be "sporterized" by cutting down the stock for example. Some of these rifles found their way back into military use through donations, etc.
I should have clarified my post about the m/96 rifles made after 1926. Carl Gustafs ARSENAL ceased regular production in 1926 but made a small number of m/96 rifles as noted.
The Husqvarna m/96 rifles had a production of about 18,000 rifles in 1943 and 1944. This production could be done because the Husqvarna m/38 rifles contracted had been completed. These rifles were initially made for Civilian shooters, and were a Swedish Shooting Association Contract. They were made to the same standards as the original m/96 rifles, approved by the Government, but sold with the provision that the Government could buy them back at the original price if they were needed in an Emergency. Another provision was that the rifle could not be "significantly harmed." That is, it was allowed to drill a couple of holes in the receiver for improved target sights as it did not compromise the strength or integrity of the rifle, but the rifle could not be "sporterized" by cutting down the stock for example. Some of these rifles found their way back into military use through donations, etc.
