Small youth 6.5 x 55 size

[riversrest]

Zastava M85 is a good little deer rifle in 7.62x39 as well, small and light with mild recoil.

Everything better than a .223 is good for a deer rifle if YOU can find a legal deer. A 7.62x39 is the desperate's man last resort to go with.

Some people on here offer their old s%#@! for sale and advise others to go their way because they screwed up their stuff while working with it due to up their incompetence.

A solid Swedish Mauser is a different class in comparison to the given suggestion. What a bogus that is is.

OP, stay with your plan on a 6.5x55 it's a great choice!

 

[riversrest]

I completely misread. Now that I'm fed it makes much more sense.

Err on the side of more barrel and a little less stock. The barrel has to stay over 18" to remain legal. No reason to go shorter than 19" in my opinion. Bob the uglier stock to fit the lad and save the better one for when he fills out. With neutered handloads you should have no difficulty in going to a buttplate rather than a recoil pad and then you can add a grind to fit pad later on if he needs another inch of LOP. Once upon a time I was 6'4" and 180 lbs. Now I'm 6'5" and 253 lbs (down 27 in the last month, thanks to my wife and her Arbonne business). I've got a couple of rifles and shotguns with abbreviated stocks from the old days. Best investment you can make to a learner rifle is a second stock.

Typical - with some posers.

Write first, give BS and read later...

Been fed, feeling better? Great! Did the wife make up some eggs?



Maybe try this way -

Read, learn, understand and give valid, true advise & opinion.

Cheers Rivers.

 

[BigUglyMan]

Typical - with some posers.

Write first, give BS and read later...

Been fed, feeling better? Great! Did the wife make up some eggs?



Maybe try this way -

Read, learn, understand and give valid, true advise & opinion.

Cheers Rivers.

Poser? What are you on about, oh bold anonymous poster from the other side of the country? What of my recommendations to the OP were BS? All I missed was when he said he already had the rifle. Doesn't mean that my advice to him, or anyone else in his position, was wrong. but your response is typical of internet people who feel emboldened to say things from the safety of their living room that they would never say to the other person's face.

 

[Boomer]

Typical - with some posers.

Write first, give BS and read later...

Been fed, feeling better? Great! Did the wife make up some eggs?



Maybe try this way -

Read, learn, understand and give valid, true advise & opinion.

Cheers Rivers.

Ya, don't you just hate posers who have perhaps 30+ years of shooting, handloading and hunting experience, including years of living in the arctic, one or more trips to Africa, and who carries a gun for a living. They're almost as annoying as the low post count members who choose to criticize others they know nothing about.

 

[Boomer]

Everything better than a .223 is good for a deer rifle if YOU can find a legal deer. A 7.62x39 is the desperate's man last resort to go with.

Some people on here offer their old s%#@! for sale and advise others to go their way because they screwed up their stuff while working with it due to up their incompetence.

A solid Swedish Mauser is a different class in comparison to the given suggestion. What a bogus that is is.

OP, stay with your plan on a 6.5x55 it's a great choice!

Considering that the .223 is not legal for big game in Alberta, (the OP's location) where the 7.62X39 is legal, would seem to be an important distinction between the two. A nice little CZ-527, chambered for the 7.62X39 would be a dandy, quick handling rifle, that when loaded with soft points from 125-150 grs would be an ideal deer slayer for use at woods ranges, and cannot be considered desperate by any measure. Your suggestion though to stick with the 6.5X55 is spot on IMHO.

 

[Hitzy]

Everything better than a .223 is good for a deer rifle if YOU can find a legal deer. A 7.62x39 is the desperate's man last resort to go with.

Some people on here offer their old s%#@! for sale and advise others to go their way because they screwed up their stuff while working with it due to up their incompetence.

A solid Swedish Mauser is a different class in comparison to the given suggestion. What a bogus that is is.

OP, stay with your plan on a 6.5x55 it's a great choice!

Well he's talking about a rifle for a KID....Or did you not have your breakfast yet and miss that part?
I have more '96 and '98 actions then anything else in my safe. While the 6.5 recoil is not bad at all, in a <20" barrel it does have some bark, it's a pretty long stroke for a kid, and #### on closing can also add some difficulty, and don't forget the long 2 stage trigger, and potentially confusing safety.
The more I thought about what it would take to really make a '96 kid friendly properly ie not bubba with a hacksaw, the cost would probably be the same as buying a new M85, or very close to it. X39 has even less recoil and nothing to do but throw a scope on it.

 

[Boomer]

Well he's talking about a rifle for a KID....Or did you not have your breakfast yet and miss that part?
I have more '96 and '98 actions then anything else in my safe. While the 6.5 recoil is not bad at all, in a <20" barrel it does have some bark, it's a pretty long stroke for a kid, and #### on closing can also add some difficulty, and don't forget the long 2 stage trigger, and potentially confusing safety.
The more I thought about what it would take to really make a '96 kid friendly properly ie not bubba with a hacksaw, the cost would probably be the same as buying a new M85, or very close to it. X39 has even less recoil and nothing to do but throw a scope on it.

Good point about the #### on closing issue for a youngster. The correct LOP should ensure that the bolt throw length is within the youngster's reach, but the strength required to overcome the resistance of the firing pin spring might not be there, and I failed to consider that in my earlier post. Maybe a mini-Mauser X39 is a better idea.

 

[BigUglyMan]

Stop contributing drivel you two blowhards!

 

[riversrest]

but your response is typical of internet people who feel emboldened to say things from the safety of their living room that they would never say to the other person's face.

I'm as anonymous here as you and maybe I'm getting something wrong here about the internet people but "HELP! I sold my soul to the internet" is none of my descriptions. Sure we can meet and I can tell you that to your face - no problem.

Still, what is wrong in reading a post first before giving an opinion?

A nice little CZ-527, chambered for the 7.62X39 would be a dandy, quick handling rifle, that when loaded with soft points from 125-150 grs would be an ideal deer slayer for use at woods ranges, and cannot be considered desperate by any measure.

I agree to a certain degree but the OP has a rifle and a plan. So why bring other hardware in the game unless you want to sell something?

They're almost as annoying as the low post count members who choose to criticize others they know nothing about.

You seem to think that other's opinions are only good if their post count is high enough. Why is that?

Well he's talking about a rifle for a KID....Or did you not have your breakfast yet and miss that part?
I have more '96 and '98 actions then anything else in my safe. While the 6.5 recoil is not bad at all, in a <20" barrel it does have some bark, it's a pretty long stroke for a kid, and #### on closing can also add some difficulty, and don't forget the long 2 stage trigger, and potentially confusing safety.

I don't know how old the OP's grandson is but I shoot Swedes since 9 years old. If you are taught on how to handle/operate it you can overcome difficulties and develop from there.

 

[BigUglyMan]

They're almost as annoying as the low post count members who choose to criticize others they know nothing about.

You seem to think that other's opinions are only good if their post count is high enough. Why is that?

No, I think he was saying that your criticism was based on not knowing anything about the person you were attempting to criticize and that someone with 111 posts on the forum and zero feedback in 16 months might not know as much as he thinks he does as opposed to someone who has been a steady contributor on the board since before the Crash and has met numerous other board members in person during that time.

 

[Throttle_monkey1]

This place is better than the black rifle forum


Op- I know you have a donor rifle that you want to use, but why not buy that lakelander 375 in 6.5x55 from trade ex? Already chopped to 18 or 19" and it is easier to mount a scope.

Here's mine that isn't chopped. All I need is Johnn Peterson's moose thing to put in the pic:

 

[stang]

Wow it was a simple question.
Years ago I did exactly what you are proposing, I took a m38 swede that was a good shooter cut it down to 19" and with the use of a lathe recrowned it and tapered the barrel to remove the steps, I also put it into a very nice full length (manlicher) stock. With 140 grain bullets and H4831 it has taken many deer and I wouldn't hesitate to use it on Elk or Moose.
Go with your idea you'll end up with a very nice handy rifle.

 

[petew]

This place is better than the black rifle forum


Op- I know you have a donor rifle that you want to use, but why not buy that lakelander 375 in 6.5x55 from trade ex? Already chopped to 18 or 19" and it is easier to mount a scope.

Here's mine that isn't chopped. All I need is Johnn Peterson's moose thing to put in the pic:

The reason to use a donor is simply economics. It already has a sporter stock, and just needs to be shortened. I have 2 to choose from, 1 is already taped for scope bases, and has the bolt bent, , and the other I can drill and tap myself , and bend or cut and weld the bolt myself , both only need the barrel cut and crowned. Cutting the stock for LOP and sliming the stock for small hands I can do easily. I also have a Military stock for these that I can use for a mock up to get the LOP right.

As for the #### on closing issue, I am not worried if he is strong enough to do it with the rifle shouldered or not. In time he will be able to, and he can learn to hunt/shoot by taking it off the shoulder at first if needed.

Since starting this thread I picked up a Parker Hale 243, built on a 96 action that could also become shortened instead. It would be the same project, but just a different Cal. Still leaning towards the 6.5 x 55 though.

 

[Throttle_monkey1]

If you're doing all the work yourself it will definitely be cheaper than picking up another rifle. Good luck on your project!

 

[riversrest]

OP, when doing research for my recent M96 custom with regards to modifying the bolt I ran into this site...

http://www.gswagner.com/swedeway/swedeway.htm

I decided to go this route and it turned out very well.

 

[petew]

OP, when doing research for my recent M96 custom with regards to modifying the bolt I ran into this site...

http://www.gswagner.com/swedeway/swedeway.htm

I decided to go this route and it turned out very well.

Good link for modifying the bolt. Thanks. I haven't quite decided if I want to do it this way, or cut on an angle flip and weld / silver solder yet.

I got up the nerve to get things under way. Stock has been reduced all over and is ready to start finishing scraping and sanding, and the barrel got reduced to 19" , squared and crowned . { shooting will be the test of the home done crown , so it may need to be re done on a lathe if it will not shoot. } .
Overall weight is still a concern, and with a scope mounted on it the little rifle still weighs 7 1/2 pounds. I think a peep or iron sight is going to be necessary for the first year.That will reduce the weight by at least a pound.