Ok before I start I want to put out there I hate fiddlin' with old war rifles more than anyone I know. BUT if I came across a Swedish Mauser that seen better day would it be possibly to stick a 22-250 barrel in her and would the action hold and actually work? I know it would be far easier to keep her in her original caliber , which is probably my favourite, but a 22-250 is cheaper to run and I don't have one yet . Also it would be great for coyotes and other small game as such. Any info is will help , thanks guys !
Swedish Mauser re-barrel ?
- Thread starter Swedish_Rifleman
- Start date
A .22-250 runs at a lot higher pressure than the Swedish Mauser action was designed for, so it may work for awhile but the risk is too high. A 6.5x55mm 100 gr. bullet will be moving along at about 3000 fps and should meet your needs for small game work.
I can't count how many M38 Swede actions I've seen converted to 308Win. The Swedes and Finns converted thousands of them to relatively high pressure cartridges. I have one converted to 6mm Remington.
My conversion has had thousands of factory pressure rounds through it but when I'm finished with it, I will rebarrel it to its original cartridge with an original barrel.
The M38 actions are tough and safe for what they were built for. Same goes for the K98 actions. At the price of a newer action, it isn't worth messing with one of the old milsurps. In the end, it will cost more than the modern action anyway.
The modern action will already be drilled and tapped, sleek and have a better trigger. There will be a lot more availability for parts and stocks as well.
My conversion has had thousands of factory pressure rounds through it but when I'm finished with it, I will rebarrel it to its original cartridge with an original barrel.
The M38 actions are tough and safe for what they were built for. Same goes for the K98 actions. At the price of a newer action, it isn't worth messing with one of the old milsurps. In the end, it will cost more than the modern action anyway.
The modern action will already be drilled and tapped, sleek and have a better trigger. There will be a lot more availability for parts and stocks as well.
My old girl just turned 100 this year. She's a 96/38 brewed up in 1914. Couldn't ask for a better rifle or action. She out shoots a lot of new rifles I've come across to this day. Love it . Just wish I could get a 22 caliber for NB hunting law for varmint with Swedish quality that I want
The 96 Mauser action is a lot stronger then people give it credit for.
The CG 63E was a 96 mauser actioned target rifle made by the Swedes for britsh 1000 yard Palma style matches. It's a CG 63 chambered in 308 W. The 308 runs at a max pressure of 62,000 psi. 1000 yard loads are usually on the hot side of things so to me if the swedes trusted their action to hold at close to max pressures with a 308 then a 22-250 may be just fine?
Perhapse Mr. Swede Mauser (Buffdog) will chime in on this thread?? I'm sure he knows the answer!!
The CG 63E was a 96 mauser actioned target rifle made by the Swedes for britsh 1000 yard Palma style matches. It's a CG 63 chambered in 308 W. The 308 runs at a max pressure of 62,000 psi. 1000 yard loads are usually on the hot side of things so to me if the swedes trusted their action to hold at close to max pressures with a 308 then a 22-250 may be just fine?
Perhapse Mr. Swede Mauser (Buffdog) will chime in on this thread?? I'm sure he knows the answer!!
Except for the third safety lug like the 98's. One of the big name custom companies made various sporters based on the 96 action but quit when some came apart unexpectedly.Can't recall the name but I think they were out of Montana.Harold.............Kimber ?
My biggest concern for the M38 and M96 actions isn't so much the strength of the action as the poor gas venting in case of ruptures.
I really like that neat little shield on the 98 bolt shroud. Those bits of brass and hot gasses can do a lot of damage.
I really like that neat little shield on the 98 bolt shroud. Those bits of brass and hot gasses can do a lot of damage.
Actually they were designed and sight calibrated for 7.62mm Nato (a lower pressure load at 50,000 psi.). They were for use with service ammo supplied to all shooters on the line so no one had an advantage with ammo. My Swedish 7.62x51mm CG-63E is chambered and setup for that round. I shot 1000 yard Service Rifle matches with government/military supplied 7.62x51mm nato military ammo over open sights, this rifle was designed for that type of shooting, not using commercial .308 or hand loaded ammo.
The old Kimber, before they reorganised were short on cash so they started making up sporters with re-barrelled .308, .22-250 and .243 on Swedish Mausers. They worked with commercial ammo for awhile but some had the lugs setting back and started to get the odd case head separation and were wrecked because of it (excessive headspace) so they quickly stopped making them and then only sold 6.5x55mm ones. I had one of these Kimber Swedish Mausers, bought it from them in the 1980's.
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Hello
I have a friend that bought a gun at Calgary gunshow ,it has a Carl Gustav action,1916. It is chambered in 280 rem.(aftermarket) with a 26" barrel. He bought a box of 140gr Rem corelocks for it and they shot great other than they won't feed threw the magazine,with no signs of pressure.Then we reloaded some 150 long range accubonds with the start load of imr 4350 (47.5grs.) and it really flattened the primer on the case,I did use a CCI 200 primer in the loads.Another question to ask,could a guy get a different action that can withstand the 280 rem pressures better and with a magazine that would feed the 280 case. I 'm not sure if I want to drop below min load with this as he wants to use it for hunting.Any info someone could give me would be much apprieated.
I have a friend that bought a gun at Calgary gunshow ,it has a Carl Gustav action,1916. It is chambered in 280 rem.(aftermarket) with a 26" barrel. He bought a box of 140gr Rem corelocks for it and they shot great other than they won't feed threw the magazine,with no signs of pressure.Then we reloaded some 150 long range accubonds with the start load of imr 4350 (47.5grs.) and it really flattened the primer on the case,I did use a CCI 200 primer in the loads.Another question to ask,could a guy get a different action that can withstand the 280 rem pressures better and with a magazine that would feed the 280 case. I 'm not sure if I want to drop below min load with this as he wants to use it for hunting.Any info someone could give me would be much apprieated.
The CG63E are modified, they are not the simple M/94/96/38, they have a vent hole added to the bolt.
The Kimber are well known for creating set-back.
HVA - who manufactured the M/38 never wanted to chamber then to anything having a higher MAP than 57 000 PSI. Even there, they used LOOOOOOONG throats to avoid any pressure peaks from a bullet seated too close from the lands. Same goes for CG who chambered some in '06...
Same with Vapen-Depoten who chambered some ex-military rifles to .270 Win. The throats are very long.
None of the pre-98 actions were designed for the higher pressure the 8X57JS will bring, and, actually, nothing above 46 000 PSI was yet known to exist.
This is what happens when you have a case head failure in a M/94/96/38 - see the gap between the bolt and the barrel? that's the reason for the 3rd lug of the M/98 which also have a much better gas handling capability
And you can see the busted case head in this pic;
Just because there aren't any signs of pressure, doesn't mean the pressures being generated aren't to high for the action.
I can load a 30-30 case to 50,000psi and it won't show any signs of pressure. It will be safe in a Model 340 Savage bolt rifle but in a Model 94, you could easily spring the action.
The 280 was not designed to be a high pressure cartridge. It was designed for auto loaders pumps as well as bolt actions. It was also developed at a time when 50,000 psi was considered to be at the top of the strength range of the firearms it was intended for.
Is it capable of generating higher pressures??? Yes it is and in new modern rifles as well as some of the better bolt actions at the time of its introduction, it can handle them safely as a steady diet. You need to use common sense. If you load those cartridges within the pressure ranges it was originally designed for, they will be safe. Same goes for NORMAL off the shelf ammo.
The cartridge was a poor choice for that action.
This is a reply to a thread started on 4-20-2014, but I will repeat it here. Many people are unfamiliar with the Mauser type of "controlled feeding" so I think it bears repeating.
As stated, many of the Swedish Mauser m/96 actions have been converted to use the 30-06, and function well with the modifications made to them.
However, you say that the magazine does not function properly and the primers are flattened. This brings to light one large and important question-----just HOW is the rifle being loaded? The Mauser action is designed for "controlled" loading, that is, to load a cartridge into the chamber FROM the magazine. When the bolt is pushed forward, it strips the cartridge from the magazine, and the RIM of the cartridge goes upward and BEHIND the extractor.
If a cartridge is simply dropped into the chamber, then the bolt closed behind it, then there is a tendency for the bolt to push the cartridge into the chamber a bit too far. Then, the extractor has to force it's way over and past the rim, thus increasing the headspace, or on some loadings, push the bullet into the rifling. This increases the pressure when fired. Either of these conditions can result in flattened primers.
The M/96 Mauser magazine length is designed for a 55-57 mm long case. The 30-06/280 case is 61-62 mm long, a difference of almost 1/4 inch so magazines and possibly feed rails need to be modified. This costs money, and it might be better for your friend to simply sell the rifle and buy something else.
I am also going to suggest to the OP that he take the same advice and buy a rifle in 22-250 that is more suitable for his purposes. It will probably be cheaper in the long run as it will cost $500 + to have a Gunsmith modify the m/96. A barrel alone seems to run over $300 right now, and if a bit of looking around is made, there are sporting rifles from the Savage (at about $320) to the Ruger American (about $425) and others available. A lot of people put down these "economy" rifles, but they are inexpensive, the are generally ACCURATE, (which is the name of the game), and can be used in the field with a great deal of fear of ruining the stock finish.
While I do love the Swedes, I do use a .243 Savage Edge for a light Deer and Varmint rifle. It has shot under an inch at 100 yards since taking it out of the box, and some of the Members here who have fired it have also shot those small groups. A coyote within 500 yards has a serious problem.
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. Be Warned! If you bother me, I can make it to the front gate in 3.2 seconds. Can you do it in 3.1? Edit Post Reply Reply With Quote .
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