Swedish Mauser - To mod or not to mod - advice wanted

Bulldog26

Bulldog26

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Looking for some advice..

I have this Carl Gustaf Stads M96 rifle I bought years ago for $80. The stock was cracked, and screwed back together with a couple of wood screws. I'm debating on buying another original production stock, or... should I turn this gun into a project and start looking around for aftermarket bolts, stocks etc.?

The action is smooth and its quite accurate for an old gun....I love the way it shoots. I'd like to hear your experiences with the gun, suggestions on what to do, and what options i have for aftermarket parts.


Thanks all
 
Bulldog26 said:
Looking for some advice..

I have this Carl Gustaf Stads M96 rifle I bought years ago for $80. The stock was cracked, and screwed back together with a couple of wood screws. I'm debating on buying another original production stock, or... should I turn this gun into a project and start looking around for aftermarket bolts, stocks etc.?

The action is smooth and its quite accurate for an old gun....I love the way it shoots. I'd like to hear your experiences with the gun, suggestions on what to do, and what options i have for aftermarket parts.


Thanks all
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I would find an original stock (they are available) and restore it back to original; but that's me. I have a couple and love them just the way that they are.
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Meroh said:
I would find an original stock (they are available) and restore it back to original; but that's me. I have a couple and love them just the way that they are.
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Well, I used to be able to post pictures from here. Sorry.
 
If it's already had mods, drilled and tapped for scope, bent bolt, cut down barrel etc, i would say go for it.

If it's in original shape and the only thing with it is the cracked stock, keep it the way it is and look for a new stock. There's lots of cheap sporterized swedes floating around that you can get one do make whatever mods you like to customize it to you.
 
Seeing as it's been drilled and tapped for a scope, I'm assuming this was done later???? I would just leave it as is and enjoy it as a shooter

If the holes are drilled and tapped on the side of the receiver, it may be an ex sniper rifle.

International and Trade Ex, as well as a few other importers brought in hundreds of such rifles that were used in Sweden by civilian shooters, for around the price you describe.
 
Bratwurst said:
Find a new stock
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+1

Restore it back to original configuration. If you want a 'sporter' in 6.5x5mm there's quite a few options out there to choose from.

Have owned a few different 96 & 38 Swedes in the past & currently have a Win 70 F/W in 6.5x55mm.

---------
NAA.
 
NAA said:
+1

Restore it back to original configuration. If you want a 'sporter' in 6.5x5mm there's quite a few options out there to choose from.

Have owned a few different 96 & 38 Swedes in the past & currently have a Win 70 F/W in 6.5x55mm.

---------
NAA.
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It's been DRILLED AND TAPPED. There is no restoring it back to original.
 
Another vote to find a replacement stock.
Either on here or from an auction, taped or not, they always look better in a OEM stock.

That said, I do have a Boyd's Prairie in Blackjack Laminate you might be interested in....LOL

35BZ7bf.jpg


One of my first Husky's came with a synthetic stock, purchased the Boyd's...finally found a OEM replacement for it.

Agreed there are a excellent shooter.
 
Another vote for new stock if it is otherwise original. As stated earlier, you can find a ton of sporterized ones cheap if you want to play.... I hurt anytime any original milsurp rifle gets bubba'd nowadays... Original configurations are not being made anymore!
 
I'll add my vote to return it to original.
Either with a new stock or research and implement original stock repair methods employed by the Swede's second or third line repair, if that is possible.

I'd argue that battle worn, used, and repaired rifles are sometimes even more interesting than stuff that was clearly not issued and just turned up one day as-new, but old stock.
 
HuskyDude said:
Another vote to find a replacement stock.
Either on here or from an auction, taped or not, they always look better in a OEM stock.

That said, I do have a Boyd's Prairie in Blackjack Laminate you might be interested in....LOL

35BZ7bf.jpg


One of my first Husky's came with a synthetic stock, purchased the Boyd's...finally found a OEM replacement for it.

Agreed there are a excellent shooter.
Click to expand...

Purist that I am, that is extra ###y looking!!!
 
Phat Eagle said:
Another vote for new stock if it is otherwise original. As stated earlier, you can find a ton of sporterized ones cheap if you want to play.... I hurt anytime any original milsurp rifle gets bubba'd nowadays... Original configurations are not being made anymore!
Click to expand...

Intersurplus has lots of semi-buggered ones of high quality to play with.
 
Use it the way it is and look for a replacement stock. No need to bugger up a rifle, when as mentioned umpteen times above, there are lots of pre-buggered ones available. I mutilated a refurbed 98 back in the early 70's, used it for hunting for several years, had it re-chambered for 8mm-06. Still feel like a traitor.
 
If it were me with this situation, I'd be inclined to only make modifications that can be easily undone later, should the desire to present itself.
 
Bulldog26 - before going much further, see if you can find a copy of "The Crown Jewels" by Dana Jones. That reference will really help you to decide if your rifle truly is worthy of rebuild or not. Is a plethora of altered m96 available - at least 5 (?) of them here - shortened barrels, most drilled and tapped for scope bases - some drilled and tapped for the various aperture rear sights that FSR required in Sweden - some are drilled and tapped for both. Some, I think, might have been m96/38 - in other words, originally an m96 and then converted to m38 at a later time by CG Arsenal. There used to be very inexpensive "hardwood" sporter stocks pre-inletted for that receiver and a military stepped barrel. Some people attempt to use the curved down bolt handle from a m94 or an m38, and then use high rings to use a scope on it - others have "bit the bullet" and had the original straight handle cut and re-welded to be correctly "scope friendly". Is / was various solutions for that "over the top" mauser safety. Some of those mods are not very easy to "come back from".

Using the various tables in that Jones book, you can use the Inspector Initials and cross reference the serial numbers - to determine if that is a m94, m96 or m38 receiver. With just a bare scrubbed receiver in my hand, I can not tell the difference, without looking up those initials and serial number. Sets you up to decide if you want to build something that "looks like", and that "will work", versus "similar to how it originally left the factory". I was sort of amazed to read that CG was producing BOTH m94 and m96 through to the 1930's, and also to read that Husqvarna did make some m96 during WWII, and that some Husqvarna made m38 may have used straight handle bolts (for m96) from CG Armoury, as they were getting started.

You will discover that original stocks will have the rifle's 6 digit serial number stamped into the wood about where the chamber area is inletted, and the hand guard also often has the same 6 digits inside. I can not say that I found a difference - one stock to another. I think it was from Numerich in USA that I got some replacement hand guards - as replacements, they have no serial numbers. The reference book will also have a section to help you to "decode" the various stampings that you might find in the bottom dead centre of the wood stock - usually behind where your shooting hand would grip.

Most basically - there were two manufacturers - the parts are virtually completely interchangeable and "fit" and "work" - the CG Armoury used a "straight" Swede crown as their mark - Husqvarna used a "tilted" crown. An original CG made m96 will have the last three digits of the receiver serial number stamped on various parts like bands and safety - in many cases, the Husqvarna made rifles only had the tilted crown on those parts. You will about go nuts trying to source correctly numbered bits, if they are not present on your current rifle - like the bands. The other maker's stuff will fit and work perfectly - just in no way would I consider that to be "original". There was no doubt that parts were replaced, swapped out by military repair depots - but like most old things - sort of need to buy the piece - not the seller's story, unless also has very good documentation. For example, that Jones book will explain and show pictures how unmarked replacement parts were electro-penciled with partial serial number, upon a military rebuild. Or maybe the seller bought the same spares from TradeEx or others, and did the electro-pencil in his workshop?

A "shocking" discovery for me - I have a full length m96 that I thought was original - except for the drilled and tapped holes on the rear receiver bridge - sort of diagonal location - one off set to left and one to right - my discovery was that although FSR "approved" a number of those rear aperture sights, their hole patterns were not identical - in my case I finally came up with a Pramm aperture sight set - only to discover the hole spacing was "half a hole" too wide for that sight. From that Dana Jones book, those holes on the rear bridge were never a military thing - was only done for FSR.
 
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That Dana Jones book sounds awesome....seems to be hard to come by, or more expensive than i'd like to pay. I'm going to keep looking around though. I appreciate everyone's replies...I'm going to see if I can find an original replacement stock for now...that seems to be the cheapest option, and IF in the future I change my mind, I can always mod accordingly. Now just need to do some looking around to find a replacement at a decent price
 
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