Why does Tradex obscure the prices in their ads ? Put one in my cart and it came up as 469. so I assume it's in stock.
Grizz
Prices are all there, not sure what you are looking at? What browser are you using?
What have I got here and what is it worth?
- Thread starter thegrandpoohbah
- Start date
Prices are all there, not sure what you are looking at? What browser are you using?
You pretty much described a Parker Hale commercial 98's features...also in the $400-$600 ballpark depending on condition and clambering. I balked on a really nice one in 7x64 with a German scope, double set trigger, and really nice wood for too long and someone scooped it up.
The HVA FN's are not hard to bring up to basic hunting standards if they are already D&T. The Timney (Buehler) low swing safety is low enough to mount a scope and blocks the firing pin so it is better then a trigger type safety, and the later HVA models already use a longer floor plate pin to release the floor plate to dump rounds, no tools or extra rounds required.
PH rifles
Last edited:
Is is correctly drilled and tapped from the factory...
I have also seen these marketed with a JC Higgins stamp on the barrel ...
It's a good old rifle with a crappy factory safety, a crappy beech wood stock, and a crappy military style trigger... but a decent low scope safety can be installed for much less than $250-$400.
$300 - $400 is a fair price for buyer and seller. It depends on how bad you want to sell it or to buy it...
Last edited:
blasted_saber
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- A blue part of Ontario
Thats a beauty
thegrandpoohbah
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Terrace, BC
So just to be clear, this is built on a civilian FN Mauser M98 action right?
I know nothing about 30-06. What would be a good ammo to test this out with? Keeping in mind my local choices now consist of Canadian Tire or Walmart.
I know nothing about 30-06. What would be a good ammo to test this out with? Keeping in mind my local choices now consist of Canadian Tire or Walmart.
- Location
- Western Manitoba
Pictures are showing a "civilian" or "commercial" 98 action, not a former military one. There is no thumb cut out along the left receiver wall, and the rear bridge does not appear to have had a stripper clip ridge. At the time, there were also "commercial" 98 actions being made at Santa Barbara arsenal in Spain - many, or most of the commercial 98 actions used by Parker Hale came from there. My receiver has no external markings to say "FN" or "Belgium" - I must have found Belgian marks when I had it dis-assembled. Another difference that I noticed is that yours shown in pictures is drilled and tapped for a side mounted receiver sight - two threaded holes into rear receiver bridge on right side, just ahead of the closed bolt - my Husqvarna 9.3x62 does not have those holes.
"Good ammo to test" - if you were a hand loader, I would suggest work up to 56 or 57 grains or so of IMR 4350 with about any 165 grain bullet; some use H4350 powder instead - almost a "universal" accuracy load in 30-06. I have not bought factory 30-06 ammo for 45 (?) years, so my recommendation for a brand would be a few decades out of date... Original WWI 30-06 was 150-ish grain bullets. 180 grain became popular alternative. Then 165 grain. No clue what you intend to shoot - targets, game? I wouldn't see anything wrong with starting with 165 grain weight, then 180 grain, then 150 grain. Sounds like you believe you have limited choices, so need try try what is available for you. Standard 180 grain bullets at about 2,700 fps from a 30-06 has been taking game since ... forever?
Especially since rifle has sat so long, well worth your while to assemble good one piece cleaning rod, good copper removing solvent (not modern Hoppe's No. 9), 30 caliber phosphor brushes and patches and give that bore a thorough cleaning. May be perfectly okay now, but no real way of knowing until giving it a good cleaning. I continue to be "shocked" at the amount of "blue" (bullet jacket residue) that comes out of older bores, using modern copper removing solvents.
"Good ammo to test" - if you were a hand loader, I would suggest work up to 56 or 57 grains or so of IMR 4350 with about any 165 grain bullet; some use H4350 powder instead - almost a "universal" accuracy load in 30-06. I have not bought factory 30-06 ammo for 45 (?) years, so my recommendation for a brand would be a few decades out of date... Original WWI 30-06 was 150-ish grain bullets. 180 grain became popular alternative. Then 165 grain. No clue what you intend to shoot - targets, game? I wouldn't see anything wrong with starting with 165 grain weight, then 180 grain, then 150 grain. Sounds like you believe you have limited choices, so need try try what is available for you. Standard 180 grain bullets at about 2,700 fps from a 30-06 has been taking game since ... forever?
Especially since rifle has sat so long, well worth your while to assemble good one piece cleaning rod, good copper removing solvent (not modern Hoppe's No. 9), 30 caliber phosphor brushes and patches and give that bore a thorough cleaning. May be perfectly okay now, but no real way of knowing until giving it a good cleaning. I continue to be "shocked" at the amount of "blue" (bullet jacket residue) that comes out of older bores, using modern copper removing solvents.
Last edited:
It is interesting the way that Husqvarna prices have stalled. Given the consensus that this very good condition rifle is worth around $350-$450, that is approximately the same price that you would have got for it in the mid-1980's. Very few rifles can be purchased today for the same price they were being sold for 30 or 40 years ago. The flood of used (sometimes very used) Scandinavian rifles through importers like Tradeex, etc. may have depressed the market.
There is now no excuse not to own a few of these quality Scandinavian rifles.
There is now no excuse not to own a few of these quality Scandinavian rifles.
Last edited:
- Location
- Western Manitoba
With luck, there will be a couple pictures here of a military FN mauser made at FN Belgium 1951-1952 - it was originally, from the factory, chambered in 30-06. So zoom in and can read the scroll marks on the left side of the receiver (I hope - "FAB. NAT. D'ARMES de GUERRE" over "HERSTAL - BELGIQUE") You might be able to see the small semi-circle cutout on the rear of the front ring, the large "thumb cut" along the left side of the side rail, and the stripper clip ("charger") ridge on the front of the rear bridge. Still muddling through about the paint job - I do not think that is correct, but not certain, yet. However, shows the differences compared to your "commercial" action built about the same time, likely at the same plant.
Attachments
Last edited:
BigUglyMan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- New Scotland
I agree. While the condition is excellent, bottom line is that it is not something that can be scoped as it sits. The trigger, while robust, will also be atrocious. The stock is perfectly serviceable, but very blah. Sadly $400 is as good as it gets for this rifle. And I say that loving the rifle as it is.
I usually swap out the crappy ass single stage military conversion triggers these come with for slightly less crappy military 2 stage triggers.
If I'm going to have an inch and a half travel, it better be a 2 stage trigger.
It is robust and reliable however you look at it, you are not going to break anything, and it will go bang every time no matter what you throw at them.
I'd take a $300 HVA 96 or $400 98 over alot of the new commercial budget offerings that sell for $600+
If I'm going to have an inch and a half travel, it better be a 2 stage trigger.
It is robust and reliable however you look at it, you are not going to break anything, and it will go bang every time no matter what you throw at them.
I'd take a $300 HVA 96 or $400 98 over alot of the new commercial budget offerings that sell for $600+
- Location
- Western Manitoba
I am not bothered much by raging elephants or cape buffaloes here in Manitoba, but wanted to build a "fighting rifle" along the lines of the old-school Africa guys. So, a 458 Win Mag Mauser 98. Did the same as Hitzy above - took out the complicated Zastava trigger and safety combo (filled most of that space with epoxy to hold the stock together ahead of the trigger) - installed a military 2 stage (actually tried at least four or five sear, cocking piece and trigger combinations) and spent hours getting the honing just right for a correct two stage let off, after installing a Dakota horizontal swing safety. As per Phil Shoemaker's rifle, installed a little aperture sight on the rear scope base, and the Leupold M8-2.5 with detachable rings. Still have not figured out how to install a barrel mounted recoil lug though - and not really in a panic about it - as above - not really being bothered much...
Last edited:
reddog9x19
CGN frequent flyer
Dude listen to Potashminer. He knows Mausers, He knows what he's talking about.
What rifle are you talking about? The Husqvarna FN Mauser 98 rifle can very easily be scoped with any Mauser 98 scope mount. The safety won't work under a low mounted scope but is still handly to keep installed as a take-down tool or can easily be replaced by an affordable two-position low swing safety lever. Likewise, the trigger can be tuned to give a good pull or replaced with a nice two-stage military trigger. (I have always thought that the usual aftermarket triggers like Timney, etc. required too much wood removal.) There were several different grades of this rifle, some with French walnut stocks, some with beech, one (1951 Hi-Power)with a very high comb. If you want to change to a synthetic, any stock designed for a Mauser 98 will fit. Have you actually ever owned one of these rifles? Doesn't sound like it. I have owned plenty of them and its one of the best: a no-nonsense hunting rifle with a genuine Mauser-98 receiver (early ones can be found that still have the c-ring), controlled round feed, mechanical ejection and an accurate Swedish steel barrel. Also d+t for a receiver sight. I am amazed they can still be found at such low cost.($400 Canadian dollars? Relative to the price of most new guns, thats almost free!)
Here is a picture of one in my right hand.
Last edited:
