is Sweedish Mauser strong eneough for 30 06 ?

TX Hunter

New member
I have found some small ring Sweedish Mausers chambered in 30 06 and im interested in one. They are sporters. Just wondering about the streingth of the small ring action.
 
I wouldn't.

Find a reloading manual that shows the difference in pressure between the 6.5X55 out of a Mauser and the '06.

Lyman's 49th addition says the SAAMI max pressure of 46,000 for the Swedish Mauser where where the '06 is listed over 50,000.

If you reload you can keep the loads light and get buy but I don't what my kids would shoot in it later on down the road.

I'd rebarrel to back to 6.5X55 if it was me. That's an outstanding round even loaded below the 46K pressure limits.
 
I would not either.

Receivers with production dates in the 40's, probably OK. Receivers with production dates before 1900, risky. Receivers with production dates before 1920, still iffy.

Metal production and production process controls were primitive and metallurgy was an eye ball art in the early decades of the 20th century. The metal, the quality of the metal, the hardness, are all going to be highly variable.

Yes there were Swedish 308 match rifles built around small ring mausers, what receivers were used and what ammunition they were to be used with, heck if I know.

Cartridges of the world shows 6.5 Swede OAL 3.15” the 30-06 3.34”, they must be short seating the 30-06 bullets to fit the magazine of a M96.

There were some outstanding commercial Husqvarna small ring mauser rifles built in the 50’s made for Montgomery Ward in 30-06. I had the chance to buy one but the barrel looked pitted, looking at it, you could not tell it was a small ring mauser. One of those commercial rifles would be fine, but the military actions, are an unknown quantity.
 
Swedish steel was not known to be inferior in any age, and the workmanship of their Mauser design was among the best. Was it made at the Carl Gustav works in Sweden? If you handload you can easily keep .30-06 pressures at 46,000 or below and enjoy the tremendous range of available .308 bullets.
 
MC SHOOTIE

I have a 1916 Spanish Mauser in .308 that I load for, and everything i need for 30 06. Its a tough choice, but i love the look of a small ring mauser its elegant.
 
If you handload you can easily keep .30-06 pressures at 46,000 or below and enjoy the tremendous range of available .308 bullets.

McShooty, the problem with that thought is that the person converting the weapon cannot be assured that someone downstream of his work willl not try and load full-power 30-06 loads in it.
 
8x57mm Mauser has pretty close to the same pressure as the .30-06.

While it is better to be safe than pick rifle fragments out of your face; I'd check with someone with direct experience before giving up on the 96 Swede in .30-06.
 
There is a reason that SAAMI reduced the pressure limits for the 6.5x55 ! :(
Old guns especially the Norwegian Krag with it's single lug. So an old one should be used only with the new , lower pressure factory loads or equivalent.
 
There is a reason that SAAMI reduced the pressure limits for the 6.5x55 !
Old guns especially the Norwegian Krag with it's single lug. So an old one should be used only with the new , lower pressure factory loads or equivalent.

Darn straight, these military actions are old guns. What abuse they went through before you got them, how they were made, how they were stored, no one knows.

What we do know is that all M96 Swedes were made out of plain carbon steels and that small ring actions do not handle gas venting well. These plain carbon steel actions tend to frag when they let go.

These things are like old cars without safety belts. You are fine till you hit something. Then the steering column goes through your chest.


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Thanks Slamfire. I guess i should stick to large ring actions and modern sporters. Ive got an 03A3 but dont shoot it. My spanish 1916 gets mild handloads that i pull the lever on myself.
 
Not worth the risk, indeed. And not worth the work it would take, either: small-ring Mausers are made for intermedaiate-length cartridges. Building one in 30-06 would require a lot of work.
 
Buy it if there is enough shank on the barrel, set it back and ream to .300 savage. I did it with a .30-06 barrel and a small ring Mauser.
 
Scorch

The rifles I found have already been rebarreled to 30 06 , the 8x57 has a lovely side mount with rings. The original quick detach type for the sniper. I have a good supply of aught six brass, reloading equipment a dremal tool and case trimmer.
 
[I have found some small ring Sweedish Mausers chambered in 30 06 and im interested in one. They are sporters. Just wondering about the streingth of the small ring action.]

How about some facts, instead of rumor & B.S. ? ?

Factoid #1)
There are small ring Mauser actions, and then, there are Mauser Small Ring Actions - and they are as different from each other as night/day.

"Small ring Mauser actions" are PRE-Model 1898's that cock-on-closing - like the Models 93, 94 (Swede), 95, & 86 (also a Swede).
Although some were issued with/for the 8x57, they are NOT safe for cartridges that develop pressures beyond the type they were designed around 120 years ago ( 7x57, i.e.), even though some have been commercially converted to .243/.308.

"Mauser Small Ring Actions" are Model 1898/98's, cock-on-opening actions (with other/more safety features than pre-1898's) - Used by Germany for lightweight military carbines * sporting rifles, and by Sweden - Husqvarna in particular - for sporting rifles (some branded "S&W" & chambered .270 & .30-06).

Factoid #2) ANY Mauser 1898/98 action is OK for the .30-06. provided it's within spec for hardness, no damage, etc.

Factoid #3) KNOW WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT.

.
 
Biggest problem with the small ring is the tempering of the metal of both the action and bolt. I have a 95 in 25-06. The action and bolt were fluxed, and x-rayed before a retemper was done. Keep in mind, that all machine work was done before tempering. This kind of work is usually way beyond your local smiths in house work and is quite expensive.

After all this work is done, you still have to "proof" to the new cartridges proof standard. You will know at this time whether or not you were successful.
 
Slamfire,

We probably went through this before. Are those pictures from the accident where the guy got killed in South East Pa.? Just my opinion, but over the years I have noticed the trouble usually starts when the receiver is cut out to allow feeding of over length cartridges.
 
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