swedish mauser 96 6.5x55

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bamafan4life

New member
hi guys i have a swedish mauser 1920 carl gustov ive had since the summer this gun is in great condition the bluing looks like that of a new factory rifle the stock is beutiful and all numbers are matching except the cleaning rod and barrel band. on the brass disk on the side the barrel is rated a 1. the reason i havnt shot it yet is because ive been to lavy to see about finding some 6.5s but the other day while buying a turkish mauser (starting anouther thread about it) i saw 3 boxes of military fmj's and bought them. im wanting to know what kind of accuracy u get out of ur swede. i must say im a pretty good marksman i can hit the small sprite bottles over and over again at 125 yards with my henry .22lr with factory iron sights. i plain on keeping this rifle all original and using it for a bean field rifle where i usually take 300 yard shots on game (call me crazy for not using a scoped rifle but my father would never allow scopes in the house he said that anybody can take a scope and a day and be able to shoot 3 inch targets at 100 yards but being able to do that with open sights these days is a rarity) whats the best hunting ammo i can buy or load? any help will be apreciated.
 
The Swede milsurp ammo is the best milsurp I know of. It is match grade accurate, and non corrosive.
Here is some more, those green 200-round battle sleeves really look cool.
You should buy several.

http://www.samcoglobal.com/Ammunition.html#6.5

One and a half inch groups with the Swede are not unusual.

You have one of the most accurate military rifles ever made, and one of the most beautiful rifles ever made, congratulations!
 
With a shiny bore and the Swedish mil. ammo, it ought to shoot groups as good as you can hold. The ammo is loaded good and hot, well it seems a bit hotter than some of the commercial stuff. Some lots of that ammo I have seen lately, have brass cases that are stained or maybe even crusty. When I used to buy it years ago, you got stuff that was always shiny. As long as there is not green crust on the cases, the brown staining does not matter, you are not gonna be reloading it, anyway. Just be aware the normal sights are set up for 300 meters minimum, so you will be shooting high at 100 yards. You can buy aftermarket front sight blades to go in the dovetail, that you can file down to group at 100 yards. There should be a witness mark on the original blade and base, so if you put the replacement blade right to the same position, your windage should be OK. They are fun to shoot and pretty inheritly accurate rifles. Some practically target accuracy. If you can use the iron sights well enough.
 
Welcome to the Swede cult

If you want to know more, try the swede sections gunboards or surplusrifles. Lots of good, knowledgeable folks. Some people swear by the Hirtenberger ( from Aim or Century, I forget ), it is in 160 grain. Swedes were made with a 1:7.5 twist for the heavier bullet, but later went with the lighter 140's. New 6.5's have a 1:9 twist ( typically ). These rifles take top honors at the CMP shoots regularly.
 
For your M96, shoot a 139 grain SMK or Scenar with RL22 Loaded to 3.150 to a nominal velocity of 2575. Using the lot of RL22 I have, 44 grains is the amount, work up to that 2575 number and enjoy

WildoneholerAlaska ™
 
Reloading the 6.5 Swede

Due to the tight twist on the military 6.5x55, I learned quickly that bullets less than 139 gr overstabilize. I started with 120 gr and groups ran around 3MOA.
130 gr shrank to about 1.75-2.25MOA -- progress. When I went to 140gr, it shot like a target rifle. Mine is your run of the mill Model 94 carbine.

I can't tell you how many deer this rifle has taken.
 
I fired FNM 139 FMJs through my 1900 M96 this morning, such a beautiful weapon. Standing I was getting on the paper, rested I was shooting 4" 5-shot groups. I love the way the rear sight starts at 300 meters, putting the holes about 6" above POA at 100 yards.
 
Swede 94, 96 and 38

I have had all 3 and they all were very fine rifles and extremely accurate. With a scope i could shoot 1/2 moa groups with speers 120 gr amd H414. The 94 is my favorite......good deer rifle and good killer. Good luck with yours.
 
A couple of things to note

Swedes shoot high. Battlesight zero for the iron sights is 300 meters! Training in those days taught soldiers to aim for the belt buckle of the enemy, which would mean a hit at almost any range, allowing for misestimation of range, a very common thing.

For shooting at the regular US standard of 100yds, Swedes will shoot high, when aiming at the center of the target. Expect it. Many companies sell replacement front sights for the Swedes, so that they can be zeroed in the usual US fashion.

I have one of the 96s, the long infantry rifle (29" bbl), made in 1917. Shoots quite well, and although I haven't grouped it on paper, I have no trouble hitting the 300yd gongs at the range, with the sights set all the way down.
140gr Speer bullets, and a moderate charge of IMR 4320 and recoil is mild.
 
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