Swedish Mauser

H

hounddawg

New member
local shop has a nice looking sporterized Swedish Mauser in 6.5 x 55. Stock is mediocre wood in fair condition. Bushnell Elite 3200 3 x 9 x 40 scope, and the original irons. I need another caliber to load for like I need a hole in my head but every time I go in there that rifle calls to me. I am old enough to remember when you could buy the military version for less than 50 bucks so I am wondering if 450 is too high. Bore and rifleing looks ok from what I can see with just a borelight and my naked eye.
 
Seems kind of high to me. So "original irons" I assume that means it is the original military barrel? Is is a M96 or M38? Is the bolt bent?
 
yeah original barrel, bent bolt if I remember correctly. Was in there today getting a jug of powder and looked at it again but I was thinking it was a bit steep myself which is why it is not in my safe .
 
I had a sporterized 6.5mm Swedish Mauser loaned to me for about 5 years by a friend of my father's about two decades ago. I HATED to give that rifle back. That thing was the MOST pleasant rifle to shoot, accurate as hell, and just an all around great gun. I would not hesitate to buy one if I had the chance.
 
I bought a Bushnell Elite 3200 3 x 9 x 40 last weekend in a pawn shop in Bozeman for $95..........

I think new they were around the $250 mark but not sure on that.
 
I'd say at $450 it really depends on the workmanship of the gun. If it was professionally done by a good gunsmith it's probably not a bad deal but if it was done by a hack then it's too much. I have one that my father had built years ago and it's killed an awful lot of deer over the year between him and I. It's by far my absolute favorite of all the guns I've gotten from my dad. Mine really likes the 140gr Sierra GameKing SPBT over IMR 4320. If the rifle calls to you when you go in the shop you're going to have to try to make a deal on it.

Stu
 
The stock work is good and if the wood and bluing were in better shape I would have probably already bought it. Might have to see if they will come down on it a bit, I don't remember if it is a consignment sale or not. If it is I can probably get the owner to come down 50 if it is still there in a month, or not. There are 2 CZ 550's that have been there for 6 months or more on consignment and the owners won't come down a dime.
 
I think when my boys get a bit older I'm going to pick up a pair of these: http://www.cz-usa.com/products/view/cz-550-fs/ in 6.5x55 for them to hunt whitetails with. I love the cartridge, low recoil and accurate. My Swede doesn't care for Remington Core-Lokt ammo, it will not group worth a darn in my rifle. I've tried on several occasions to get it to shoot but no matter what it's all over the place, guess it's a good thing my handloads will shoot well.

Stu
 
About 25 years ago I picked up a Swede carbine at a gun show $60 with Herters dies. Gun had a fair Bishop stock on it. Swede ammo was impossible to find, but you could get (on order) Norma for $19 a box. Since I wasn't going to spend that kind of money on ammo, it took me months of poking through brass at gunshows to scrounge up a single box worth of cases.

Picked up a box of Speer 140gr, picked a load of IMR 4320 right out of the middle of the manual and loaded the box. Fired 3 rnds off the porch to check (and get a rough feel for the 6.5mm Swede, which I had never shot before), then put it away, meaning to get back to it later.

Come late summer, I needed some wood for the winter, and a friend with wood needed a deer rifle. I got 2 cords of wood, he got the rifle and ammo (I kept the dies, he didn't reload). Went out, rolled jacket on the hood of the truck, he shoots 3 shots at 100yds you could cover with a dime. GI sights, no scope.

I have, ever since, REALLY,REALLY regretted trading that rifle BEFORE I knew what it could do.

Today Swede ammo is much easier to get, not really common, but not rare, either. I now have one of the long infantry rifles (dated 1917), and while I love the way it shoots, I'd much prefer the bent bolt handle of the carbine.

With the long rifle (96?), completely original, and a decent 140gr load, you just aim at the 400 meter gong, and unless its really windy, it hits. And the sights adjust UP for distances from there!:D
 
44 AMP, will actually agree with you on this one. Just used my 1917 Swede this past weekend.

5 shots under a dime @ 100
5 shots covered by a quarter @ 200
5 shots covered by a dollar bill @ 300

Using the GI sights off a bench.

Load: Pro-Hunter 129gr SP's with 38.5 grains of H4895, choron'd at 2667 fps ave over the 15 rounds. Chrono was set about 15' from end of bench, so it was approximately 18' from muzzle. Temp was 25'F with a 3-4mph wind coming over my right shoulder.

This rifle and cartridge never ceases to amaze me...and I've got a ton of other's to choose from.
 
If its in good shape its worth it, but If I was buying it, I would ask them if they would remove the scope because I would put something else on it, that might drop the price a bit.
 
Great caliber, stock easy to refinish, great scope. Little high but if you like it you'll forget the price soon. $450.00 isn't a lot of money in the whole scheme of things. You'll forget the price soon. I know I've slightly overpaid for guns before and now I couldn't tel you what I paid for any of my guns.
 
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