Mauserholics anonymous, new member with a 6.5 x 55 Swede

[oysterer]

Well, everyone warned me NOT to get into Mausers due to their addictive potential. Is there a physician or nurse practitioner in the house who can help? Added number 2 in 2 weeks: M96 made by Mauser in Oberndorf in 1900 in 6.5 x 55 Swede, interesting, the original 6.5 Creedmoor in a way, it is in excellent condition, most parts are matching such as receiver, bolt, all action parts, stock and buttplate, except floor plate has a different serial number and that is identical to the serial number on the 2nd barrel band, the first barrel band is different and does not match the rest. I am thinking this was all done at arsenal during the revision. Original sling too but not sure what year, seems in such good condition, it may be added later during a revision. Barrel shows new and the brass disk shows a triangle at 6.51 for the lands, no indication for groves, no triangle for bore condition and a circle stamped next to Overslag (I guess shooting high for the later spritzers). Wiped the bore and it is totally clean, wood looks like a nice golden honey colored birch. Action is so smooth cocking on closing. It's a long rifle, going to shoot this PM or tomorrow, any comments or insights most welcome. Ah, holidays are a good time to do nothing (according to the wife anyway).

 

[erikpolcrack]

They are great rifles! I have both a long and short rifle in original military guise and several sporters, including one in 9.3 x 62! In the old days, a rifle just like yours regularly won many military rifle shooting competitions.

 

[loc n load]

Excellent "old school" rifle, chambered for a most excellent cartridge. Enjoy your new rifle.

 

[Valmet]

Very nice Mausers and fantastic cartridge. I'd imagine in 2023 you'll likely add another Mauser or three to the stable...

 

[LVSteve]

Nice Swede, the only Mauser rifle with usable iron sights IMHO. Now you need a 1938 short rifle and a 1938 Husqvarna for an easy to assemble collection. The 1894 carbine and M41 sniper rifles are close to unobtanium.

 

[minconrevo]

Great shooters! An old gunsmith once advised me to not try to run "hot" handloads through a '94 Swede or one rebuilt from that era. Something about action stretching. 94 work fine though, with loads produced in line with turn of 1900's pressures.

 

[DWalt]

Story is that the Swede receivers were a little on the weak side, and one should not attempt to magnumize the 6.5x55. Frank deHaas' book on bolt action rifles discusses this. Now, you need to find an AG-42.

 

[oysterer]

I do not have brass or dies yet,

I bought 2 boxes of PPU made in Serbia Match ammo, 120 gr at 2720 feet/second. That sounds a little warm to me.

Shoot it or wait for brass and dies?

 

[AJ]

Nice M96. Great rifles. I have a CG 63 Target Rifle. Tha action was made by Carl Gustav in 1902. It was rebarreled in 1963 and restocked. With the right ammo it shoots well. The group is at 100 yards with iron sights. No way to mount a scope on the CG 63's.

Enjoy yours!

 

[DWalt]

It is not too difficult to re-form.30-'06 or .270 brass to 6.5x55. I have made many hundreds of them. The base diameter is slightly small, but they work OK. I once shot bench rest with a 6.5x55 custom Mauser with a Douglas barrel.

 

[AJ]

Prvi Partizian Unprimed Brass 6.5X55 Swedish Mauser (50) - Powder Valley

Usually easier to use brass that you do not have to form. We are lucky in that our range officers will collect up and save brass for us if we asked and they see it.

 

[LVSteve]

I do not have brass or dies yet,

I bought 2 boxes of PPU made in Serbia Match ammo, 120 gr at 2720 feet/second. That sounds a little warm to me.

Shoot it or wait for brass and dies?

Not really. The M41 Spitzer round was specced as shown on this site 6.5x55.

The first pointed bullets were tested between 1910 and 1920 in experimental rifles, the final load appeared in the M/41 sniper rifle and used a 9 gram (139 grain) pointed bullet. This load quickly proved itself superior to the former and in 1944, the 9 gram load replaced all of the previous M94 designated ammunition. The M/41 load achieved 793 m/s (2601fps) in the 29" M/96 barrel, 768 m/s (2519fps) in the 24" m/38 barrel and 730 m/s (2395fps) in the18.5" M/94.

So, 2600 fps for 139 gr to 2720 fps for 120 gr seems reasonable to me.

 

[sheepdawg]

You have an arsenal rebuild as that stock is beech, the Swedes never used birch. The original stock would have been in French Walnut and the butt cut at an 85* angle. After 1903 all butts were cut at 90*. There should be some crowns behind the trigger guard stamped on the stock, probably one crown with a letter under it as that would indicate a rebuild at that specific arsenal. Never trust a bore disk as they are to easy to swap out but the numbers you state would indicate a new barrel. Take the action off the stock and see if the barrel has the same crown and letter as the stock. If so new barrel. Disks are easy to read, the small pie cut with the numbers 1,2,3, indicates the bore condition. No triangle means new bore, no corrosion, 1, very slight corrosion, 3 corrosion in the lands but still serviceable. The part with the zero indicates the rifle shoots where it's aimed. You figured the triangle at 6.51. I reload 6.5X55 usually around the minimum recommended by the powder companies but don't buy the line that these actions aren't strong afterall the Swedes used the best steel in the world at the time to make them and insisted the German made ones used Swedish steel too. Husqvarna converted many of these to 9.3X62 after the war.

Here's a great site to learn more about these fantastic shooters. At one time I had 15 of them, down to 9 now.

House of Karlina,Gevär 1896,Swedish Mauser,m94 carbine,1894,1896,Luxembourg Model 1900 rifle

Unobtanium.

 

[GypsmJim]

My Carl Gustav 1917 Swede and my 1944 Finn Mosin M39 are my most accurate milsurps. Hard to decide which is better, but of course the Swede has a butter-smooth action.

I bought new brass back when I got it along with a set of Lee dies. Never fired it with store-bought ammo.

 

[jeeps]

I had a Husky most excellent rifle. Still shoot a Yugo Milled M48 8mm which is also an excellent rifle!

 

[rockquarry]

Story is that the Swede receivers were a little on the weak side, and one should not attempt to magnumize the 6.5x55. Frank deHaas' book on bolt action rifles discusses this. Now, you need to find an AG-42.

Lot of argument on this as to the strength of these actions, but I'm also with deHaas.

 

[GypsmJim]

Just a postscript to my earlier reply......

I saw the other thread asking for brass and dies.

Grafs has brass and Lee sells Pacesetter dies in 6.5x55. That's what I use and the ammo is fine. The set comes with a FCD.

I am using Hornady 129 gr. SP bullets, over IMR 3031. 32.8 gr = about 2250 fps. (right out of the Hornady Manual). Very fine accuracy. They list loads up to about 2400 fps.

 

[sheepdawg]

Lot of argument on this as to the strength of these actions, but I'm also with deHaas.

As I stated, my loads are towards the minimum. Anyone that tries to go over the maximum recommended load is a fool.

 

[rockquarry]

As I stated, my loads are towards the minimum. Anyone that tries to go over the maximum recommended load is a fool.

Good for you. That's the best approach. I haven't checked, but I think most load data you find in paper manuals is geared toward the Swedish Mauser, but make sure first. I'd avoid all Internet data unless it came from a known and reputable component manufacturer/ distributor, certainly no YouTube experts.

I know the Sierra manual shows data worked up in a Swedish Mauser. I wouldn't be hesitant in approaching their maximum loads if I first started low and my rifle was sound and tight with no headspace problem.

This is a great cartridge and the newer and alleged better 6.5s offer little or nothing over the 6.5 Swede.

 

[CZU]

The 1894 carbine and M41 sniper rifles are close to unobtanium.

Some unobtanium, a 1916 M94 and a 1918 M94/14. I also had a 1903 M94 but, unfortunately, it had to go on down the road.