RCBS reports that 6.5x55 reloading dies have consistently been on their top 30 best seller list for many years. Thousands of surplus Model 1896 Swedish Mausers were imported into the U.S. During the 1950's and 1960's, introducing large numbers of American hunters to the Swedish Mauser service rifle. Markings on Swedish mauser rifles. Text Mats Persson. How to read the markings on the Swedish m/94 Carbine and on the m/96 and m/38 Rifles. Manufacturing The name of the manufacturer and the year of manufacture are on the top of the receiver. The serial number is on the left side of the receiver. It is probably a model 1896 Swedish Mauser (receiver was made in Sweden's Gustafs Arsenal) that was converted to the model 38 just before or early during WWII, the paper chart indicates the corrections for the rear sight setting depending on which of the two issued Swedish 6.5x55 mm ammo it used.

1. Swedish Mauser Serial Numbers
2. Swedish Mauser Serial Number
3. Swedish Mauser Serial Number Lookup
4. Swedish Mauser Identification

Oct 2, 2009 - The barrel has the inscription 'KBI INC HBG PA CAL 6.55 SWEDEN. What serial numbers/serial number suffixes match on the - receiver, bolt. It looks like a standard M96/38B which is a M96 Converted to M38 by the Carl.

'Swedish Mausers' are a family of bolt-actionrifles based on an improved variant of Mauser's earlier Model 1893, but using the 6.5×55mmcartridge, and incorporating unique design elements as requested by Sweden.^[2] These are the m/94 (Model 1894) carbine, m/96 (Model 1896) long rifle, m/38 (Model 1938) short rifle and m/41 (Model 1941) sniper rifle.^[3] In 1898 production began at Carl Gustafs stads Gevärsfaktori in Eskilstuna, Sweden.

All Swedish Mausers were chambered for the 6.5×55mm cartridge, and all Swedish-made actions were proof-tested with a single 6.5×55mm proof round developing approximately 455 MPa (65,992 psi) piezo pressure (55,000 CUP).^[4][5] Swedish Mausers were manufactured by Waffenfabrik Mauser AG in Oberndorf a/N in Germany and in Sweden by Carl Gustafs stads Gevärsfaktori and Husqvarna Vapenfabriks Aktiebolag. All Swedish Mausers, whether built in Germany or Sweden, were fabricated using a Swedish-supplied high grade tool steel alloyed with nickel, copper, and vanadium, a product then noted for its strength and corrosion resistance.

These rifles, like other pre-M 98 system Mauser rifles, lack the third safety locking lug at the rear of the bolt and feature 'cock-on-closing' (similar to the contemporary Lee–Enfield rifle) instead of the 'cock-on-opening' style found on the German Gewehr 98 and most subsequent bolt-action rifles. The rear sight was graduated for 6.5×55mm service cartridges from 300 to 2,000 m (328 to 2,187 yd) in 100 m (109 yd) increments.

m/1892 Rifle and Carbine[edit]

Submitted for Swedish trials were the M/1892 rifle and carbine based on elements of the m/1889 Belgian, m/1890 Turkish, and m/1891 Argentine Mauser rifles. One rifle is chambered in 8×58mmR Danish Krag caliber. One example exists in the Museum at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Aberdeen, Maryland, US.^[6]

m/1894 Carbine[edit]

The m/1894 carbine was adopted in 1894 with the first 12,000 carbines being manufactured by Waffenfabrik Mauser in Oberndorf am Neckar, Germany. This series of carbines were all manufactured in 1895, and a very few spare receivers dated 1895 were received from Mauser Oberndorf's manufacturers 'Ludwig Loewe & Company'. Some of these spare receivers have been found built as complete m/1896 rifles with serial numbers falling into the regular m/1896 rifle ranges. It is speculated that these were replacement receivers that were later given the same serial number as the replaced receivers, though this is not yet confirmed due to the extremely small number discovered so far.

Production in Sweden under license commenced in 1898. (The preparatory production development at Carl Gustafs stads Gevärsfaktori found a place in history by being the event that caused Carl Edvard Johansson to invent gauge blocks.) Swedish production continued sporadically until 1918. Very limited numbers were later produced with receiver dates of 1929 and more so 1932. A2a cessna 172 download. The highest 1918 serial number noted is 111,002. The m/94 carbines have a unique serial number sequence beginning with 1. The highest number so far noted is 113,150 dated 1932. There have been no carbines noted with receiver dates of 1902, 1905, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912 and 1913. It may be surmised that carbines produced from the end of regular production in 1918 until 1932 numbered about 2,150.

Mauser produced 12,000 m/1894 carbines between 1894 and 1896 and Carl Gustafs Stads Gevärsfaktori 115,000 m/1894 carbines between 1895 and 1933, giving a total of 127,000 m/1894 carbines.^[1]

Some carbines were lost from regular use by conversion to sub-caliber targeting & practice devices for artillery pieces.

Sub variants

m/1894-14 carbines have a steel nose piece, not dissimilar to the No.1 Mk3 Lee–Enfield, with a protruding stud under the muzzle for the bayonet ring. There were two bayonets intended for the 94-14 carbine. The most prevalent was the m/1914 long bayonet. The second minor bayonet was the very long bladed m/1915 navy bayonet with the edge facing upwards.

m/1894-67: This was an 1894 carbine modified to accept the m/1867 Yataghan blade saber bayonet. The modification involved a slot machined on the nose cap and a stud sleeve attached to the barrel. Numbers modified are unknown. Possibly only 100 or less. Several have shown up in the United States and one is known in the Netherlands.

Skolskjutningskarbin, (literally 'school shooting carbine'): This carbine was manufactured for Swedish civilian schools for student training. All of these school carbines carry the receiver date of 1901. This model deviates from the standard m/1894 carbine in several ways. The serial number is prefixed with S and runs S.1 to S.1161 and possibly a few more. The serial number appears as S.500 on the left side-rail of the receiver. The bolt handle is the same straight handle of the m/1896 rifle. The sling swivels are on the bottom of the stock just as on the m/1896 rifle. There is no bayonet attachment. Many of these carbines have been found rebuilt as standard m/1894-14 carbines and in one case as a Carl Gustaf m/63 target rifle (CG63).

Kammarkarbin: also known as 'gallery carbine'. Unique serial numbers prefixed by K. Total number produced is unknown, with the highest reported serial number being K.193 currently in a private collection in the United States. One has been reported in Switzerland. Carbine K.91 is in the Carl Gustaf factory museum in Sweden. Other differences from the standard m/1894 carbine include the stock being dyed black. The rifling rate of twist is about 4 times faster than the m/1894 carbine due to the unique bullet and much slower velocity of the special cartridge intended for this carbine. The only two receiver dates noted so far are 1898 and 1901.

1894/96 Fortress Carbine: Another variant produced in unknown numbers and unknown years of production. This carbine is very similar to the standard m/1894 except in the manner of sling attachment. This carbine uses a sling attachment identical to the skolskjutningskarbin as the sling swivels are on the bottom of the stock instead of the side. The lower sling swivel is placed much further up the buttstock nearer the triggerguard than the m/1896 rifle.

Weapons Officers Carbines: These standard m/1894 carbines were hand-built by weapons officers as part of their training. Instead of having serial numbers, the name of the weapons officer is the identifying 'serial' mark. Most of the parts are marked with the two letters of the officer's name and in some cases with a + sign. These carbines are among the most valuable of collectible m/1894 carbines.

The m/1894 carbine is still used today by the Royal Guards at Stockholm Palace.

m/1896 Long Rifle[edit]

The Model 1896 rifle in 6.5×55mm (6,5 mm Gevär m/96) was adopted in 1896 for infantry use, replacing the Model 1867–1889 Remington rolling block rifle in 8×58mmR Danish Krag. Swedish production (under license) started in 1898 at Carl Gustafs, but additional rifles were produced by Mauser during 1899 and 1900 because of delays in shipping additional production machinery from Germany to Sweden.^[7]

Standard production at Carl Gustafs continued until 1925, but approximately 18,000 m/96 rifles were manufactured by Husqvarna Vapenfabriks AB during World War II for civilian marksmanship training.^[8]

Mauser produced 40,000 m/1896 long rifles between 1899 and 1900, Carl Gustafs Stads Gevärsfaktori 475,000 m/1896 between 1896 and 1932 and Husqvarna Vapenfabriks AB 20,000 m/1896 between 1942 and 1944. Giving a total of 535,000 m/96 long rifles.^[1]

m/1938 Short Rifle[edit]

The Model 1938 rifle (6,5 mm Gevär m/38) was adopted in 1938 as part of a worldwide trend (which began just before World War I) towards service rifles that were shorter in overall length than a standard infantry rifle, but longer than a cavalry carbine. Contemporary examples such as the Mauser Karabiner 98k, Short Magazine Lee–Enfield No I Mk III, MAS-36, and M1903 Springfield were all noticeably shorter than a standard late 19th century infantry rifle, and with another war on the horizon the Swedes felt it would be expedient to adopt a shorter rifle for use by mechanized troops and the Navy.

The original m/1938 rifles (Type I) were converted m/1896 rifles with barrels cut down by 5.5' (139mm) and almost always with the original straight bolt handles. These rifles are often referred to by collectors as 'm/96-38' rifles, but there was never an official designation for this conversion.^[9] The majority of purpose-built m/1938s (Type II) had turned-down bolt handles and were manufactured by Husqvarna Vapenfabriks AB, with production ending in 1944. However, the Swedish military made no distinction in service between the two types.^[10]

Carl Gustafs Stads Gevärsfaktori converted 55,080 m/1896 long rifles to m/1938 short rifles in 1938-1940. In addition to that Husqvarna Vapenfabriks AB produced 88,150 new m/38 short rifles between 1942 and 1944. Giving a total of 143,230 m/1938 short rifles.^[1]

m/1941 and m/1941B Sniper Rifles[edit]

The m/1941 and m/1941B sniper rifles were m/1896 rifles selected for accuracy and fitted with a telescopic sight, initially with the German AJACK 4× m/41 scope. Because of the deteriorating war situation Germany however stopped selling rifle scopes to Sweden, resulting in Swedish made AGA 3× m/42 and 3× m/44 rifle scopes (made by Svenska Ackumulatorfabriken Jungner) being used instead.^[11]

Carl Gustafs Stads Gevärsfaktori converted 5,300 specially selected m/1896 long rifles to m/1941 sniper rifles in 1941-1943.^[1] The bolt handle of all m/1941 rifles was turned-down in order to provide clearance for unimpaired operation of the bolt handle or three-position safety catch lever with a telescopic sight mounted.

Model 1896 Swedish Mauser in Finnish service during WW II[edit]

In 1940, Finland bought 77,000 M1896 Mausers from Sweden in 6.5×55mm. They were mainly used by second line units.^[12] Model 1896 rifles used by Finland in WW II can be recognized by a stamp with the letters SA (Suomen Armeija = Finnish Army) surrounded by a square with rounded corners. Most of the rifles were returned to Sweden after WW II but some remained in Finland.^[13]

End of service[edit]

The m/1894 carbine and the m/1896 and m/1938 rifles were gradually phased out of Swedish service starting in the 1950s, although the sniper variants continued in service until the early 1980s. They were succeeded by the Ag m/42semi-automatic rifle beginning in the late 1940s, followed by the Ak 4battle rifle starting in the 1960s. However, some rear echelon logistic units were still equipped with m/1896 as late as 1983. The last unit to use m/1941(B) sniper rifles were the Hemvärnet (Home Guard) that replaced their m/1941(B) sniper rifles in 1995 by Ak 4OR rifles with Hensoldt 4×24 telescopic sights. The m/1894 carbine is still used for ceremonial and guard purposes by the Royal Guards.

Civilian use[edit]

Both the m/1896 and m/1938 rifles are highly sought after by military rifle shooters and hunters. The 6.5×55mm is an ideal all-round hunting rifle cartridge, as it has a flat trajectory, low recoil, and high accuracy. Many rifles in the Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States and South Africa have been sporterized to make deer (or similar game) hunting rifles, and many firearms manufacturers, including SAKO, Ruger and Winchester, produce new hunting rifles chambered in this cartridge.

Civilian rifles built on the Swedish Mauser action[edit]

When surplus Swedish Mausers became available after World War II many m/1896 and m/1938 rifles were successfully converted by Carl Gustafs and Norma into the CG 63 Competition/Target Rifle chambered in 6.5×55mm and 7.62×51mm NATO. A number of CG 63 match rifles were acquired by the Swedish Army, with their rifles colloquially known as Gevär 6 if in 6.5×55mm and Gevär 7 if in 7.62×51mm. These competition/target rifles were used by members of the Swedish Volunteer Sharpshooting Movement Frivilliga Skytterörelsen (FSR) and are known to be very accurate for their price. The FSR strived to keep the costs of participating in their shooting events reasonable, so the FSR rulings restricted the unchecked use of very expensive highly specialized target rifles, ammunition and other gear.The CG 63 rifle was built on a Swedish Mauser receiver, to which a new heavy, non-stepped free-floating target barrel was fitted. The vertical thumb piece was removed from the bolt to improve lock time. The triggers were adjusted and smoothed to match quality and the rifles got diopter and globe sighting lines (from several Swedish manufacturers) and target stocks.The CG 63 was further developed into the CG 73 / CG 74, also called m/74, and finally the CG 80 competition/target rifle.^[14] The CG competition/target rifles complied and evolved with the technical and dimensional FSR rulings then imposed for FSR shooting events. Starting at the end of the 20th century the FSR allowed the use of competition/target rifles that are not based on the Swedish Mauser receiver.

Swedish Mauser Serial Number Guide

Husqvarna also made commercial m/1894 and m/1896 versions available as sporting rifles called Model 46 and its variants (Models 46A, 46AN and 46B) in 6.5×55mm, 9.3×57mm and 9.3×62mm. After World War II they used m/96 and m/38 actions without thumb notch to create the Model 640 series (646 in 6.5×55mm, 648 in 8×57mm, 649 in 9.3×62mm). These are not to be confused with the late-production Model 640 using FN Herstal M98 actions. Stiga also made sporterized versions in popular calibers, which are very well finished and balanced.

Users[edit]

• Sweden
• Finland^[13]
• Luxembourg^[15]
• Denmark^[16]
• Norway^[17]

Gallery[edit]

• Karbin m/1894, original model without bayonet mount

• Karbin m/1894-96 for the Corps of Engineers (no bayonet mount, rifle sling swivels)

• Karbin m/1894 in (ceremonial) use by the Royal Guards in 2009.

• Gevär m/1938 purpose-built m/1938 (Type II) equipped with a turned-down bolt handle

• Blank Firing Attachment (BFA) for Swedish Mauser m/1896B and m/1938B

• Rifle scope m/1941 (ZF Ajack 4×90) for m/1941 sniper rifle

• Rifle scope m/1944 (AGA 3×65) for m/1941 sniper rifle

• Knife bayonet m/1896 for m/1896 and m/1938 rifles (overall length 330 mm/13 in)

• Knife bayonet m/1914 for m/1894-14 carbine (overall length 460 mm/18.1 in)

• Knife bayonet m/1915 for m/1894-14 carbine, Royal Swedish Navy (overall length 635 mm/25 in)

• Stripper clip loaded with Swedish 6.5×55mm surplus FMJ spitzer ammunition produced in 1976.

• What the Swedish Mauser could have been. Mauser in 8×58mmR Danish Krag, the standard military rifle caliber in Sweden before the 6.5×55mm. Swedish rifle trials of 1892.

References[edit]

1. ^ ^abcde'FAQ about Swedish Mauser m/1896, m/1938, Carbine m/1894 and the Ljungman Ag m/42'. www.gotavapen.se.
2. ^'Mauser Bolt Rifles by Ludwig Olsen, 3rd edition, F. Brownell and Son, Publisher, p. 81
3. ^Jones, D: Crown Jewels: The Mauser in Sweden, pp. 37, 59, 81, 93. Collector Grade Publications, 2003.
4. ^de Haas, Frank, Bolt Action Rifles, Northfield, Illinois: DBI Books, Inc. (1984), ISBN0-910676-69-0, p. 31
5. ^'6.5x55'. www.ballisticstudies.com.
6. ^'Tale of 2 Swedish Trials rifles from 1892 & bore specs & twist rates'. castboolits.gunloads.com. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
7. ^Jones, p. 66
8. ^Jones, p. 76
9. ^Jones, p. 82
10. ^Jones, p. 83
11. ^Jones, pp. 95, 97
12. ^Jowett, Philip; Snodgrass, Brent (5 July 2006). Finland at War 1939–45. Elite 141. Osprey Publishing. p. 48. ISBN9781841769691.
13. ^ ^abSchinke, Carsten - Die leichten schwedischen Infanteriegewehre Armee und Heimwehr - Journal-Verlag Schwendt Gmbh (1990) - page 59
14. ^'Swedish rifles 1963 to 1995'. www.gotavapen.se.
15. ^Kehaya, Steve and Poyer, Joe, The Swedish Mauser Rifles, Tustin, California: North Cape Publications, Inc. (2011), ISBN978-188239126-4, p. 24
16. ^Ibid, p. 26
17. ^Ibid

Further reading[edit]

• Jones, D (2003). Crown Jewels: The Mauser in Sweden, Collector Grade Publications.
• Olsen, L (1976). Mauser Bolt Rifles, Brownell's Publishing.
• Ball, R (1996). Military Mausers of the World (4th ed.), Krause Publications.
• Kehaya, S & Poyer, J (2011). The Swedish Mauser Rifles (Rev., 3rd ed.), 'For Collectors Only' series, North Cape Publications.

External links[edit]

The 1896 Swedish Mauser Download nexus 2 mac crack.

By Chuck Hawks

The Swedish m/96 rifle, which civilians generally call the Swedish Mauser Model 1896 or just the 'Swedish Mauser,' was introduced two years after the famous 6.5x55 cartridge and became its most enduring home. Both rifle and cartridge were tremendously successful.

The Model 1896 rifle remained the primary Swedish service rifle until 1938, when the Model 38 was adopted, and the Model 38 was basically an 1896 with a 24' barrel and an aperture rear sight. The basic 1896 action soldiered into the 1950's, when it was finally replaced by a self-loader.

The 6.5x55 cartridge has been well covered in the pages of Guns and Shooting Online, including a dedicated article and comparison articles on the Rifle Cartridge Page, so I will not go into it in depth here. Suffice to say that it combines the virtues of moderate recoil, reasonable trajectory, and good killing power. It is a medium capacity cartridge that has been proven all over the world. RCBS reports that 6.5x55 reloading dies have consistently been on their top 30 best seller list for many years.

Thousands of surplus Model 1896 Swedish Mausers were imported into the U.S. during the 1950's and 1960's, introducing large numbers of American hunters to the Swedish Mauser service rifle. The m/96 became one of the most desirable surplus rifles. Valued by shooters because it simply shot better, on average, than anything else and by collectors because of its exquisite quality and workmanship. The m/96 is probably the finest of all the early Mausers.

Sweden remained neutral in both the First and Second World Wars ('Neutrality through strength' was one Swedish motto). This means that there were no 'wartime production' short cuts taken with Swedish Mausers, unlike the military rifles of almost all major combatants in the great world conflicts. There are no inferior Swedish m/96 rifles.

Indeed, the fit and finish of the m/96 is superior to that of new military rifles costing far more. My example was made by Carl Gustafs in 1906, and it shames all of the military rifles being made today. This can be taken as a commentary on both the quality and workmanship of the m/96 and the lack of it in most modern military rifles.

The 1896 action is typical of early Mauser designs, with two front locking lugs, a 90 degree bolt lift, a full length extractor for controlled feed (this requires that cartridges be fed into the chamber from the magazine), and a fixed ejector. Unlike the Mauser 98 action, the Model 96 cocks on closing and the bolt handle does not serve as an auxiliary locking lug. Otherwise the two actions are similar.

The bolt handle protrudes straight out from the right side of the action. It is apparently brazed to the bolt body, and carries a serial number that matches the bolt and the rifle. The bolt knob is smooth and round and easy to grasp. The one-piece striker (firing pin) protrudes from the rear of the bolt when cocked, and can be lowered by hand if the user has a strong thumb or fingers.

The three-position safety is located at the rear of the bolt, concentric with the striker, and rotates through approximately 180 degrees. Fully counter-clockwise (as seen from the shooter's position) is 'fire,' fully clockwise is 'safe' and locks the bolt closed, and the intermediate straight-up position is 'safe' but the bolt can be opened. This allows the magazine to be emptied by operating the bolt with the rifle still on 'safe.' This intermediate position also allows the bolt to be disassembled when it is removed from the rifle. The bolt release is a machined steel lever located at the left rear of the receiver that is pulled outward to release the bolt.

Everything about the m/96 action radiates quality. All major and most minor parts are carefully machined from steel; few stampings were used. All key parts bear matching serial numbers. There is even a steel cleaning rod supplied with the rifle. This protrudes from the front of the front receiver ring, which also incorporates the bayonet lug, and it can be removed for use by unscrewing.

The magazine follower is machined steel. After the last round fired and ejected, the follower locks the bolt open for rapid reloading (this was accomplished by means of stripper clips in military service). The magazine box is made of steel, as is the floorplate. The floorplate itself is not hinged, but is quick detachable for unloading by means of a recessed button at its rear. Use a ballpoint pen or the tip of a bullet to release the magazine floorplate. The roomy trigger guard is also machined from steel.

Swedish Mauser Serial Numbers

The trigger is a typical two-stage military type. After the initial slack is taken-up (the first stage), the sear is cleanly released with about 4.75 pounds of pressure (the second stage). This is a heavy rifle (approximately 9 pounds on my bathroom scale), so the 4.75 pound trigger pull is proportionately lighter than it sounds.

Unlike many classic military rifles, and almost all modern military rifles, the m/96 stock was clearly designed with an eye for line as well as function. Its overall appearance is slender and well formed, accentuated by its 29' barrel. It wears a straight-hand wood stock with a tapered 3/4 length forearm, oval in cross section, that is secured by a barrel band at the front. There is also a thin 14' handguard that runs from the front receiver ring about half way to the muzzle, also secured by a barrel band. Steel sling swivels are standard. Various woods were used, but the stock on my m/96 is straight grain walnut. The classy looking buttplate is steel.

Swedish Mauser Serial Number

The Swedish Mauser stock was built for strength. The comb is high and straight, like most modern stocks. This was done to accommodate the tall ladder-type open rear sight. The length of pull measures 14'. Although designed in 1896, this stock is quite modern in shape and feel and will seem familiar to anyone who shoots a rifle with one of today's 'modern classic' style stocks.

One last point about the m/96 stock. There is a brass disc about 30mm in diameter inletted into the right side of the buttstock. There are actually three disc variations, an early 2-screw disc, a later 2-screw disc, and a 1-screw disc. My rifle has the one screw type disc, and the information that follows pertains only to the one screw disc. For information about the two screw discs, or additional details about the one screw disc and lots of other information about Swedish weapons, see Mats' Weapons Page online. That is where I learned how to decipher the disc on my rifle.

The one screw disc is divided into 3 sections, each of which is marked in such a way as to reveal some information about that particular rifle. The smallest 'slice' of the brass disc bears the numbers 1, 2, and 3 with a triangular punch mark over one of the numbers. This indicates the condition of the bore. No punch mark is perfect. 1 means a very few dark areas in the corners of the lands and grooves. 2 indicates rust in the corners of the lands and grooves and possible light rust in the grooves. 3 indicates spots of light rust throughout the grooves, but no sharp edges; this is still acceptable. A rifle scoring lower than 3 was rebarreled. My rifle is a 3, but any rifle passed by the Swedish armorers will shoot very well, as the inspectors were quite picky. The bore of my rifle looks good to the naked eye.

The next slice of the little brass disc indicates the elevation aiming error when shooting the standard m/41 Swedish service load, which used a 140 grain boat-tail spitzer bullet at a MV of around 800 m/s. There are three Swedish words in this sector of the disc. 'Torped' indicates the 140 grain BT spitzer bullet (there was an earlier 156 grain RN bullet), 'Overslag' means over, followed by a space and then 'Str.' Str is the abbreviation for streck, a unit of angle, and there are 6300 streck to a circle. Streck were used in a manner similar to the way North American shooters use minutes of angle. If there is a number in the blank space between Overslag and Str. it indicates the amount the rifle shoots over in terms of streck. 1 streck equals approximately 1/10 meter at 100 meters. So a 1 in the space on the disc indicates that rifle would shoot 10 cm (or a little less than 4') above the point of aim at 100 meters. The space is blank on my rifle's disc, indicating that it shoots to point of aim.

The largest slice of the disc has an outer and an inner arc of numbers. The outer arc bears numbers '6.51' followed by the numbers 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 (my rifle has a punch mark over the '2'). The inner arc bears the numbers '6.46' followed by 7,8,9,0 (no punch mark over a number in the inner arc on my rifle). It is my understanding that these numbers reveal the nominal bore (6.46mm) and groove (6.51mm) diameters of a new barrel. The punch mark(s) reveals the actual diameter of the particular barrel (and thus, presumably, any wear). Thus, my barrel has a groove diameter of 6.52mm. Apparently the bore diameter of my barrel measured right at 6.46mm.

If the groove diameter measures between 6.51mm and 6.53mm all was well. If the groove diameter measured 6.54mm-6.55mm the rifle was used only for training. If the groove diameter exceeded 6.56mm the rifle was rebarreled. The Swedes are very meticulous people!

The long barrel and relatively heavy (but not excessive) weight make the m/96 an easy rifle to shoot from offhand or other unsupported positions. It hangs steady when aligned with the target.

Swedish Mauser Serial Number Lookup

The m/96 was supplied with a clever, ladder-type open rear sight, mounted on the barrel in front of the action, where open rear sights are usually found. But this example is unusual that there are three stepped positions for ranges of 300, 400, and 500 meters with the ladder folded down (what the Swedish Army probably thought of as the 'battle sight' position), and elevation stops for 600 to 2000 meters (!) when the ladder is raised. Windage adjustments were accomplished by sliding the front sight in its dovetail. This was done by Swedish armorers, not regular soldiers. Whoever did mine knew his business; I found the windage to be right on the first time that I test fired my rifle.

Swedish Mauser Identification

The m/96 is a very accurate service rifle. This was proven during the early years of the 20th Century, when the various powers held international service rifle matches. The host country provided the rifles and ammunition used in these matches to all of the teams so that all competitors used the host nations service rifle. In the entire history of this series of matches, the best scores across the board were not shot with the U.S. M-1903 Springfield, the British Lee-Enfield, or the vaunted German Model 98 Mauser, but with the Swedish m/96 and the Swiss Schmidt-Rubin rifles. These are the most accurate of the classic bolt action military rifles. No collection of military Mausers should be without a Swedish Model 1896.