Searching info on this Swedish rifle.
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Since is has a target sight if I had to guess... which I am.. I'd say its a prototype of one-of of the biathalon rifles. It'll be interesting to see as I've not seen this particular type stock before.. similar but not exactly.
Glad you found the new forum. I hope you'll consider rebuilding some/many of the fine photo posts you did before on this new forum. First notes of threads are lost and that's where most of the photos were. Today I'm trying to save text threads off the old forum to see if they can be of some use here. I hate the thought of loosing all we'd done on the old forum.
Dutchman
Glad you found the new forum. I hope you'll consider rebuilding some/many of the fine photo posts you did before on this new forum. First notes of threads are lost and that's where most of the photos were. Today I'm trying to save text threads off the old forum to see if they can be of some use here. I hate the thought of loosing all we'd done on the old forum.
Dutchman
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2,687 Posts
Hi Dutchman,
You are right, its a biathlon-rifle but not an actually prototype. 12 was made but I suspect all of them were destroyed when CG started produce folding-stock biathlon-rifles. I am trying collect the story but is hoping someone can fill in with info. Its not a CG-production for sure.
If interest I think I can start over with some of my old threads. Just give me a hint on what pics that are wanted.
Regards,
ARILAR
You are right, its a biathlon-rifle but not an actually prototype. 12 was made but I suspect all of them were destroyed when CG started produce folding-stock biathlon-rifles. I am trying collect the story but is hoping someone can fill in with info. Its not a CG-production for sure.
If interest I think I can start over with some of my old threads. Just give me a hint on what pics that are wanted.
Regards,
ARILAR
Joined
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8,985 Posts
Biathalon Target Rifle
There is a photo of one of these early biathalon target rifles in Crown Jewels , page 189 , figure #403 ( Söderin sight ) . From your photo , I assume you have the same as info that I have ( dated 1958 ) & they were designed & built by weaponmaster Uno Sonnefelt , F4 , Östersund . I did not know there were only 12 made . It is possible that one or more examples remains in someone's garage or elsewhere in Sweden ????
I have an issue of American Rifleman , June 1962 with what appears to be another version of the early rifle used in biathalon competition . Held at the World Championship by the International Modern Pentathlon Union in Hameenlinna , Finland , March 4th , 1962 . Although the Russians won with modified Mosin-Nagant heavy barrel rifles , the Swedes shot best in the standing position . No other info on the folding stock biathalon rifle . Article by LT. Col. R. Aumo .
Have you ever seen one of the CG62 Biathalon Folding stock rifles in Sweden , other than the one in the CG Rifle Factory Museum ? Also shown in Crown Jewels .
There is a photo of one of these early biathalon target rifles in Crown Jewels , page 189 , figure #403 ( Söderin sight ) . From your photo , I assume you have the same as info that I have ( dated 1958 ) & they were designed & built by weaponmaster Uno Sonnefelt , F4 , Östersund . I did not know there were only 12 made . It is possible that one or more examples remains in someone's garage or elsewhere in Sweden ????
I have an issue of American Rifleman , June 1962 with what appears to be another version of the early rifle used in biathalon competition . Held at the World Championship by the International Modern Pentathlon Union in Hameenlinna , Finland , March 4th , 1962 . Although the Russians won with modified Mosin-Nagant heavy barrel rifles , the Swedes shot best in the standing position . No other info on the folding stock biathalon rifle . Article by LT. Col. R. Aumo .
Have you ever seen one of the CG62 Biathalon Folding stock rifles in Sweden , other than the one in the CG Rifle Factory Museum ? Also shown in Crown Jewels .
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Biathlon target rifle
Yes Swede, the article is found in "Allt Skytte" number 3 from, what I think ,1959.
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Uno explains that he choosed m/96 to build his biathlon-rifle from and according to his experience it was the lenght and not the weight from the rifle that created the problems when skiing. He made the first two rifles with folding butts as m/45 smg and reduced weight just so much that it didnt started to give effects on accuracy. The Biathlon world-champ Adolf Viklund and skilled biathlon-shooter Klas Lestander was the two persons able to test and use the first two rifles made. Lestander used it at the pre-olympic biathlon in Squaw Valley -59, pic below.
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So....I think a lot of what is printed in "Crown Jewels" page 188-189 may be misunderstandings. The pic on page 189 puzzles me. Dont know yet who the shooter is or why a Söderin-sight is used. (According to both Sonnefelt and Lestander was the Elit diopter used when Viklund and Lestander used Sonnefelt:s rifle at the Winter Olympics in Squaw valley 1960. Lestander was the gold-medal winner in the first olympic Biathlon ever held).
Regards,
ARILAR
Yes Swede, the article is found in "Allt Skytte" number 3 from, what I think ,1959.
Uno explains that he choosed m/96 to build his biathlon-rifle from and according to his experience it was the lenght and not the weight from the rifle that created the problems when skiing. He made the first two rifles with folding butts as m/45 smg and reduced weight just so much that it didnt started to give effects on accuracy. The Biathlon world-champ Adolf Viklund and skilled biathlon-shooter Klas Lestander was the two persons able to test and use the first two rifles made. Lestander used it at the pre-olympic biathlon in Squaw Valley -59, pic below.
So....I think a lot of what is printed in "Crown Jewels" page 188-189 may be misunderstandings. The pic on page 189 puzzles me. Dont know yet who the shooter is or why a Söderin-sight is used. (According to both Sonnefelt and Lestander was the Elit diopter used when Viklund and Lestander used Sonnefelt:s rifle at the Winter Olympics in Squaw valley 1960. Lestander was the gold-medal winner in the first olympic Biathlon ever held).
Regards,
ARILAR
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8,985 Posts
Elit sight
The photo in American Rifleman is small , but I have enlarged it on the copy machine . It appears to have the round dial of an Elit sight , but it is not real clear . This version appears slightly more robust than in the photo above . It has a laced up leather butt pad not seen in your photo . Not sure if the shooter in the photo is LT. Col. R. Aumo or someone else . My photo looks like it may be the same person as in your photo . Same hat & jacket . Interesting to note that the carrying sling is wrapped around the bolt .
I have a copy of a booklet " Allt Skytte " by A B Svenska Metallverken . The first page looks like a large score board . The caption is dated September 1958 , but that may be an earlier photo .
The photo in American Rifleman is small , but I have enlarged it on the copy machine . It appears to have the round dial of an Elit sight , but it is not real clear . This version appears slightly more robust than in the photo above . It has a laced up leather butt pad not seen in your photo . Not sure if the shooter in the photo is LT. Col. R. Aumo or someone else . My photo looks like it may be the same person as in your photo . Same hat & jacket . Interesting to note that the carrying sling is wrapped around the bolt .
I have a copy of a booklet " Allt Skytte " by A B Svenska Metallverken . The first page looks like a large score board . The caption is dated September 1958 , but that may be an earlier photo .
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Yes Swede, I have the same booklet but its printed 1959 and much telling about events the year 1958 and of course Sonnefelts article about his rifle that was used early 1959 at the pre-olympics in Squaw Valley. Klas Lestander was competing with that rifle for sure in World Champs in Umeå 1961 but I dont know if he participated in Finland 1962. He didnt join the swedish team in Olympics 1964 at Innsbruck. The rifle you refering to sounds like the Sonnefelt rifle. It seems CG 62 Folding-Stock Biathlon Rifle didnt become a success. CG made it sturdy enough for also military purpose (parachute troops) and according to Sonnefelt it was to clumsy. And CG:s rifle DID NOT win the medal 1960 (as told in Crown Jewels), it was again Sonnefelts rifle that was used. Also I suspect Sonnefelts rifle was used by Swedish team 1964 in Innsbruck (1961 decided by SMI, Sveriges militära idrottsförbund that was head of biathlon in Sweden those days, to order 10 more of Sonnefelts rifle. This according to "Allt Skytte" no 4 1961.). In Olympics 1968 Grenoble it seems that GC rifles was used by Swedish team but then probably CG 63S or CG 67 Biathlon rifle.
Regards,
ARILAR
Regards,
ARILAR
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10 Posts
Another Photo of a Folding Stock Swede
I found this photo in my archive of photos that I downloaded off the internet and saved on my computer. It either came from one of the older forums or from one of the Swedish shooting club websites that I used to plod around on in the middle of the night on business trips, like I am doing now. (Quick Note: the ability to save and store huge volumes of history, photos, and general info on today's computers still amazes me.)
I found this photo in my archive of photos that I downloaded off the internet and saved on my computer. It either came from one of the older forums or from one of the Swedish shooting club websites that I used to plod around on in the middle of the night on business trips, like I am doing now. (Quick Note: the ability to save and store huge volumes of history, photos, and general info on today's computers still amazes me.)
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