[Tumtatty]

My local gun shop has a Swedish M96 Mauser Rifle Carl Gustafs 1911 for sale. It looks awesome and seems to be matched. He's asking $350 for it. Is that a good deal?

 

[GregCandR]

If all matching and the wood is not refinished and the bore is very good, then I would say that it is a bit on the high side, but not too far out of wack. If you never see one in your neck of the woods it might be worth another look.

 

[666]

The only dealer I know of that has them to compare.

http://www.allans-armory.com/aaresult.php?PageId=59

Gunboards sponsor and exc. dealer.

 

[Tumtatty]

Thanks 666 (never thought I'd type that sentence!)

That sight had great pics. Looks like the price is in the ballpark. The M96 here looks nicer than any he has on his sight.

 

[helmich]

350 is a fair price for a really nice all matching, all original one. You may be able to talk him down a bit, as many shops are willing to haggle on used guns.

 

[Tumtatty]

Is cheap ammo hard to find for this rifle?

 

[DudleyDR]

I'm old and "cheap" means something different to me than to some folks. Let me say that ammo is plentiful and mostly reasonable - with a bargain here and there. Reloading is also an option. The rifles normally have excellent sharp and shiney bores and the 6.5x55mm Swedish Mauser cartridge is known for its accuracy and penetration (160 gr.). When considering "all matching" don't worry if the cleaning rod - if it has a number - doesn't match. That is more the norm. If it does match, that alone would be reason to buy it! Sounds like the price is reasonable for a really nice example. Always try to not pay a posted price. DDR

 

[newsnerd99]

My local shop had two of them - a German built and a Swede built, 1900 and 1911 dated. All matching, great wood and bores. The German was a "2" barrel, the Swede a "3" barrel. No drill-and-tap civilian mods. $279 for the German built, $299 for the Swede built. I took the German...

 

[cdhais1986]

350 is a fair price for a really nice all matching, all original one. You may be able to talk him down a bit, as many shops are willing to haggle on used guns.

Wow, $350 is a fair price? I got my all matching 96 mfg in 1916 by CG at a flea market here in Central Indiana for $175. The man obviously didn't know what he had. It came complete with the sling, and a bayonet that matched. This gun is absolutely beautiful, and I have never fired it. Pic enclosed. It's the second one from the top.

 

[coalgeo]

I agree that $350 is okay - provided that the wood matches as well. You will have to take the metal out of the wood to be sure.
Greg

 

[allanschisel]

All matching, nice wood, and bore would be worth $350 for sure. Glad you like my photos. I'll be getting more M96 Mausers in shortly. Sign up for my email notificaion service and you'll find out what and when I post something new before a general announcement is made.
http://www.mailermailer.com/x?oid=28750m
It's nice to run into a nice Swede Mauser for $175, or even $350, but you can't always do that. If you want one and soon, all you need is a credit card and to get in touch with me.
Allan Schisel

 

[Dutchman]

No drill-and-tap civilian mods.

You know that the rear bridge diagonal tapped holes were approved by the Swedish military? There's a dated technical order approving their installation by FSR approved gunsmiths. To some the diopter sight holes are desireable if they want to mount Swedish diopter sights. To others they represent a post-production modification that detracts from originality. To each his own but it isn't exactly accurate to refer to the tapped holes as "civilian" in the same way one would refer to the drillpress work of Bjubba, the Swedish cousin of Bubba. For the most part if you can snag a nice diopter sight set its well worth having those tapped holes already present. One of the diopters used by FSR clubs was the Lyman 48 that mounted on the right hand side of the rear receiver bridge. Someone less knowledgeable might mistake that for a Bjubba yob. Its not.

Its sad to see $350 being called a fair price for a nice m/96. It may reflect reality in today's market but it leaves behind all the young guys with young families and children to feed. They'll never be able to get into things Swedish with those prices. When nice m/96 were $40-50-60 even $90 you could find a way to scrimp a little. You could even afford to buy a new one every month or couple months. That's how the current Swede gluttons got so many rifles. There are some out there in milsurp collector land that have 50-150 nice desireable Swede m/96 and some, I hear tell, who have dozens of m/94 carbines each approaching $800-1,000 apiece. Harder to store than stock certificates and a little less secure than gold bars but a pretty good investment if you can afford to store them for 10-20-30 years.

I have one $40 m/96 that was a 5/fer in 1988. Its pretty nice, too. They were cheaper and less desireable in 1988 because the rear bridge had 2 tapped holes for target sights. Boohoo. I could get $275 for it in less than half an hour on the Trader forum. My 1920 SA-marked m/96 with unthreaded barrel and untapped rear bridge was $90 in December, 1997. Its NRA Darn Nice+ with a sharp #1 bore. $350 in under 15 minutes on the Trader. I've facilitated the sale of two m/94 carbines on the Trader forum. One was $750 the other was $1,200. Both sold in under 30 minutes.

But I have frequently bemoaned the fact that young collectors have been squeezed out of the Swedish milsurp market. Don't take this as meaning I won't make huge obscene profits when I sell some of mine .

Dutchman das kapitalist

 

[newsnerd99]

Thanks for the information...and thanks for the laugh (Bjubba! HA!)

 

[bullseye]

cdhais1986, the rifle in the picture looks like a 96/38 short rifle. They were made from cut down long rifles. $175 is still a good price for it.

 

[cdhais1986]

cdhais1986, the rifle in the picture looks like a 96/38 short rifle. They were made from cut down long rifles. $175 is still a good price for it.

Bullseye- you appear much more knowledgeable about Swedes to me than I am. (K98s are my gig, but eh, a Mauser is a Mauser), I actually have a question about it that you might be able to answer for me. First, this guns import mark says it's an m38, but the length of the gun is about 49.5 inches long which according to surplus rifle.com is about the same as the M96. If their measurements are right and it is an m38, then the m38 should only be about a hair longer than my k98s, but when I place them side by side, my Swede is noticeably longer than the k98.
Any ideas? Also, my Swede has the flash hider, but most of the ones I have seen do not. Any reasons why?

 

[bullseye]

What I noticed in the picture was the short distance between the nosecap and the front band. Overall length of a M96 is 49.25 in. and M96/38 is 44 in.. The flash hider is an after market add on and not military issue.

 

[DudleyDR]

Most any Swede will be an excellent-shooting rifle. If you are buying it as a collectable for investment, pay attention to small detals. Beware of rifles advertised as "all matching". That means different things to different people. Some folks don't know what "all matching" is and others know but will lie about it to sell a rifle. If a rifle is of Carl Gustaf manufacture all of the proofing crowns should be "level". If there are any "tilted" crown proofs (at a 45 degree angle), those parts came from a different manufacturer, Husqvarna. That rifle is likely not original matching. Also, it is not enough to have "matching numbers" alone. Look closely for numbers stamped with a different style or font and any electro-pencilled numbers. Although these mods may be genuine, highest prices will be paid by a collector trying to find a rifle as near as possible to "all original" as issued. Small stampings like a "boxed SA" (if genuine) will add a premium, as it indicates the rifle was once in Finnish army inventory. The presence of the metal "range plate" is a big plus. The bore condition/measurement disc pictured below is the early type. Buy or get to a library and look at a book titled "Crown Jewels, The Mauser in Sweden" by Dana Jones for more details. HTH DDR

 

[Hankster64]

Hello,

I just stumbled across this thread after doing an INTERNET search on the M96. I bought mine in the late 80s from a Woolworth's 5 and 10. I had the option to rummage through their stock and decided on a CARL GUSTAFS STADS (1919) SN HK 470364. All the visible parts are also matching and I have the disk on the stock. I would say the finish is 80 or better. I shot a box then cleaned it and put it away. I paid $68 for it

I'm currently looking for a nice M1 Carbine

 

[newsnerd99]

How much weight do folks put on the barrel condition rating on the disk? I wouldn't look at a rifle with a "3" stamp because I was looking for a shooter, but how "bad" is a three?

 

[DudleyDR]

Assuming that the disc is correct for the rifle and not something a previous owner bought to fill an empty hole in a buttstock, not much. (Those discs are not serial-numbered to the rifle.) From "Crown Jewels", by Dana Jones, p. 169, "Note that the 3 does not mean poor condition. The Swedish Army never used weapons in poor condition." Again, assuming a correct disc for a particular rifle, I have never seen a "3" grade that did not have a sharp and shiney bore. There were 5 grades. I think that their grading was very "critical". DDR