Bought this one from my friend today.

[Ben]

This is a VERY CLEAN Swede. M-38 , 6.5 X 55 rifle.
All matching numbers.
You have to see the barrel on this rifle to believe it ! !

I'm fortunate to get this rifle. My friend had this in his collection for about 20 yrs. I asked him a few days ago if he ever planned to sell it ? He said he would sell it now for what he paid for the rifle 20 yrs. ago. I said.....DEAL ! ! !
You continue to hear people say......" Well, they don't make them the way they used to." ..................Well, in this case of this rifle, I'll have to agree.

Ben

 

[RicinYakima]

Very nice, Ben! Has the better rear sight too. One of my shooting buddies calls these "jewelry", and he is correct, they are gems.

 

[Josh]

One of few mauser rifles I am needing, too bad surplus is dried up.

 

[Ben]

You have to hold this one for a few minutes to be able to really appreciate it.

18-20 years ago, getting one of these was easy enough, one like this one right now isn't so easy to find.

Ben

 

[35 shooter]

Very nice.

 

[RicinYakima]

I was in Lebanon, OH, at the SOG (Southern Ohio Guns) retail shop in about 1989. There were over 50 new and 25 just from rebuild Model 96's. I took home a new 1906 Gustave rifle and a just from rebuild short rifle on an 1897 Mauser made action. One was $89 and the other $69. They were cheaper in real US Greenbacks than the stuff I bought in the 1960's. There were several with broken off bolt handles for $29, as that was common for them to be brittle. For all you guys in the South, that is how I feel about CMP selling 1903 Springfields at Anniston Arsenal dirt cheap and me living in Washington. BUY BOOKS! Knowledge is power and money; bargains are still out there if you know what your are looking at.

 

[Ben]

Very True ! !

I'm about 50 minutes away from the CMP at Anniston.

 

[KHornet]

Have two Swedes, both with mirror bores, and both well over 100 years old. I
consider them to be my two best buys in milsurps, and both are real joys off the
bench! True workmanship, in military rifles.

Paul

 

[RicinYakima]

IIRC, the only parts that were not polished and / or rust blued were the inside surfaces of the springs that hold the barrel bands in place. That is pride of workmanship, and pride of country. If you want to see parts made with a hatchet, look at the action parts of a pre-war Winchester model 70, the barest minimum to make it function.

 

[JWFilips]

Ben,
That is a beauty! You really fall into some great deals!
Jim

 

[Ben]

I couldn't turn this one down.

 

[Brother_Love]

I would not have either! That is a beauty! I have M96 from 1923 that almost new too. They are examples of beautiful workmanship.
Good pickup Ben.

Malcolm

 

[Ben]

Malcolm,

These were made in an era of time when craftsman did the work.

And where are they today ? ? ?
Now we have black , plastic guns..........

Ben

 

[Pistolero]

And with the nice adjustable rear sight. If I could only see them still.

Nice rifle, Ben.

Bill

 

[Ben]

Bill,

The limitation in this paired arrangement will be me and my eyes, NOT the rifle.

Time doesn't seem to be on my side anymore.

Ben

 

[Pistolero]

I know exactly what you mean, Ben. I can still work with aperture sights pretty well. The
pinhole camera effect helps a lot. Normal "middle" type barrel sights are difficult to use now,
although I can still do it if the light is good. Losing your vision, especially for those of us
who enjoy shooting old rifles and pistols really sucks, although it is superior to the only
alternative.

Bill

 

[Ben]

I made an executive decision to crank up the 20 lb. pot this morning and cast some Lyman 140 gr. Loverine, 6.5 cast bullets for the new rifle.

Here is the group with the above bullets from one of my other Swede rifles that I own right now.

 

[Pistolero]

Ten grains of Unique, still making smiles after all these years!

Something special about that load in many different guns.

Bill

 

[RicinYakima]

Oh yes, there is: double base powder with high nitroglycerin content, not coatings, porous surface, enough volume to insure ignition, makes enough pressure to have consistent burn. Yep, a good load, like 16.0 grains of A2400, just the right amount.