Swedish Mausers

[rookhawk]

did they ever make a premium quality "commercial Mauser" version of the 6.5x55 Swede in Scandinavia?

Not a sporterised military gun, but a ground up civilian 6.5?

Love the caliber but I don't like sporterized guns. Was wondering if there was an equivalent scenario as there is with civilian German Mausers that were built for hunters, not modified after manufacture.

 

[Shootist43]

Husqvarna made the M 38, it had a 24 " barrel and a turned down bolt. However it is an 1896 Swedish Mauser in every other respect. The Husqvarna name is what is rolled into the receiver not Gustave Stadts. I think that is as close as you are going to get. Kimber built a lot of their early production rifles using 6.5 x 55 Swedish actions. Some were chambered for 6.5 x 55.

 

[wesheltonj]

Copied from wikipedia, so it may not be true.:

Husqvarna made numerous types and models of break action shotguns.

The first medium caliber bolt action rifles used the same action as the Swedish Army's Mauser m/96. This type was manufactured from 1927 to 1942 circa, known as the Model 46 and mostly chambered in 6.5×55mm, 9.3×57mm and 9.3×62mm from early 1939 Husqvarna started purchasing Mauser M98 actions from the Belgian company FN, labeling the rifles Model 146, 246 and 640. Though the M98 was a strong and well proven action, it was not an ideal situation for Husqvarna to be depending on one of its worst competitors for such a key component.

An independent bolt action design was introduced in 1953 as the 1600-series, which was available in several European and American chamberings, including 9.3×62mm, .270, 30-06; 8×57mm, 6.5×55mm, and others. It was a small ring Mauser-like design advertised as the "HVA Improved Mauser Action". In 1969 they discontinued the HVA action in favor of a cheaper to produce push-feed design, called the 8000. They ceased manufacturing all firearms in 1972.

With the army order for the Ak 4 the company was able to find the funding to re-tool the workshop to produce a newly developed bolt action, marketed in 1967 as the 1900-series and continued by FFV well into the 1980s.

Husqvarna also built a limited number of an elegant double rifle in caliber 9.3x74R, the model 410.

 

[ChrisG]

I've never heard of a civilian "sporter" M96. I bought a cavalry carbine at one point and turned the barrel down on a lathe to a sporter profile, then put a new stock on it. Problem was the barrel was 17" long and the most I could get from a 140 grain was about 2200FPS. So I sold it. The thing I really think is a detriment to the 96 being used is the cock-on-closing bolt. It makes running the bolt less intuitive to the vast majority of people used to a standard 98 mechanism.

The 6.5x55 is my favorite light rifle caliber and I have a mildly "Anglophiled" Ruger M77 with a barrel band and express V-notch sights on it. It is so much fun to hunt with and has accounted for a number of deer and one bear as well as a myriad of coyote, woodchuck and steel plates.

 

[Divernhunter]

Get a Tikka T-3 Lite in 6.5X55 and you will love it. I love mine. But do get a Limbsaver direct replacement recoil pad for it.

 

[CAustin]

@Shootist43 you probably have one of the mentioned rifles in a safe somewhere. How many 6.5 s do you have?

 

[Shootist43]

A little over a dozen. I want each of my grandkids to get one, the boys can split the rest. I almost purchased another one last week. In doing my research regarding the strength of a Swedish Mauser Action, I ran across a post from the Director of Norma's Ballistics Department. Wherein he stated that Norma's test barrel for
6.5 x 55 was good for 81,000 lbs. the action it was attached to was that of a Swedish Mauser. I'd like to find that post again, I think it was on some Swedish Mauser Forum but I don't remember which one.

 

[Accidental Villain]

I`m not quite sure what you mean by saying premium quality because Husqvarna never made fancy bling bolt action rifles as far as I know, but if you mean a top quality civilian working rifle Husqvarna definitely made such rifles. The one to get is modell M146 with a genuin top quality FN M98 and a very nice classic tapered barrel. The only draw back with those are that they have too much drop at heel for most hunters. I`ve seen some of them used by Canadian bear hunters and of cource in cal. 6,5x55 (loaded with round nosed 160 grains bullets) and the Canadians seemed very fond of theyr "huskys". Most common cal in the M146 is 9,3x57 (or potato throwers as we in Scandinavia call them but they were also made in 6,5x55 , 30-06 and 8x57 another excellent caliber.

 

[7x57Joe]

Will this one suffice? A 1900 action and was never in the military.

 

[7x57Joe]

Oops, my bad. You asked specifically about Mausers. Disregard.

 

[7x57Joe]

This is what Husqvarna called their improved Mauser, a 1600 series and also known as a model 3000:

 

[Shootist43]

7x57Joe, they are both nice looking rifles, do you know if either of them had the same or similar action that the 1896 Swedish Mauser had?

 

[7x57Joe]

Neither had a M96 action. The first that was displayed was a 1900 action which was the last design of Husqvarna and was produced 1970-1979. A push feed design that has one of the smoothest action ever, almost as smooth as a Mannlicher-Schoenauer.

The second pic is a 1600 action and this was produced 1954-1967. This is very similar to a Mauser being controlled feed with a long extractor. The ejector is slightly below the left locking lug, so the lug doesn't have a slot cut in it. This is the one that was labeled an "improved" Mauser but, an improved M.96, not the M.98.
This action was included in a test in the "Guns" magazine article along with several others in which the barrels were filled with moist sand and a round fired. The only one that survived was the HVA 1600. Test was written about in the 1950's-60's, IIRC.

 

[Shootist43]

rookhawk, no doubt you would want to verify 7x57Joe's post, but it sounds like this is the answer to your original question. I don't know where you can obtain a Husqvarna with a HVA 1600 action but a guy with your resources might just be able to. The other simpler option is to obtain a Sporterized Swede, or buy one that is still in the military format and have it reworked. Like I mentioned in a previous post, I'd start with a M38 Husqvarna and go from there.

 

[rookhawk]

This is what Husqvarna called their improved Mauser, a 1600 series and also known as a model 3000:

This is what I'm talking about. That's a lovely gun that surely would not break the bank.

 

[ZG47]

Francis E. Sell liked the Husqvarna 1600 action. He used it for several of his project rifles. The 1900 push-feed design was sold to Zoli and is still made by them. I have an acquaintance who bought himself a 1900, chambered in .270 Winchester and who later inherited his father's 1600, also chambered in .270 Winchester. He has one rifle kitted out with a big Nightforce scope for tahr shooting and the other with a standard hunting scope for deer stalking.

 

[Pheroze]

I got my 6.5x55 Husqvarna 1600 from this place. He often carries them

www.tradeexcanada.com/content/husqvarna-1600-series-93x62-3

 

[walk-in]

The HVA 1600 is a fine action. My first big game rifle was a 30-06 built on an early one of these with the steel bottom metal. I got it for my 12th birthday in 1987 and still hunt with it now. I have killed bears, deer, and caribou with it.

Just this afternoon I bought another one of these actions. It looks to be brand new. I'm not sure yet what I'll use it for. I'm thinking either 8x68 or 9.3x62.

 

[Red Leg]

Will this one suffice? A 1900 action and was never in the military.

Exquisite. The second, not so much.

 

[Dr Ray]

Get a Tikka T-3 Lite in 6.5X55 and you will love it. I love mine. But do get a Limbsaver direct replacement recoil pad for it.

Try Sako.