Swedish Mauser

pontiac428 said:
Colonel Whelen said only accurate rifles are interesting, and I tend to agree. Unless an old rifle has a history that you enjoy, or maybe a mechanism that you find fascinating and is worthy of hanging on your wall, it probably isn't worth investing in. A M1903 Springfield would be a great choice for sporterizing as a gunsmithing project, or maybe the right 1898 Mauser, but the values of those have exceeded their usefulness for that in recent decades. In original trim, any military type bolt action is not going to be much good for reliably hitting anything smaller than a cantaloupe at 100 yards. Rifles of that vintage tend to be chambered for enormous cartridges that straddle the timeline between black powder and smokeless nitrocellulose, so they're not enjoyable to shoot for more than a few rounds either- they pack a whallop. Whalloping is fun, but only when you can hit your target. With the ban on milsurp ammo imports, cheap .30-06, 8x57 Mauser, and 7.62x54R is all but gone, not to mention Swede, Carcano, and the rest. So unless you find a rifle particularly attractive, it's probably better to plan, save, and search for one that suits you better.
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I agree for the most part. I have an M1 Garand and although it is 30-06 I have to load ammo for it because it uses a special load to function properly, their are those who will argue this with me but it is a fact. I am building a .308 AR currently, if I were looking at anything else it would be a .338 because I want one specifically, not because its an awesome Idea, because it'll hit the target out at 500 yards plus.
 
Thank you to everyone here. I really appreciate all your knowledge and input. Sounds like I’d be better off passing on the Mauser. He’s asking $450 for it to boot. The marlin may be a winner. He’s asking $750 for it. Figured that was about market value. It is a cool gun though. I’m going to look at them this weekend. Just couldn’t make time today. I would love to find a nice M1 carbine to keep and pass on to my daughter when I go. My grandfather carried one during world war 2 so I think it would be a good one to collect
 
Pevehouse said:
Thank you to everyone here. I really appreciate all your knowledge and input. Sounds like I’d be better off passing on the Mauser. He’s asking $450 for it to boot. The marlin may be a winner. He’s asking $750 for it. Figured that was about market value. It is a cool gun though. I’m going to look at them this weekend. Just couldn’t make time today. I would love to find a nice M1 carbine to keep and pass on to my daughter when I go. My grandfather carried one during world war 2 so I think it would be a good one to collect
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The M1 Carbine is a fun gun to shoot, its a rock chunker at ranges over 75 yards but up to 75 its an accurate gun with a low recoil that isn't huge. The only issues with the M1 Carbine is the ammo is pricey even by today's standards and a gun in good shape will cost you well over 1000 bucks.
 
verbotenwhisky said:
The M1 Carbine is a fun gun to shoot, its a rock chunker at ranges over 75 yards but up to 75 its an accurate gun with a low recoil that isn't huge. The only issues with the M1 Carbine is the ammo is pricey even by today's standards and a gun in good shape will cost you well over 1000 bucks.
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A real U.S. M1 carbine (not a universal or auto ordnance) are going $1500 to $1800 around here.....I shoot mine in the local CMP 200 yard matches often.....ammo , hand load is a must!
 
verbotenwhisky said:
I agree for the most part. I have an M1 Garand and although it is 30-06 I have to load ammo for it because it uses a special load to function properly, their are those who will argue this with me but it is a fact. I am building a .308 AR currently, if I were looking at anything else it would be a .338 because I want one specifically, not because its an awesome Idea, because it'll hit the target out at 500 yards plus.
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A 500 yard target? No problem I shoot both mid range & Palma (800, 900 & 1000 yards) with a .223 . This is bolt gun,, I built with a deap chamber to handle the 80.5 ELD's. My first match rifle was an AR based rifle , 600 yards (mid range) was & is no problem .....in fact here I am at Camp Perry shooting a 600 yard mid range Resized_PART_1709159794463_Resized_20230731_112148.jpegResized_PART_1709159794608_Resized_20230731_112128.jpegResized_PART_1709159794734_Resized_20230731_095023.jpeg
 
MikeInOr said:
In my opinion sporterizing a 1903 Springfield is a great way to make a $200 rifle out of a $1000 rifle.

I have a 1917 , P17, Enfield (30-06) with a hunting stock on it. Luckily it still has the sight ears on it and is otherwise untouched. I have been looking for an authentic 1917 stock which will double (or triple) its value.
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1917's are really starting to become collectors......I have grabbed up several 03's 03A3 's & 1917's that have been "mildly" sportorized & restored them to full "military "
 
pontiac428 said:
Colonel Whelen said only accurate rifles are interesting, and I tend to agree.
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^^^

This right here. I had a Swede M96 for many years. It was a beautifully made rifle. Everything on it was serial numbered, and fitted "just right".
At the end of the day even trying to tune handloaded ammo with match grade bullets I couldn't get it to shoot better than 5 or 6 MOA.

When room ran out in the safe it went to the auction house.
 
As with anything with out knowing what he really has and a price point
Its hard to say. If your looking for what I call “representative” pieces of what was issued through out military use over time then they all are cool
Collecting ? A deep rabbit hole know what your buying

Im a “representative shooter” so they have to shoot.
Not all rifles will shoot well.
But I am happy if it will hold the black of a SR1 which is what any service rifle is good for.

I have a Swede M96 I do like it but the sights are tough on my aging vision

So see what he has and how much he wants. Hopfully ammo come along in the deal.
If your going to shoot these old work horses reloading is a way to keep shooting them.
You can also run reduced loads and cast bullets
 
verbotenwhisky said:
I agree for the most part. I have an M1 Garand and although it is 30-06 I have to load ammo for it because it uses a special load to function properly, their are those who will argue this with me but it is a fact. I am building a .308 AR currently, if I were looking at anything else it would be a .338 because I want one specifically, not because its an awesome Idea, because it'll hit the target out at 500 yards plus.
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The load is not all that special.

The issue comes down to burn rate of the powder. The heavy side of 30-06 180 , 200 , 220 grain bullet weights tend to use slower powders. In turn can over load the gas system. Most 30-06 150 gn will be fine.

There are a few manufactures making M1 safe ammo . Yet reloading is the way to go. Tou can even run lighter loads in a M1

I run 125 gn bullets with a powder charge of H4895 that is just enough to get 100% function. Great load for the 200 yard matches
 
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