Need help identifying an old Husqvarna 6.5x55

[Wild Bill IV]

Certainly looks like a Swede manufactured around 1912.

I would not do any more drilling or tapping until you figure things out.

Do you have a really good LGS?

How far are you from Hart?
Nescopeck, PA
(570) 752-3655

SHORT STORY IN THE CONTINUING MYSTERY DETECTIVE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, by Wild Bill!!!

WATSON: It looks like a 1912 Swedish Mauser!!!

SHERLOCK: On the contrary MR WATSON, it is a Swedish manufacturered 1942 Husky M38, not a 1912 Swedish M94 or M96!
The scope mounting hole covering the 3rd year stamp digit is quit deceiving!!!

WATSON: HOW CAN YOU CONFIRM THAT STATEMENT SHERLOCK????

SHERLOCK HOLMES: The proof, MR WATSON, is in the production data and history of the M96, M94, M38 and the OP stamped factory name, missing CREST stamp, and Serial Number (SN)!! DON'T BE MISLEAD BY THE LARGER CREST STAMP, OR LACK OF THAT STAMP, WHICH BY THE WAY DETERMINES IT AGE, AND THE MUCH SMALLER "LAZY CROWN" INSPECTION STAMPS ON EVERY SWEDISH MAUSER, MR WATSON!! I will reference research information from the COLLECTORS ADDITION Book: CROWN JEWELS, The Mauser in Sweden BY Dana Jones!!!!

Waffenfabrik factory (Germany Crest Stamp) 1899-1900 M96 only
Carl Gustaf factory (Sweden Crest Stamp) 1898-1932. M94 & M96
Carl Gustav factory (Sweden Crest Stamp) 1938-1940. M38 only
Husqvarna, "Husky" factory (Sweden no Crest Stamp) 1941-1945 M38
Husqvarna factory (Sweden no Crest Stamp) 1942-1945 M96
Only ONE 1942 Husky M96 was made SN: 695810 and is not the OP SN!!!

WATSON: Wouldn't it be great to have that 1942 HUSKY M96!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The 1st Husky M96 ever produced and the only M96 stamped 1942!!!!!!!

SHERLOCK: Let's get back into the investigation, MR WATSON!! The photo of the top of the receiver has no CREST STAMP Around the factory name stamp!!
Plus, the factory stamp is from the Husky factory!!!
There fore, MR WATSON, the year stamp is 1942, and Husky only made M38 models that year expect for the one M96 that you would like to have MR WATSON!!

WATSON: Looks like this case is closed SHERLOCK!!

SHERLOCK: The last piece of evidence in this mysterious case puzzle, MR WATSON, shows the OP SN falls in the production year SN range!!

1942 HUSKY M38 PRODUCTION SN (628822 TO 667603)!!!!!!

THE OP HAS A 1942 HUSKY M38, SN: 649765, MY DEAR WATSON!!!

WATSON: Brilliant deduction HOLMES!!!!

--------- THE END --------

A special thanks to pintopete!! I, in no means, am putting you down PETE, but your reply inspired me!!! This short story is a reflection of my philosophy in acquiring rare military and target C&R/Antiques to add to my firearm investments!!! I use this philosophy at 1000 plus table Gun Shows!!! I'm quit satisfied with those investments in the last few decades!!! One investment has yielded well over 1000% growth in around 40 years!!! Better than long term stocks or precious metals!!!!
I wish I owned the 1942 Husky M96!! I could have retired years ago!!!

 

[pintopete]

SHORT STORY IN THE CONTINUING MYSTERY DETECTIVE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, by Wild Bill!!!

WATSON: It looks like a 1912 Swedish Mauser!!!

SHERLOCK: On the contrary MR WATSON, it is a Swedish manufacturered 1942 Husky M38, not a 1912 Swedish M94 or M96!
The scope mounting hole covering the 3rd year stamp digit is quit deceiving!!!

WATSON: HOW CAN YOU CONFIRM THAT STATEMENT SHERLOCK????

SHERLOCK HOLMES: The proof, MR WATSON, is in the production data and history of the M96, M94, M38 and the OP stamped factory name, missing CREST stamp, and Serial Number (SN)!! DON'T BE MISLEAD BY THE LARGER CREST STAMP, OR LACK OF THAT STAMP, WHICH BY THE WAY DETERMINES IT AGE, AND THE MUCH SMALLER "LAZY CROWN" INSPECTION STAMPS ON EVERY SWEDISH MAUSER, MR WATSON!! I will reference research information from the COLLECTORS ADDITION Book: CROWN JEWELS, The Mauser in Sweden BY Dana Jones!!!!

Waffenfabrik factory (Germany Crest Stamp) 1899-1900 M96 only
Carl Gustaf factory (Sweden Crest Stamp) 1898-1932. M94 & M96
Carl Gustav factory (Sweden Crest Stamp) 1938-1940. M38 only
Husqvarna, "Husky" factory (Sweden no Crest Stamp) 1941-1945 M38
Husqvarna factory (Sweden no Crest Stamp) 1942-1945 M96
Only ONE 1942 Husky M96 was made SN: 695810 and is not the OP SN!!!

WATSON: Wouldn't it be great to have that 1942 HUSKY M96!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The 1st Husky M96 ever produced and the only M96 stamped 1942!!!!!!!

SHERLOCK: Let's get back into the investigation, MR WATSON!! The photo of the top of the receiver has no CREST STAMP Around the factory name stamp!!
Plus, the factory stamp is from the Husky factory!!!
There fore, MR WATSON, the year stamp is 1942, and Husky only made M38 models that year expect for the one M96 that you would like to have MR WATSON!!

WATSON: Looks like this case is closed SHERLOCK!!

SHERLOCK: The last piece of evidence in this mysterious case puzzle, MR WATSON, shows the OP SN falls in the production year SN range!!

1942 HUSKY M38 PRODUCTION SN (628822 TO 667603)!!!!!!

THE OP HAS A 1942 HUSKY M38, SN: 649765, MY DEAR WATSON!!!

WATSON: Brilliant deduction HOLMES!!!!

--------- THE END --------

A special thanks to pintopete!! I, in no means, am putting you down PETE, but your reply inspired me!!! This short story is a reflection of my philosophy in acquiring rare military and target C&R/Antiques to add to my firearm investments!!! I use this philosophy at 1000 plus table Gun Shows!!! I'm quit satisfied with those investments in the last few decades!!! One investment has yielded well over 1000% growth in around 40 years!!! Better than long term stocks or precious metals!!!!
I wish I owned the 1942 Husky M96!! I could have retired years ago!!!

No offense taken at all Wild Bill. We are all on the same page, trying to help. Now that I look at the spacing of the numbers that are the date, 1942 seems to be more likely correct.

I also suspect that the top of the rear action ring has been ground to remove the stripper clip ears, and it appears that the work was done unevenly. That condition is going to make it very hard to properly install a scope base, and to get a scope “right”. Sorry to say. Hard to tell from pictures here.

 

[Wild Bill IV]

No offense taken at all Wild Bill. We are all on the same page, trying to help. Now that I look at the spacing of the numbers that are the date, 1942 seems to be more likely correct.

I also suspect that the top of the rear action ring has been ground to remove the stripper clip ears, and it appears that the work was done unevenly. That condition is going to make it very hard to properly install a scope base, and to get a scope “right”. Sorry to say. Hard to tell from pictures here.

I totally agree!! It is a buyers beware business, and you have to inspect every aspect, or a little oversight might come back to bite you!!! These old rifles have seen military service, long durations of storage, rough handling in transporting, pasting through many hands, and most have been abused!!! That is why, I do my research and inspections before I buy!!! 100s of gun shows will teach you what to look for, research, and to wait for the proper time to buy and get a break on a good deal!!!! I've looked at millions of these old rifles!!! Most, now are junk!!! But every now and then, mostly from old estates now, the beneficiaries don't have a clue to grade and value!!! That is when the cat like reflex comes into play and you pounce on that deal!!!

There is one aspect that nobody has issued!!! Some of these old rifles have be ground down and polished to remove rust and pitting!! Then reblued to look like nothing happened to increase grade and value!! This could also be a factor of the mounts not seating properly!!!

I have one question for you, pintopete??
WHAT YOU YOU DO IF YOU HAD THAT VERY, VERY RARE 1942 HUSKY M96??? That one of one kind of a specimen!!!

 

[pintopete]

My suggestion to wkndwarrior is to focus on getting his sighting squared away first. The rifle is already drilled and tapped for scope bases, so as far as untouched/original, that is gone. But now make it the best he can. Checking the alignment on Mausers like this is tedious, but can be done at home. Also, ya gotta know, I’m not a gunsmith. Don’t even play one on TV. That being said, here is the way I do it.
Place the rifle in a cradle or some non-marring fixture that holds it in place. Install the two Weaver bases as is. No shims or anything. Screws don’t need to be super tight, but tight enough to keep them in place without movement. You’re just checking. Mark the barrel at increments with a black magic marker starting at the muzzle, then in 6” or more increments. If we track what wkndwarrior is reporting to us, his issue is windage, not elevation. So, his measuring or comparisons will be on the side or sides of the barrel. One thing in doing this is that the center of the barrel must be accessible above the wood stock. It may be necessary to remove the action from the wood stock. In any case. Get a pad, and record the diameter of the barrel at each of the magic marker locations on the barrel. Divide these diameters in half. Half the OD is the center. Now, get your long machinist ruler, and with 5 hands, or a willing assistant, measure to ensure that things are parallel to the bore. You will be measuring to the OD of the barrel, using the machinist ruler as your straight edge, and actually measuring with a vernier caliper. Everything must be held straight. Measuring at angles between two objects will yield inaccurate measurements. Write these numbers down, ad them to half the diameter, and move along towards the rear. Referencing the bases up on top, and not on the side will be a challenge. Gotta figure it out, and do it. The other given challenge is to do all this without marring up the rifle. I can tell you that measuring windage is going to be harder with this method than elevation. If you have a buddy with a milling machine, you could do this more easily by holding the barreled action in the milling machine vise, and mount a magnetic base and dial indicator somewhere on the machine. Note, I’m not a machinist either.

This is the tedious part of these projects, but to me it’s the only real way to get it right.
While you have everything out, and setup for this checking exercise, I would also check to ensure that the tops of the scope bases are parallel to the bore. The two bases also must be parallel to each other, and parallel to the bore. If the bases are out of whack one way or another, it will never work well, or “shoot straight”.

The other thing is that when considering putting this or any used scope on, center the reticle both ways first. If this were me, I would use a different scope for the next try. Take out a known good Leupold straight 12x. Use that. Shoot at 50 yards the most at the back of a shotgun patterning target. Mark a point of aim with a black marker. You can always move the target further away after you have achieved some basic accuracy.

This is part of the fun of modifying or converting an iron sight military rifle for use with a scope. Something it was never intended to accommodate. Having said that, I have many that have been converted, and prefer scoped rifles for most things.
Hopefully I explained my home method well enough. Machinist ruler needs to be 30” or longer. You’ll be limited with a 24”. Gotta be pretty stiff too.

Good luck, and have a good day, Peter.

 

[koger]

I have a solution I have did myself on several 96 swedes that bubba has had hold of the over the past 40 years. Look on Ebay and find a B square one piece base for the 96/38 Swede Mauser. The front two holes should ine up, and the back one hole may or may not line up. It should be possible to either drill another hole in the base, to match one of the existing holes in the rear of the receiver, if they are inline with each other. If the holes are off to one side of the receiver or another slightly, and are inline, mounting the one piece base will work, then you can simply put on a pair of windage adjustable Weaver type rings to get it lined up with the bore.

 

[Jonnyofalltrades]

wkndwarrior, it looks like you've gotten this thing screwed up pretty good. That shim pack you've got under the back ring isn't going to hold.

The base can be epoxy bedded to the reciever, encapsulating the shim pack.
It works great. Done carefully, you can't even see it.

 

[wkndwarrior]

I followed Jonny's recommendation and used some Devcon to bed the base. Put it all back together and it's solid and the scope zero's without any inserts. Now I just need to find some time for the range. Thanks for the recommendations! I forgot to grab another picture after cleaning all of the wax off but it cleaned up nicely and is back in the safe for now.

 

[koger]

I bought a rifle I built a guy on a surplus 6.5x55 several years ago Friday off of a guy who did not know what it was.In was in a syn stock, bedded with the barrel floated with a Timney featherweight deluxe trigger with a Rem 700 style saftey, and a B Square one piece rail. The barrel is 22" long and has a 11 degree crown. I cleaned the barrel, put on a Vortex 4x12x40 Vanquish scope in steel Millet rings and zeroed it at 25 and 100 yds in 5 shots.I then shot 2 3 shot groups each with 120 Sierra SP and 140 Sierra BTSP. The trigger was set at 2.5# and the 120s shot a .338 group, the 140s a .304 average of both 3 shot groups, using IMR 3031. You are missing the boat if you don't try this powder, I have been shooting it since 1985 and still shoots the light out

 

[wkndwarrior]

Just an update. I haven't had a ton of free time lately, but I did get out and shoot the Husky last month (and finally just consolidated my data). I think it's safe to say that the scope mounts are no longer an issue. Almost as I expected, the light loads weren't the most accurate but once compressed I got some decent groups. It was a few weeks ago and the weather was pretty miserable - windy and cold. I'm going to pursue varying my seating depths with the Barnes 120 GR TSX between 46.5 and 46.8 grains of IMR 4350 for the next trip out. Should make for a nice white tail load.

 

[koger]

My 96 that I sporterized hates Barnse, try the 120 Sierra spitzer with 40.0 g IMR3031 behind it, if it don't cloverleaf and the barrel is floated it will surprise me. If you cant find any of the bullets, pm me and I will send you some free to try.

 

[wkndwarrior]

Thanks Koger, I am going to give these a try. If I can get consistent groups under an inch I'll be happy with it and it'll work for the area that I hunt. It doesn't hurt that I bought a box of 250 a while back too. I've had a lot of luck in varying seating depths with Barnes.

 

[Exercion]

Congrats on getting it shooting again. The Swede seems to like slow powders. My go to powders are H4831SC and RL22. Under a 140 class bullet. If an M96 or 38 won't shoot those, something is wrong with it. My 41b ate up 140 gr Amax's, and Lapua 139 Scenars like candy

 

[ebb]

See throughs??? Really Josh???? We need to have a talk.

 

[joshb]

See throughs??? Really Josh???? We need to have a talk.

I know, right? Don’t they look cool?

 

[ebb]

What size tube is that scope? Maybe I could look around and find a base and some rings for you????

 

[joshb]

What size tube is that scope? Maybe I could look around and find a base and some rings for you????

That damn rig caused me more problems! I got the 30mm? scope on sale. Impulse buy at my LGS. I tried three different sets of rings I had in my parts drawer, including a set of Burris Extreme rings with the inserts. That bell at the back of the scope was in the way of the bolt handle. I needed to get higher! I went to town to visit our local Gibson’s Hardware store, where they have an 8x8 foot wall of rings and bases. Those sea thru rings were the tallest they had so I grabbed them. They worked, I locked everything down and called it good. With 5-6 hours into that fiasco, I figured I’d live with it as a reminder about impulse buys and old guns.
That said, I didn’t mind being able to see the irons for a close in snap shot.
The gun is my “sit by the back door in case I see a coyote.” Otherwise, it sits in the safe as one of my favorite old collectibles.