Carl · Rifle
Swedish Mauser m/96
Bolt action · 6.5x55mm Swedish · introduced 1896
Also known as Gevär m/96, Model 1896, Swedish Mauser
About the Swedish Mauser m/96
The Swedish Mauser m/96 (Gevär m/96) is a small-ring bolt-action service rifle developed from the Model 1893 action and chambered in the flat-shooting 6.5x55mm cartridge. Built by Carl Gustafs Stads Gevärsfaktori, Husqvarna and Mauser Oberndorf, it was made from a high-grade Swedish alloy steel and is renowned as one of the most accurate issue bolt-action rifles ever fielded. Many examples carry a brass stock disc indicating bore and throat condition.
Prized for accuracy and Swedish steel, the m/96 is sometimes called the crown jewel of surplus Mausers; the brass disc set into many stocks isn't decoration but a maintenance gauge recording bore condition and throat erosion, which collectors read to judge a rifle's wear.
Swedish Mauser m/96 specifications
General
- Type
- Rifle
- Action
- Bolt action
- Trigger
- Single stage
- Calibres
- 6.5x55mm Swedish
- Magazine capacity
- 5 rounds
- Magazine
- Internal
Dimensions
- Barrel length
- 739 mm (29.1 in)
- Overall length
- 1260 mm (49.6 in)
- Weight (empty)
- 4.00 kg (8.82 lb)
Barrel
- Rifling twist
- 1:8 in (200 mm)
- Rifling
- Right hand
- Grooves
- 6
Materials
- Barrel
- Steel
- Receiver / frame
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- blued
Performance
- Muzzle velocity (typical)
- 725 m/s (2379 fps)
- Muzzle energy (typical)
- 2392 J (1764 ft·lb)
- Effective range
- 600 m
History
- Introduced
- 1896
- Discontinued
- 1925
- Production status
- Out of production
- Country of origin
- SE
- Designer
- Paul Mauser
Features
- Controlled round feed
- Staggered internal magazine
- Stripper clip loading
- High grade swedish steel
- Bore condition stock disc
Safety
- Wing safety
Sweden's neutrality meant the m/96 saw essentially no combat in Swedish hands; it remained in second-line and home-guard service into the 1960s and is highly prized on the surplus market.
