Sweden · 1896–1944

Carl Gustaf m/96 Mauser

Military surplus
Landmark model

Specifications

Maker: Carl Gustaf
Type: Rifle
Action: Bolt action
Era: Classic (1890–1945)
Produced: 1896–1944
Magazine: 5 rounds
Swedish class: 1

Chambered in

6.5×55 SE

Stock

Wood

What it is worth

Value unknown

No published price was found for this model. Rather than estimate one from a comparable gun, the compendium leaves it blank.

Chapter 01

Overview

Sweden adopted the 6.5×55 m/96 in 1896, and Carl Gustafs stads gevärsfaktori in Eskilstuna built it under licence from 1898, with Mauser and later Husqvarna adding to the run. Some 535,000 long rifles were made in all, and as surplus they became rifles hunters and military-rifle shooters still go looking for.

Chapter 02

How it works

An improved Mauser 1893 pattern: two forward locking lugs and no third safety lug, cock-on-closing rather than the 98’s cock-on-opening, and a five-round internal magazine filled singly or from stripper clips. Every action was made from Swedish nickel-copper-vanadium steel and proofed with a single 6.5×55 round.

Chapter 03

Variants

The m/94 carbine shares the action; the m/38 short rifle came both as cut-down m/96s and as new Husqvarna rifles with turned-down bolt handles; about 5,300 accurate m/96s became m/41 sniper rifles with telescopic sights. After the war many were rebuilt into the CG 63 target rifle with a heavy free-floating barrel.

Chapter 04

In the field

The cartridge meets Swedish class 1, so a sporterised m/96 is a legal moose rifle — usually with the bolt handle bent down, a scope fitted and the stock cut back. The rifle was built for ammunition loaded to about 2,600 atm, though, while modern 6.5×55 is made to the CIP figure of 3,800, so what goes into the magazine matters.

Sources

Written from: Swedish Mauser — Wikipedia, Gevär m/96 — Wikipedia (sv) — read 2026-10-29

Cross-reference