Swedish Mauser Model 1896 M96 6.5×55 Bolt Action Rifle C&R 1900

SOLD FOR: $810

WOA#: WY240213CS004

Make: Waffenfabrik Mauser Oberndorf am Neckar

Model: 1896

Serial Number: 52735

Year of Manufacture: 1900

Caliber: 6.5x55mm (6.5 Swedish)

Action Type: Bolt action, internal 5 round magazine.

Markings: The left side of the receiver is marked “O.G” and “52735”. The top of the receiver is marked “WAFFENFABRIK MAUSER OBERNDORF A/N” and “1915”. The bolt handle is marked “735” and with a crown stamp. The left side of the bolt sleeve is marked “735.” The right side of the bolt sleeve is marked with a crown stamp. The rear of the safety is marked “735” and with a crown stamp”. The rear of the cocking piece is marked with a crown stamp and “735”. The extractor is marked with a crown stamp. The top of the bolt stop is marked “735”. The left side is marked with two crown stamps. The magazine follower is marked with a crown stamp. The bottom of the magazine floor plate is marked “735” and with a crown stamp. The front side of the bottom of the trigger guard assembly is marked with a crown stamp. The rear sight and rear sight base are marked with crown stamps. The underside of the rear sight slide is marked “735” twice and with a crown stamp. The left side of the barrel band is marked with a crown stamp and “735”. The bottoms of the two barrel band springs are marked with a crown stamp. The left side of the metal nose cap is marked with a crown stamp and “735”. The left side of the front sight is marked “0”. The top of the buttplate is marked with a crown stamp and “735”. The right side of the buttstock has a marking disk with the bore condition of the rifle when it was last entered into a Swedish arsenal. The underside of the grip is marked with two crown stamps and a crown “S” stamp. The end of the cleaning rod is marked “606”.

Barrel Length: 29”

Sights / Optics: The front sight is a blade post dovetailed into a barrel-mounted base. The rear sight is a sliding u-notch blade attached to an escalator assembly. The rear sight flips up to become a sight ladder that uses a sliding v-notch blade.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The two piece wood stock has a straight grip, finger grooves, metal nose cap with a hole for the included cleaning rod, barrel band with sling loop, sling loop under the buttstock, marking disk, and a metal buttplate. The buttplate is heavily pitted and there is wear along the edges. There are heavy compression marks, scuffs, and scratches throughout the wood. The buttstock has a few long scratches, of which a couple are deep. The buttstock is more heavily worn along the rear edge. There is dark discoloration around the barrel band springs. The LOP measures 14” from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. The stock rates in about Good overall condition.

Type of Finish: Blue

Finish Originality: Original

Bore Condition: The bore is semi-bright and the rifling is sharp. There is light erosion in the bore.

In this writer’s opinion, this bore rates 7.5 out of 10.

Many military and C&R eligible weapons have bores that will show erosion. This is not only due to age but to the fact that corrosive primers were commonly used in ammunition worldwide. For example, the U.S. used corrosive ammunition throughout WWII. The U.S. military did not begin to phase out corrosive-primed ammunition until the 1950s.

Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 55% of its metal finish. There are scratches and scuffs throughout the metal surfaces. There are multiple spots of thinning to the finish on the receiver. The finish has been mostly worn away from the bottom of the magazine floor plate and trigger guard assembly as well as the rear sling loop, and there are areas of light oxidation present. The bottom of the trigger guard is heavily scratched. There are impact marks along the edges of the trigger guard, on the interior of the trigger guard, and on both sides of the barrel near the muzzle. The bolt and action show usage wear. The screw heads show light to moderate use. The markings are clear, though the “N” in “A/N” is worn.  Overall, this rifle rates in about Good Condition.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We did not fire this rifle. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance requirements.

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This rifle comes with a leather sling.

Our Assessment: The Swedish Mauser Model 1896 was the second model of Mauser adopted by Sweden. Initially built by Mauser for Sweden, production was quickly taken over by the Swedish rifle factory in Eskilstuna, Carl Gustafs Stads Gevarsfaktori. Known for its accuracy and reliability, the Model 1896 and its variations served as the standard service rifle for the Swedish Armed Forces until being replaced in the 1950s. Following its phasing out of service, many were imported into the US, where they became wildly popular with hunters due to the light shooting but incredibly accurate 6.5x55mm cartridge.

This example was originally built in 1900 by Mauser in Oberndorf. Mauser only built M96 rifles in 1899 and 1900, making them much scarcer than the Swedish built rifles. Other than the cleaning rod, all of the serialized parts match.The stock is pretty beat up, with multiple deep compression marks and scratches throughout. The metal retains some of its finish, though some of the parts have very little finish remaining. The bore is sem-bright with light erosion and strong rifling, which should make for a good shooter. The rifle comes with a leather sling. This would fit into any Mauser or Swedish collection. Please see our photos.

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