The Swedish Mauser Rifles (For Collectors Only) [Illustrated] [Paperback]

Steve Kehaya (Author), Joe Poyer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2011 | Series: For collectors only

The Swedish Mauser is considered by many collectors to be the finest of the pre-World War I designs for military rifles. Resembling a fine sporting arm, it was extremely accurate due in part to its 6.5 x 55 mm cartridge but also to the skill and precision with which it was manufactured. The Swedish Mauser Rifles provides North Cape Publications famous part-by-part description of these fine rifles complete with all markings, codes and inspection markings, plus translated lists of unit and regimental markings. A complete history of the rifle's development is included, as are detailed descriptions sniper and target rifles. The bolt action rifle adopted by Sweden in the mid-1890s was based on the Mauser design for Spain with significant changes to make it suitable for use by Swedish forces. While Sweden has not fought a war since Napoleonic times, they have maintained a strong military defense force based on universal conscription for over 150 years. They key to that defense system's effectiveness against German expansionism and Warsaw Pact-NATO competition has lain both in the willingness of the nation's citizens to defend their territory and in the quality and precision manufacture of their weapons. Sweden has long been known as a center for the manufacture of fine firearms. As early as the 16th century, individual gunsmiths began to group together to provide firearms for Swedish armies. Nine great state-operated armories were constructed and operated in Sweden between 1560 and 1812 of which the greatest and longest-lived was the Carl Gustaf's stad Gev„rsfaktoriet of Eskilstuna (Carl Gustav's City Factory) which was responsible for the design and the major production of the famous m/94 carbine and m/96 series of rifles between 1896 and 1925. The contract for an initial 52 carbines based on the Spanish Mauser carbine was awarded to the Mauser factory at Oberndorf, Germany and after short trials were completed, a second and third contract for additional carbines with the new changes were awarded for a total of 12,185 additional m/94 carbines. Meanwhile, design engineers and tool makers in Sweden were busy completing the design of what would become the m/96 rifle. This new rifle with a 29.1 inch entered production at the Carl Gustaf factory in early 1896. Before rifle production was completed at that factory in 1925, more than 517,000 rifles would be built. The Mauser Oberndorf factory in Germany was also awarded a contract in 1899 to produce and additional 40,000 m/96 rifles. Thus, Sweden's armed neutrality made it possible for her to resist the blandishments of both sides during World War I. In the mid-1930s, with war clouds once again gathering over Europe, the Swedish government undertook another complete review of here military readiness.

A massive rearmament program was instituted, and in 1938, the barrels of some 30,000 m/96 rifles were reduced in length to 24.5 inches to produce the m/96-38 rifle. In 1941, contracts were awarded to the manufacturing firm of Husqvarna to produce 60,000 more rifles with the short barrel, now designated the m/38 rifle. With the end of the war, it was clear that the bolt action, five shot rifle was obsolete. Sweden was already experimenting with a semi-automatic battle rifle, the AG42B, and with a variety of automatic personal weapons. Large stocks of the m/96 rifle had gone to Finland in 1939 during the Winter War against Soviet aggression, and now, thousands more were sold to Denmark and Norway to reequip their military forces after the German occupation. Most American firearms enthusiasts became aware of the Swedish Mauser in the early 1950s when the first m/94 carbines were imported by two companies called Pasadena Firearms and InterArms Company, respectively. Rifles followed until 1968 when the Gun Control Act of that year forbade the further importation of military firearms. But

Editorial Reviews

Review

Collectors and fans of the Swedish Mauser will be thrilled with The Swedish Mauser Rifles, written by Steve Kehaya and Joe Poyer. This book is an excellent read and filled with . . . the minutest parts details and has an incredible appendix. The book begins with . . . a detailed discussion of each model [of Swedish rifle and carbine] and photo illustrations. There are plenty of photographs, drawings and specification charts. Chapter 2 is a part-by-part analysis and covers everything from butt plates, stocks, barrel bands, etc., even down to the screws. There are different variations in parts, and each one is discussed. To clarify, drawings and photos are provided. The section of stock disks is explained in enough detail to easily determine the rack number . . . branch of service or unit . . . a gun was assigned to, and the degree of throat erosion. Chapter 3 deals with markings and serial numbers. Manufacturer s markings, additional receiver markings, inspector s markings . . . are all covered in great detail. You could literally spend hours on this chapter [with] your Swedish Mauser by your side. Chapter 4 covers sniper rifle models up to the present PS90 based on the AWS Sniper Rifle. Accessories and changes are covered in detail. Chapter 5 covers rifle and carbine accessories . . . slings, bayonets, frogs, cleaning rods . . . you name it . . . and of course, there are plenty of great pictures. --Gibbs Military Collectors Club

[This] books is a carefully research and detailed reference work written by two enthusiastic admirers of the [Swedish Mauser] rifles and carbines. It provides [a] history, development, and detailed description of the subject. Each individual gun-part, including those of all known variations, is described in detail with the help of line drawings or photographs . . . is useful to owners, or would-be purchasers trying to date or classify an example or check if it is an original, unadulterated example. Model 1894 carbines are the rarest and most expensive of these weapons along side, as always, original sniper rifles. All in all, The Swedish Mauser Rifles is a must-have for the collector and shooter of these fine classics. Laurie Holland --Target Sports

From the Publisher

Although the Swedish Mauser rifle has long been considered a fine collectible firearm and an excellent shooter, other than a few magazine articles and one book published in Germany, there has never been an authoritative source of information about these fine rifles available to the collector. That has now changed. The authors, one an executive with a large firearms importer and manufacturer and the other, an author of over four hundred magazine articles on firearms and military affairs, teamed to write the definitive book on the Swedish Mauser rifle, and succeeded.

In its 255 pages, the history of its development and use is described, a part-by-part analysis of all models is provided, complete with markings, codes, inspection marks and any changes made during the rifle's production life. A survey of 478 rifles was performed and more 150 were disassembled completely. Information was received from collectors around the world and from the Swedish defense forces, the last director of the Carl Gustaf factory and from its modern successor.

Product Details

• Paperback: 263 pages
• Publisher: North Cape Publications Inc; 3, Revised edition (June 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1882391268
• ISBN-13: 978-1882391264
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #452,473 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good technical resource for Mauser owners, April 10, 2000

By 

"doug1507" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Swedish Mauser Rifles (For Collectors Only) (Paperback)

This book is mainly a technical reference for Swedish Mauser rifles. The bulk of the book is contained in the chapter on parts, in which every part of the rifle is described in great detail for every model of Swedish Mauser. If you have a Swedish Mauser, these descriptions are very useful.

The other chapters are less substantial, providing an overview of the whole range of Swedish Mauser models, the life history of that rifle in the Swedish military and its final disposition out of that military, the marking system used on that rifle (serial numbers, status disk, inspections, etc.), a short excursion into sniper rifle models, some accessories available for the Swedish Mauser, and various (too short) appendixes on Swedish military history, Mauser production records, steels used, ammunition used, and so on.

If you own (as I do) or are thinking of purchasing a Swedish Mauser, this book is very useful and informative. If you don't own one of these rifles, the book won't be as useful although it will help you round out your knowledge of historical weapons.

If you don't own any guns and aren't interested in them, you'll probably wonder why anyone in their right mind would write a book like this.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A satisfying "first reference" on Swedish Mausers, October 2, 2001

By 

Larry M. Jordan (Chandler, AZ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Swedish Mauser Rifles (For Collectors Only) (Paperback)

I purchased a pair of Swedish Mausers (thanks to Boston T. Party's high praise in "Boston's Gun Bible") and needed a no-nonsense reference which would tell me precisely what I needed to know to identify, disassemble, clean and make preparations for restoration, if need be. I like pithy little books--some photos, accurate line drawings, descriptive text, tables. My only disappointment was the lack of loading information--bullets, primers, powders which I might use to duplicate the military loadings. I would buy other volumes in this series.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great starter for the Swede collector, April 23, 2004

By 

Greg Thacker "The G-Man" (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Swedish Mauser Rifles (For Collectors Only) (Paperback)

This book (and the others in the series) does a great job of providing a lot of specific information related to the Swedish Mauser rifles. There's a ton of info and illustrations detailing the different stocks, hand guards, front/rear sights, barrels, sling swivels, barrel bands, triggers, bolts, etc. The book also sheds some light on the different types of ammunition, accesories (bayonets, slings, etc.), and production methods used to craft these fine rifles.

There's not a lot of history explained, but the book does include lots of production figures and explanations/illustrations for many of the stock cartouches and receiver/barrel markings you're likely to encounter while hunting for Swedes at the local gunshow.

The book is also written with a certain degree of redundancy -- the author may, for example, mention why a particular sight was used on a particular rifle in more than one spot so that the reader doesn't need to thumb through the book trying to remember where he/she first saw that information. That's definitely helpful since it lessens the need to read the book cover to cover on the first pass.

All in all this is a great book and truly deserves to be in every Swede collector's library.