FAQ about Swedish Mausers.

up dated 2009-10-17

Q: What was the muzzle thread used for?

A: It was used to attach the blank firing device. It is normally found on m/1938 and rarely on m/1896. It is never found on the sniper-version m/1941 or the carbine m/1894.

 

Q: I have seen a bag on the side on pictures?

A: The bag was used only for peace time exercises to collect spent brass after firing of blanks.

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Brass disk information.

The disks are positioned upside down on the right side of the stock, because when the soldier who normally is a right-handed shooter, looks at the disk he will have the disk in the right position.

Upside down is a disk from a g m/38;
read the explanation below.

Here we look at a disk from a Ag m/42B;
read the explanation below.

 

Swedish English
Torped Bullet with boat tail (also means "torpedo")
Överslag "Point of impact over line of sight" (also means "estimate")
STR = Streck Mills (1 Swedish mill = 1 meter at 1000 meters = 3,6" at 100 yds)
The largest sector is stamped with the calibre of the barrel.

The m/41 round had a much flatter trajectory than the older m/94. As most rifles were already manufactured with iron sights for the "m/94 bullet", the aiming correction in mills (how much lower you had to aim to hit the target) was inscribed on the brass disc. This is the information in the second sector. It was usually 0,5 mill.

The last sector gives information on the level of bore pitting. 1 means pitting in the groves. 2 means pitting in the groves and on the side of the lands. 3 means pitting in the whole bore (= unserviceable). A rifle would never receive a 3, it would instead be turned in to a work shop, where the old barrel would be exchanged for a new one.

 

Brass disk with two wholes   (courtesy of Mats Persson)

Used on the m/94 carbine, the m/96 and m/38 rifles as well as on LMGs and SMGs.

This type showed which unit the rifle belonged to.  

Army

Often in the form of:

               5
             ----- No.7
              I.2 

Which means; Rifle number 7, at the 5th Company,
at the 2nd Infantry Regiment.

The letter in front of the regiment number (beneath the horizontal line);

I Infanteri (I1 - I29)  Infantry
K Kavalleri (K1 - K9) Cavalry
A Artilleri (A1 - A9)    Artillery
T Trängen (T1 - T4) Maintenance and Supply Troops
IK Ingenjörskåren Engineer Corps

Sometimes there is a letter behind the regiment.
This is the notation for a detachment, the letter is the first letter
in the name of the place for the detachment.
 

Other army units;

KKS Kungliga Krigsskolan The Royal Military Collage (early code)
KS Krigsskolan The Royal Military Collage
SS Infanteriskjutskolan The Infantry Musketry School
SSÖ Infanteriskjutskolans övningskompani The Exercise Company of the Infantry Musketry School
AUS Arméns underofficersskola The Army Warrant Officers School
BF Fästningspolisen i Boden The Fortress Police in Boden
K-g Volontärskolan i Karlsborg The Volunteer School in Karlsborg
N-g Volontärskolan i Norrköping  The Volunteer School in Norrköping

 There could be a letter instead of a figure above the horizontal line
(and sometimes no regiment):

               S
             ----- No.124
              I.16 
 

 

S Skarpskjutningsvapen  Weapons used for practice with live ammunition (aluminium disk)
L Lösskjutningsvapen   Weapons used for blank firing
K Kammarvapen    Weapons used for gallery shooting
U Utlåningsgevär    Weapons that could be borrowed by civilian rifle organizations
D Kompanigevär vid infanteriet  Weapons that belongs to a certain company (only at Infantry regiments)
B Befälsvapen  Weapons used by Officers for practice (no horizontal bar beneath the B)   
Kpr Kulsprutekompaniet   The Machine gun company (only at Infantry regiments)

 

The disc could also look like:

             L
           ----- No.72 No.5
           I.19 
 

Which means; Rifle number 5, at the 72nd Landstormen area,
attached to the 19th Infantry Regiment.
"Landstormen" was the name for the Swedish Teritorial Army.
 

Or:
             VO
           ----- No.20
           III AF
 

Which means; Rifle number 20, at the bicycle-dispatch unit
(velocipedordonans), at the 3rd Army Division (armefördelning).
Only on carbine m/94.
 

Some later codes or abbreviations for regiments or other army-units,
that may appear together with a number:

Tyg  Fälttygkåren (Tyg1-Tyg3)  Ordnance Corps
Int  Intendenturkåren (Int1-Int4)  Quartermaster Corps
Ing  Ingenjörstrupperna (Ing1-Ing5)  Engineer Troops

 

Even later also:

S Signaltrupperna (S1-S3) Signal Troops
Lv Luftvärnet (Lv1-Lv7) Anti-aircraft Artillery
P Pansartrupperna (P1-P7;P10;P18) Armoured Troops
Af Armeflyg (Af1;Af2) Army Air Corps

 

Some weapons stored in the Armys Supply Services Armourys

IFS Intendenturförådet i Stockholm The Stckholm Armoury
IFK Intendenturförådet i Karlsborg The Karlsborg Armoury
IFB Intendenturförådet i Boden The Boden Armoury

 



    There was one exception from this kind of 'unit'-disk.
    The m/41 snipers rifle had a disk with the text;
                "G m/41 B"
   
    Which reads "Gevär m/41 B" ('Rifle model 41B').
 


Navy

The Swedish Navy often used;
 

Kgl fl Kungliga flottan  the Royal Fleet

 

The Navy used to be organized in four districts;

MDO      Ostkustens Marindistrikt  Naval Command East
MDS      Sydkustens Marindistrikt  Naval Command South
MDN      Norrlandskustens Marindistrikt  Naval Command North
MDV      Västkustens Marindistrikt  Naval Command West

 

The Coast Artillery (that was a part of the Navy) sometimes used;

SK Stockholms Kustartilleriförsvar (posted at KA1 in Vaxholm) the Coast Artillery at Stockholm
BK Blekinges Kustartilleriförsvar (posted at KA2 in Karlkrona) the Coast Artillery in Blekinge
GK Gotlands Kustartilleriförsvar (posted at KA3 at Fårösund) the Coast Artillery on Gotland
GbK Göteborgs Kustartilleriförsvar (posted at KA4 in Göteborg) the Coast Artillery at Göteborg
HK Hemsö Kustartilleriförsvar (posted at KA4H in Härnösand) the Coast Artillery at Hemsö

(HK was later changed to NK and KA4H was changed to KA5)

It seems like the Coast Artillery also used the KA1 - KA5 denotations.

 

The Navy also used numerous other markings, like:

ÖVG  Örlogsvarvet Göteborg  the Navy dockyard in Göteborg

 


 

Air Force

The Swedish Air Force used;
 

F  Flygflottilj (F1 - F22)  Air Force Station (Group)

 

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Was there a special sniper rifle version of the m/96?

Yes, there was a special sniper rifle version of the m/96 designated rifle m/41 ("Gevär m/41"). These rifles were selected species of "well shooting" m/96’s. Prior to the modifications their bores were checked and the rifles were fired for accuracy. The modifications consisted of drilling and tapping the receiver on the left side of the receiver and to mount a telescopic sight with mount. These sniper rifles are now obsolete, and were replaced in 1991 with the modern 7,62 mm sniper rifle PSG 90.

This rifle had a a two whole brass disk, which reads:

                "G m/41 B"
   
Translated - "Gevär m/41 B" ('Rifle model 41B').
 

 

 


 

What does the "turn down bolt handle" indicate?
A "turn down bolt handle" on m/1938 rifles indicates that the rifle is a converted m/1896. All m/96 had straight bolt handles. Husqvarna made m/1938 were normally produced as m/38 with the handle down from the beginning (like the picture above). However there is a small number of HVA produced m/1896 (with straight handles).

 


 

Q: Why is there a lug on the cooking piece?
The soldiers were allowed to dry fire the rifles in training if they first put a piece of leather between the cooking piece and the bolt. That was the reason for the lug on the cooking piece. On the picture the mechanism is cocked and locked. Safe to the same side as the handle!

The reason for the checkering of the cooking piece is to make it easier to dismantle the bolt.

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Q: What accessories were used?

The following accessories have been used over the years:

  • Leather sling (m/1938 with hook)
  • Oil can
  • Cleaning brush
  • Illuminating night sights
  • Bayonet >>>>>>>>>>>>> See article about bayonets
  • Blank firing device
  • Spent case collector
  • Cleaning cord (for the carbine, which did not have a cleaning rod)
  • Front sight adjustment tool (after 1950)

 

Illuminating night sights

 

 

Front sight adjustment vise

Different front sight adjustment vises were used. On top m/43G marked with instructions for adjusting the sight of the m/96 and m/38.

 

To the left another type of adjustment vise.

 

 

 

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Q: Why is the cleaning rod so short?
There was an attachment that should have been used, but it was never issued for the field service - only for peace time cleaning in the barracks. It looked like this.

This Muzzle protection was normally used together with the cleaning rod.

 

 


 

Q: What was the purpose of the hole in the front barrel band?

It was used during rests when the soldiers connected their rifles together with a cleaning rod through this hole.

 

Bolt handles on Kar m/94, Rifle m/96 and m/38.

Mechanism of
Carbine m/94
Mechanism of
Short rifle m/38 type 2
Mechanism of
Long rifle m/96 and
Short rifle m/38 type 1
Mechanism of
Long rifle m/96

 


 

Production figures for the Swedish Army Rifles
m/1896, m/1938, m/1941 and Carbine m/1894.

Weapon Manufacturer

Production

Quantity

Carbine m/94 ("Karbin m/94") Mauser

1894-1896

12.000

Carbine m/94 ("Karbin m/94") Carl Gustafs Stads Gevärsfaktori

1895-1933

115.000

Rifle m/96 ("Gevär m/96") Mauser

1896-1899

40.000

Rifle m/96 ("Gevär m/96") Carl Gustafs Stads Gevärsfaktori

1899-1936

475.000

Rifle m/96 ("Gevär m/96") Husqvarna Vapenfabriks AB (HVA)

1942-1944

20.000

Rifle m/38 ("Gevär m/38") Carl Gustafs Stads Gevärsfaktori

1938-1940

55.080 m/96 were converted to m/38

Rifle m/38 ("Gevär m/38") Husqvarna Vapenfabriks AB (HVA)

1942-1944

88.150

Sniper rifle m/41 ("Gevär m/41") Carl Gustafs Stads Gevärsfaktori

1941-1943

5.300 selected and modified m/96

 


Husqvarna Vapenfabrik AB

Serial Numbers/year

Rifle m/38 (Gev m/38) Low High Quantity
1941 600035 628717 28 672
1942 628822 667603 38 781
1943 669783 683939 14 156
1944 704000 705969 1 969
Rifle m/96 (Gev m/96) Low High Quantity
1942 695810    
1943 689087 697837 8 750
1944 697641 702969 5 328
1945 698649    

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