Project: one Savage sweede

JeepsAndGuns · January 16, 2009, 10:53

So I have had a nice M96 sweedish mauser for several years now. Its in sweet shape, and made in 1902. After shooting it a while I really started likeing the 6.5X55 round. I started wanting a scoped rifle in this caliber. I could not bring myself to have this cherry sweede drilled and tapped, and I wanterd a real scope, not a scout scope. So I figured, why not build one.
It all started quite a few years ago. I read about the turk mausers and how they are a large ring action, with small ring threads. Sweet, just take the large ring turk action, and screw on a small ring sweedish barrel. I read where several had done it. So I found a beat turk, with a sewer pipe barrel for $75. I strip it down and remove the barrel. I found a NOS M96 barrel for a decent price and I was set. Didnt know what I was gonna do about the bolt handle yet. But I got distracted, and there the project set on the workbench for about 4-5 years untill this past mid summer. I got the wild hair and decided to start working on it again.
I look around brownells and find a nice weld on bolt handle and order it up. I figured since I now have a welder, I will do the bolt myself. I got a heat sink, and heat controll paste and went to town. I will skip the details, but it turned out quite nice. I was proud of myself. I ordered a scope mount for it while I was at it.
I wanted this rifle solid black. Skip some of the story, but I failed badly with two diffrent used wood stocks. So I decided to buy a new synthetic one. Well I found one I really liked, I loved the looks of it, but they did not make it for the mauser action, and I didnt much like the standard/generic syn stocks out there. So I think for a while while I figure out the barrel.
I had the NOS sweede barrel, but I wanted to have a nice rifle. So I started thinking about a new made, bull barrel. I was taking to some guys on a diffrent gun fourm and they said get what you want, and do not use the NOS barrel as its a hard to find part now and are worth more to collectors. I had a collector PM me and offered me $200 for the barrel. So naturally I sold it. But the guys also had another good point. Now that I will be buying a nice match grade barrel, why put it in a old beat up mil-surp action, even with work, it will never be as good as a new modern action. Makes sense. So I think long and hard and decide to ditch the mauser action and get a new modern action. But what? Cant quite afford a nice rem or win, plus my caliber is going to be a custom job, so I want to save as much as I can buying the rifle.
A good friend at the local range turns me on to Savage. He has a couple, and shoots 1000 yd matches with one. He shows me all about them, and all the features, and what makes them nice. Plus the accu-trigger is nice! I go back and find that stock I really really liked. Savage is one of the actions they make one to fit. SWEET. I need a long action to fit the caliber I am useing, and want just the standard blued steel base model with the accu-trigger, to save money. Since I will be useing only the action, and replaceing everything else.
They only offer 3 cailbers with the long action and the bolt head I need, 25-06, 270, and 30-06. So after much shopping around, I bring home a brand new in the box savage model 111 in 270win for $475 out the door. Cant beat the price with a stick! I couldnt fina a used rem for that much (around here anyways)
I pull it out of the box, pull the action out of the stock, and put it in a padded hard plastic case and mail it straight to douglas barrels to have them install a brand new #8 contour (1in dia) premimum air guaged barrel on it in cal 6.5X55. I will skip all the details about chooseing a barrel maker, but douglas seemed to be the best bang for the buck. (no pun intended)
Now I needed a finish. After much searching and asking around, I decided on dura-coat. I ordered their complete finishing kit (complete with air brush kit) and went to town. (getting tired of typeing, so I will skip the details) But it turned out real nice.
I order up the stock I wanted. Its the choate ultimate varminter. I tell you, I love this stock! Both the look and the feel. And no bedding required either.
I top it off with a Ken Farrell one peice steel base, a set of HD burris rings, and a bushnell 6-18X50 scope. I have had this scope for several years and never installed it on a rifle. I cant even remember what I got it for or why. But I figured I would use it for this, since I already had it.
So I search around for the best way to break in the barrel. Reccomended by my friend, and several others, you shoot one shot, and completely clean the barrel with a copper removeing cleaner (butches bore shine) Fire the next shot, clean, etc... You do this for the first 20 shots! So I follow their advice and thats where I am at right now. I am in the middle of doing that.
Last weekend I did the first 5 shots, and 90% zeroed in the scope. Yesterday I did the next 5 shots and tried for a group while I was doing it. And not too very bad I might add. Seeing as how this is factory loaded ammo. It should get better when I neck size this brass and start hand loading for it. Sill need to give the scope another click or two.

Ok, your tired of reading, and I am tired of typeing, so on to the pics!

And the target. Not too bad, seeing as these are shots # 6,7,8,9,and 10 that have ever been fired out of this rifle. The one flier was my fault.

mj2evans · January 16, 2009, 11:09

I could not agree more with your choice of 6.5x55 or a Savage. I have a set up similar to yours in 308 (Savage 10FP in a Choate stock). Stock is good for the money (not my fav but huge improvement over what it had and the accu trigger is really quite good). I am now looking for a Savage or Stevens long action to build up a 6.5x55 rig. I hate to say it but I think the Sweed round rivals the 30-06 for usefulness and it recoils a bit less (helps in accurate shooting).

I am not getting rid of my 30-06s but that Sweed round is nice!

Ron Walker · January 16, 2009, 16:57

Amen to the Swede! My personal light deer rifle is a Mexican Small Ring 98 with a new '36 Swede barrel tapered and installed. 3/4" @100 yds each year I check it for zero. In a synthetic stock and 3x9x40 scope and ammo the whole kit weighs just a shade over 7 lbs. Killed a 160# Buck with it a few years back. Went through and through the heart/lung region including a rib. Ron

roster228 · January 17, 2009, 07:28

I have a swede sporter, love the caliber.

Im glad to read that someone elses projects go through as many delays, distractions and changes as mine do! May they all turn out so well in the end!

johnnycobra · January 17, 2009, 08:13

Mind telling us ballpark price on the douglas barrel job?
I too am thinking about another sweded- though it will be a #4 heavy sporter with a 20-22" barrel and a nice plain walnut stock.

Thinking Remington, but I am considering others including savage.

Slightly handier, heavier barrel hunting rifle than my CZ550 - actually the 550's my son's now.

You have a very unique rifle there - lefty target savage in a non-factory caliber. That is AWESOME!

Deltaten · January 17, 2009, 09:20

J&G:

I have been holding off on a similar project for exactly the reasons and events/decisions you have gone thru.

Hmmm... wonder if Savage makes a HB 6.5 ta begin with???
Sure would save a lotta aggravation... not as much fun; but WTH.. more time reloading and shooting can't be all that bad

Sweet Swede!....uhhhh Savage...uhhhhh Douglas...uhhh.....shooter

Paul

JeepsAndGuns · January 17, 2009, 09:50

Quote:

Originally posted by johnnycobra
Mind telling us ballpark price on the douglas barrel job?
I too am thinking about another sweded- though it will be a #4 heavy sporter with a 20-22" barrel and a nice plain walnut stock.

Thinking Remington, but I am considering others including savage.

Slightly handier, heavier barrel hunting rifle than my CZ550 - actually the 550's my son's now.

You have a very unique rifle there - lefty target savage in a non-factory caliber. That is AWESOME!

When I sent it to douglas barrels, it was $445. That included their premimum, air guaged barrel (CM steel, SS is extra), your choice of weight, caliber, and length. Installed, crowned, and headspaced, onto your action.
I just checked their website ( http://www.douglasbarrels.net/ ) and they have raised their price to $460 for this sevice.

I added everything up, and I have roughly $1200-1300 invested in this rifle. And that NOT counting the scope. It was so long ago I got the scope, I dont remember how much it was.

Deltaten, Savage does not offer a rifle in 6.5X55. Its gonna be a custom job. Just do like I did, and buy the standard base model 111. I got the blued steel, synthetic stock model for a deal. I had a guy at a local pawn shop order it for me. Its a small shop, and he beat everyone elses price. $475 OTD

mj2evans · January 17, 2009, 14:48

You can make some cash back on 6mmBR.com selling off the barrel. At least its not a total loss.

JeepsAndGuns · January 17, 2009, 18:09

I already sold the original 270 barrel on another fourm for $100. I still have the original synthetic stock, but being a left handed model, theres not really any market for it. But doesnt bother me.

fire for effect · January 18, 2009, 00:36

I have a great rifle in .308 made up on a Swede Husqvarna action. This rifle is capable of 1000 yard shots and I use it when the swat teams come out to our range to shoot.

littlehoot · January 19, 2009, 01:18

im thinking of doing the same thing in 30.06, heavy fluted barrel on a savage action, choate stock and probably a shepherd on it

any one ever dealt with ER shaw? how are their barrels?

GSF1200 · January 19, 2009, 07:33

I built a Savage Tactical rifle in .308, bought a Savage 110 in 22-250 for $260, pulled the 22-250 barrel, haven't sold it yet. Bought a fully finished A&B in .308 for $105 shipped, bought a Choates USS with a Harris bipod for $100, it does one hole groups at 100 yds.

GSF1200 · January 19, 2009, 07:38

I also like the 6.5x55, I have a Mexican 1936 action with a 6.5mm barrel I will chamber in the Swede.

Insider · March 29, 2010, 05:19

Love those Swedes!
The Husky M-38 is the way to go for a handy 6.5x55mm rifle.
Try to find a nice 1894 for a handy short barreled 6.5x55.
CZ makes a nice rifle too!

1911Ron · March 29, 2010, 22:13

Umm the bolt is on the wrong side

seriously tho nice rifle

January 16, 2009, 10:53	#1
JeepsAndGuns Registered FALaholic #: 33622 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: alabama Posts: 130	Project: one Savage sweede So I have had a nice M96 sweedish mauser for several years now. Its in sweet shape, and made in 1902. After shooting it a while I really started likeing the 6.5X55 round. I started wanting a scoped rifle in this caliber. I could not bring myself to have this cherry sweede drilled and tapped, and I wanterd a real scope, not a scout scope. So I figured, why not build one. It all started quite a few years ago. I read about the turk mausers and how they are a large ring action, with small ring threads. Sweet, just take the large ring turk action, and screw on a small ring sweedish barrel. I read where several had done it. So I found a beat turk, with a sewer pipe barrel for $75. I strip it down and remove the barrel. I found a NOS M96 barrel for a decent price and I was set. Didnt know what I was gonna do about the bolt handle yet. But I got distracted, and there the project set on the workbench for about 4-5 years untill this past mid summer. I got the wild hair and decided to start working on it again. I look around brownells and find a nice weld on bolt handle and order it up. I figured since I now have a welder, I will do the bolt myself. I got a heat sink, and heat controll paste and went to town. I will skip the details, but it turned out quite nice. I was proud of myself. I ordered a scope mount for it while I was at it. I wanted this rifle solid black. Skip some of the story, but I failed badly with two diffrent used wood stocks. So I decided to buy a new synthetic one. Well I found one I really liked, I loved the looks of it, but they did not make it for the mauser action, and I didnt much like the standard/generic syn stocks out there. So I think for a while while I figure out the barrel. I had the NOS sweede barrel, but I wanted to have a nice rifle. So I started thinking about a new made, bull barrel. I was taking to some guys on a diffrent gun fourm and they said get what you want, and do not use the NOS barrel as its a hard to find part now and are worth more to collectors. I had a collector PM me and offered me $200 for the barrel. So naturally I sold it. But the guys also had another good point. Now that I will be buying a nice match grade barrel, why put it in a old beat up mil-surp action, even with work, it will never be as good as a new modern action. Makes sense. So I think long and hard and decide to ditch the mauser action and get a new modern action. But what? Cant quite afford a nice rem or win, plus my caliber is going to be a custom job, so I want to save as much as I can buying the rifle. A good friend at the local range turns me on to Savage. He has a couple, and shoots 1000 yd matches with one. He shows me all about them, and all the features, and what makes them nice. Plus the accu-trigger is nice! I go back and find that stock I really really liked. Savage is one of the actions they make one to fit. SWEET. I need a long action to fit the caliber I am useing, and want just the standard blued steel base model with the accu-trigger, to save money. Since I will be useing only the action, and replaceing everything else. They only offer 3 cailbers with the long action and the bolt head I need, 25-06, 270, and 30-06. So after much shopping around, I bring home a brand new in the box savage model 111 in 270win for $475 out the door. Cant beat the price with a stick! I couldnt fina a used rem for that much (around here anyways) I pull it out of the box, pull the action out of the stock, and put it in a padded hard plastic case and mail it straight to douglas barrels to have them install a brand new #8 contour (1in dia) premimum air guaged barrel on it in cal 6.5X55. I will skip all the details about chooseing a barrel maker, but douglas seemed to be the best bang for the buck. (no pun intended) Now I needed a finish. After much searching and asking around, I decided on dura-coat. I ordered their complete finishing kit (complete with air brush kit) and went to town. (getting tired of typeing, so I will skip the details) But it turned out real nice. I order up the stock I wanted. Its the choate ultimate varminter. I tell you, I love this stock! Both the look and the feel. And no bedding required either. I top it off with a Ken Farrell one peice steel base, a set of HD burris rings, and a bushnell 6-18X50 scope. I have had this scope for several years and never installed it on a rifle. I cant even remember what I got it for or why. But I figured I would use it for this, since I already had it. So I search around for the best way to break in the barrel. Reccomended by my friend, and several others, you shoot one shot, and completely clean the barrel with a copper removeing cleaner (butches bore shine) Fire the next shot, clean, etc... You do this for the first 20 shots! So I follow their advice and thats where I am at right now. I am in the middle of doing that. Last weekend I did the first 5 shots, and 90% zeroed in the scope. Yesterday I did the next 5 shots and tried for a group while I was doing it. And not too very bad I might add. Seeing as how this is factory loaded ammo. It should get better when I neck size this brass and start hand loading for it. Sill need to give the scope another click or two. Ok, your tired of reading, and I am tired of typeing, so on to the pics! And the target. Not too bad, seeing as these are shots # 6,7,8,9,and 10 that have ever been fired out of this rifle. The one flier was my fault.

January 16, 2009, 16:57	#3
Ron Walker Registered FALaholic #: 35607 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Mathis, Texas Posts: 1,338	Amen to the Swede! My personal light deer rifle is a Mexican Small Ring 98 with a new '36 Swede barrel tapered and installed. 3/4" @100 yds each year I check it for zero. In a synthetic stock and 3x9x40 scope and ammo the whole kit weighs just a shade over 7 lbs. Killed a 160# Buck with it a few years back. Went through and through the heart/lung region including a rib. Ron __________________ Skypilot Liber aut Mort!! "He's the man we've been taught to hate. He's the solitary American gun nut" Stephen Hunter - Point of Impact

January 17, 2009, 09:20	#6
Deltaten Registered FALaholic #: 124 Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Lancaster, PA USA Posts: 8,500	J&G: I have been holding off on a similar project for exactly the reasons and events/decisions you have gone thru. Hmmm... wonder if Savage makes a HB 6.5 ta begin with??? Sure would save a lotta aggravation... not as much fun; but WTH.. more time reloading and shooting can't be all that bad Sweet Swede!....uhhhh Savage...uhhhhh Douglas...uhhh.....shooter Paul __________________ All or Nothing! Senator McCarthy was right! and as always......FYB!

January 18, 2009, 00:36	#10
fire for effect Registered Bronze Contributor FALaholic #: 14188 Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Sioux City Iowa Posts: 1,919	I have a great rifle in .308 made up on a Swede Husqvarna action. This rifle is capable of 1000 yard shots and I use it when the swat teams come out to our range to shoot. __________________ You cannot qualify war in harsher terms than I will. War is cruelty, and you cannot refine it; and those who brought war into our country deserve all the curses and maledictions a people can pour out. W.T. Sherman, Major General Commanding Headquarters, Army of Tennessee September, 1864

January 19, 2009, 01:18	#11
littlehoot Registered FALaholic #: 11432 Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: alabama, usa Posts: 1,058	im thinking of doing the same thing in 30.06, heavy fluted barrel on a savage action, choate stock and probably a shepherd on it any one ever dealt with ER shaw? how are their barrels? __________________ "They tell you of a laundry detergent that takes out bloodstains- I'm thinking that if you have clothes covered in bloodstains-maybe laundry isn't your biggest problem"

January 16, 2009, 11:09	#2
mj2evans Registered FALaholic #: 11922 Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 1,084	I could not agree more with your choice of 6.5x55 or a Savage. I have a set up similar to yours in 308 (Savage 10FP in a Choate stock). Stock is good for the money (not my fav but huge improvement over what it had and the accu trigger is really quite good). I am now looking for a Savage or Stevens long action to build up a 6.5x55 rig. I hate to say it but I think the Sweed round rivals the 30-06 for usefulness and it recoils a bit less (helps in accurate shooting). I am not getting rid of my 30-06s but that Sweed round is nice!

January 17, 2009, 07:28	#4
roster228 Registered FALaholic #: 37932 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Texas Posts: 160	I have a swede sporter, love the caliber. Im glad to read that someone elses projects go through as many delays, distractions and changes as mine do! May they all turn out so well in the end! __________________ "Never fight a battle unless you will gain something by winning" Erwin Rommel NRA Life Member

January 17, 2009, 08:13	#5
johnnycobra Registered FALaholic #: 26209 Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 352	Mind telling us ballpark price on the douglas barrel job? I too am thinking about another sweded- though it will be a #4 heavy sporter with a 20-22" barrel and a nice plain walnut stock. Thinking Remington, but I am considering others including savage. Slightly handier, heavier barrel hunting rifle than my CZ550 - actually the 550's my son's now. You have a very unique rifle there - lefty target savage in a non-factory caliber. That is AWESOME!

January 17, 2009, 14:48	#8
mj2evans Registered FALaholic #: 11922 Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 1,084	You can make some cash back on 6mmBR.com selling off the barrel. At least its not a total loss.

January 17, 2009, 18:09	#9
JeepsAndGuns Registered FALaholic #: 33622 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: alabama Posts: 130	I already sold the original 270 barrel on another fourm for $100. I still have the original synthetic stock, but being a left handed model, theres not really any market for it. But doesnt bother me.

January 19, 2009, 07:33	#12
GSF1200 Registered Contributor FALaholic #: 4687 Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Lafayette,LA Posts: 1,065	I built a Savage Tactical rifle in .308, bought a Savage 110 in 22-250 for $260, pulled the 22-250 barrel, haven't sold it yet. Bought a fully finished A&B in .308 for $105 shipped, bought a Choates USS with a Harris bipod for $100, it does one hole groups at 100 yds.

January 19, 2009, 07:38	#13
GSF1200 Registered Contributor FALaholic #: 4687 Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Lafayette,LA Posts: 1,065	I also like the 6.5x55, I have a Mexican 1936 action with a 6.5mm barrel I will chamber in the Swede.

March 29, 2010, 05:19	#14
Insider Registered FALaholic #: 1183 Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: central florida Posts: 778	Love those Swedes! The Husky M-38 is the way to go for a handy 6.5x55mm rifle. Try to find a nice 1894 for a handy short barreled 6.5x55. CZ makes a nice rifle too! __________________ I sold all my guns and ammo and now live the quiet retired life!

March 29, 2010, 22:13	#15
1911Ron Registered FALaholic #: 17513 Join Date: May 2005 Location: Buckeye Arizona Posts: 218	Umm the bolt is on the wrong side seriously tho nice rifle __________________ When you're finally so outraged that you grab your gun and head out the door, if you find yourself standing all alone......then it isn't time yet.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Switch to Linear Mode Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode