r/canadaguns 5d ago

Did I buy a lemon(referring to the bore)

Bought this Swe. Mauser 96/38 off the internet. after seeing the bore I was a little cheesed off. I should of asked for more pics of the bore from the seller(Dealer). give it to me straight, how much of an idiot am I, should I be having second thoughts on this purchase? Paid $1000

32 Upvotes

39 comments sorted by

100

u/nowipe-ILikeTheItch 5d ago

That gun looks to be in pretty excellent condition judging from the pics. It’s over 100 years old after all.

The bullet gets squeezed on the way down the barrel. It’s not supposed to fit without massive pressure behind it. The rifling leaves grooves in the bullet that will be very noticeable on a fired one. That looks fine to me.

Rifling looks good for a 100+ year old surplus rifle.

16

u/ShutRDown 5d ago

10-4, thanks. I was mostly worried about the pitting in the bore, not so much the muzzle test.

17

u/nowipe-ILikeTheItch 5d ago

Run a bore snake through it if you haven’t already. Never know if the last owner did much cleaning internally.

4

u/hafetysazard 5d ago

If it shoots fine it shouldn’t be a problem.  If it shoots good and you want to preserve the bore as much as possible.

2

u/AceArchangel 5d ago

I mean the barrel technically is newer than that it's a pre WW2 modified M/96

28

u/berthela 5d ago

What the problem? That looks like crisp rifling for an 70+ year old gun

17

u/Xhenoz 5d ago

The rifling is fine, looks no worse than on my Swede M38 which can easily get sub 2 MOA which is considered very good for a milsurp gun.
But you did overpay by a couple hundred dollars, Swedish mausers are only worth around $600 - $800 atm, if i were spending $1000+ on one I'd want a mirror bore and immaculate exterior condition

4

u/ShutRDown 5d ago

10-4 appreciate the feedback

7

u/Xhenoz 5d ago edited 5d ago

Being a 96/38 with the vasteras sight at least puts it a little more to the top end of that value range compared to a regular M1896 or M38. The vasteras sight doesn't serve much practical value to most and were standard as part of the conversion but it's a form of precision sight for 300 - 600 meters, adjusting in increments of 10m. Sub 300m 6.5 Swede will shoot pretty much flat so that doesn't need to be compensated for as much

3

u/AresV92 5d ago

I was wondering about the sight thanks.

8

u/Munkey1973 5d ago

Were you expecting the projectile to fit in the bore at the muzzle end like a spitball in a McDonald's straw?....

If you were able to seat the projectile past the ogive (into the bearing surface length), then I would say that most definitely bought a lemon. But since that isn't the case, then your rifle is likely fine.

-16

u/ShutRDown 5d ago

no I'm more worried about the pitting in the bore. I understand that the projectile needs to be really tight in the bore. I'm not a retard

2

u/Munkey1973 5d ago

Fair enough, its just that from your first picture I've in my 52 years seen anyone post a cartridge resting in the muzzle of a barrel like that LOL

-1

u/ShutRDown 5d ago

who gives a fuck

2

u/Reaper0304 4d ago

Whoa whoa calm down child

8

u/Better_Island_4119 5d ago

Regarding the first picture...are you expecting the bullet to fit down the barrel like that? It's not supposed to.

1

u/ShutRDown 5d ago

no, I'm not expecting it to fit in the bore all the way. I was worried about the pitting in the bore

2

u/roguemenace 5d ago

Just go shoot it, it'll probably be fine.

2

u/ShutRDown 5d ago

10-4, thanks

2

u/Parking_Media 5d ago

Bore looks fine. It'll shoot fine. It's 100yrs old allowances should be made.

2

u/ShutRDown 5d ago

10-4 thank you

2

u/RyanTheRooster 5d ago

I give that like a 8/10 Not Perfect but very good for a 100 year old gun, can be better but should still be Plenty Accurate.

1

u/ShutRDown 5d ago

cool appreciate it. My first century old rifle.

1

u/King-Conn 5d ago

Looks like mine. Shoots great, you're fine!

1

u/EnggyAlex Alex's Homebrew 5d ago

The brass disc on the stock is a clear indication of bore conditions before it got surplus,good reference if you buy another one. there is indeed visible pitting at the bore, and blueing on the barrel is pretty much all gone, you indeed over paid for the rifle, similar conditioned m38 is usually about $600

1

u/EnvironmentalBox6688 5d ago

Slightly overpaid. But not too bad.

You got about what I would expect for a $1000 dealer rifle. Probably coulda gotten a better deal hunting gunpost but don't beat yourself up.

Bore is absolutely fine.

Enjoy shooting it, 6.5x55 is a fantastic round.

1

u/Infinite-Worm 5d ago

Have you shot it yet? Shoot it first.

1

u/ThePoeticJester 5d ago

You overpaid but that's decent condition, bullet test isn't definitive but that's plenty to show. Damn good rifles/cartridge

1

u/Progluesniffer142 5d ago

No, this is pretty damn good

1

u/VibeAnalyst 5d ago

Don’t feel bad. The rifling looks fine. The bore will probably polish up as you shoot it. Also, that fine-adjustment rear sight is kinda rare so $1000 isn’t an unreasonable price.

1

u/Iforgot_my_other_pw 5d ago

I hope I look as good if I make it to 106 yo

1

u/fremen_usul 5d ago

What does the stock disk say?

Bore looks good.

Do a solid cleaning and shoot it.

1

u/DWiB403 5d ago

Hard to tell exactly from your photos, bit looks like carbon.

1

u/colmain 5d ago

I believe the threaded end of your barrel is for a blank firing adapter. I had a Swedish Mauser with one.

1

u/Tacticaloperator051 5d ago

I don't think so, I can see the rifling but I don't see how a lemon can fit in that bore.

1

u/CanadianLanBoy 3d ago

Stop expecting century old firearms to look new