Hey all, just wanted to share my latest addition. I was out and about today when I decided to stop at a couple local gun and pawn shops just to see if there was anything good. First stop was the local machine gun shop, C&S, awesome little shop with some great stuff that is hard to find other places but nothing up my alley today so headed on down the line to a little local pawn shop. They had a swiss 96/11 that needed some love but for 425 that pour ole gun was getting someone else's love. So last stop is a shop I do not frequent but I figured what the hell may as well. Walk in and start milling around, then I spot it on the bottom rack behind the counter. I immediately asked to see it (a beautiful M96) I also saw the price tag 225.00. I kept my cool and asked to look he handed it to me and to my surprise all the numbers matched, at this point I was jumping up and down in my head. I asked if this was the best he could do and he said he'd knock off 20 bills. I said sold and pulled out my money as fast as I could. got her home and did a good cleaning, she was caked in cosmo!! I believe this to be an arsenal refurbish due to condition. It also has the number 80 on the top of the comb, My guess is a Swedish rack number?? Anyway here are some pics let me know what y'all think. All numbers are a match accept for the rear sight slider, cleaning rod, and top hand guard.
I'd say you did real well, 80 is the year it was last arsenaled. Cleaning rods never match, extremely rare anyway. Look for crown stamps behind the trigger guard and see if one has a letter under it, with those disk numbers it might have a new barrel which would be indicated by the crown with the letter under it on the barrel near the receiver. Might be the pictures but to me the butt plate looks blued which would be incorrect.
Here are the rest of the photos the crown over the B is located on the wrist behind the trigger guard. Same prof mark is present on barrel shank near receiver and the bore is pristine!
Butt plate is blued but is numbers matching so who knows I am positive it was not done here in the states the screws have never been out judging by the flat head slots not buggered at all. Is it possible it was done on re-arsenal??
I guess anything is possible but I wouldn't know why an arsenal would blue a butt plate. Who cares??? For that price, you got a handsome rifle with a new barrel that was rebuilt at Bodens Tygstation. Bore disks are not a completely reliable way to judge a barrel. If it is the original who knows how many rounds have gone through it since the disk was marked. Interesting repair to the top of the stock just in front of the butt plate.
Unbuggered screws just means whomever took it apart to blue to buttplate had proper screw drivers. I don't recall seeing a blued buttplate before. So I'd venture a guess it was done over here in the US.
As for the number on the stock, it's the date the last time the rifle was inspected. 1980.
USMCsean, I recon you may be correct however when I took the but plant off the underside was caked in cosmo, and if it was hot blued in the states it would not be there and you can tell it is not cold blue because the back side of the butt plate is blued as well. Just some thoughts, who knows why it was done but I am ecstatic about this find!! I can't wait to give her a whirl with some good ole M41 surplus!!!!!
Not likely a military bluing job on the buttplate . It may have been in civilian hands when it was blued & then returned to the arsenal & finally surplused to the USA .
Two hundred?? Holy Moly! Unthreaded barrel, "last inspection" tape, "T" marked front stamped sight base for m/41 ammo upgrade, very nice overall condition? Well done!
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