Thread: Mauser 96 6.5x55 cheap but cheerful

I was looking for an old rifle to tidy up with winter approaching as a project, initially I was looking at .303's until a good mate reminded me about my love the best caliber known to man... So I grabbed this old girl off the forums:



everything seemed tight and worked well, a quick strip down was done and a general clean on the parts completed
The Timney trigger was loosely fitted (you couldn't put the stock on with it tightened as the trigger guard was too narrow) So a quick drill hole neatly tucked behind the floor plate fixed that issue allowing me to tighten the trigger as required to the action once the stock is together.

Next off the recoil pad was non existent but nothing is impossible with a Dremel and an i-ometer A Tikka T3 pad was just the business this rifle needed.



With a set of rings I had laying around a bit of fitting required (thanks mr Dremel) the scope I had spare was fitted!



The safety flag on these rifles unfortunately is too tall once a scope is fitted to completely engage, the dangerous part being if its half engaged upon disengaging the safety it will fire the rifle!!!! So that had to go!




I'm guessing this rifle was designed to shoot 140+gr's as the OAL of the round is 3.16" - pretty much a torpedo, here it is next to a 7mmRM case



A good man off the forums sent me a bag of brass he had laying around, I picked out the PPU stuff as I've read it has the correct base size for the 6.5x55 vs the smaller size you get in the cheaper brass.

I will load up some test rounds and hopefully have a go this week at the range, I've got a mate who wants to shoot his first deer for his birthday next month so I think this will be just the ticket!

For the mauser experts out there, since I've removed the safety I've tested the rifle once cocked by hitting the action/rear of bolt knocking the gun around and it doesn't go off so I'm happy (its a cock on close rifle so will hunt uncocked). Is there a replacement rear shroud that I can buy which has no safety flag hole in it?