Swedish Mauser Stock Wood Question...

[Sooter76]

So I’m looking at a couple different Swedish Mauser’s that all have different wood types for the stocks. The nicest looking one is Elm but having never handled an Elm stocked rifle I’m lost on the quality... Is Elm a good wood for gun stocks? Is there any reason to avoid it in comparison to other wood types such as walnut?

 

[mongoosesnipe]

there are no bad swedish mausers, as long as it is original spec and you can see rifling hasn't been abused rusted or bubbaed in some way it will shoot, the swedes never went to war to their production quality never suffered, there are obendorf manufactured models made during initial tool up phase the swedes sent their own steel for the guns to be made of because swedish guns must be made of swedish steel, so if they used it i would say its good to go

as to the general use of elm you dont see it used for gun stocks generally because it is very hard to work with
exerpt from websearch

You'll find elm growing in river bottoms and on low, fertile hills mixed with other species of hardwoods. Hard and tough, elm still bends easily when steamed, and when dry, holds its shape. Its twisted, interlocking grain makes elm difficult to work with anything but power tools.

basically it wont split as easily as other woods considering the primary failure of gun stocks is splitting and cracking i would think elm is actually an excellent choice for stockmaking as long as i am not having to make it

 

[Dan M]

Elm stocks were used by the Swedes for three years... 1915-1917. Buy which ever rifle is in the best material condition. I personally like walnut M96s.

 

[KAIFS]

since Swedish mauser collecting is my niche - here we go (from least common to most common):
mahogany
maple
elm
European and American walnut
beech

 

[Random Guy]

Buy which ever rifle is in the best material condition

I agree - Get the nicest one you can find.

Years ago I saw a very nice M96 with a light Elm stock at a gun show. I wish I would have bought it as I thought it was visually interesting and a nice rifle as well.. I kind-of like a variety of wood flavors:

Top: Yellow birch (Betula)
Middle: European beech (Fagus sylvatica ?)
Bottom: American black walnut (Juglans nigra)

My M41B has a beech stock, but I also prefer walnut over beech:

Almost all Swedish Mausers are nicely made and maintained rifles...good luck in your decision.

 

[Forgetful Coyote]

@mongoosesnipe - was ther anything special about Swede steel.? Cause Id alway heard Krupp stahl & Bohler stahl were bout the best rifle steel availible in this times>?

 

[Random Guy]

Yes, Swedish steel was reportedly very high quality based on the ore deposits in that country. My understanding is that Germany and Sweden made some sort of agreement in 1940 or so that Germany would supply 5000 AJACK 4x sniper scopes and mounts to Sweden, and in exchange Germany got some (unknown to me) amount of Swedish steel (or iron ore) that they sought...at least this is what I have read re this subject.

I think this deal worked for two years but then Hitler backed out of it - because he needed all of Germany’s sniper optics for the war on the Eastern Front. So the exports stopped in 1943, and all Swedish M41B AJACK scopes you see are dated 1941 or 1942. Beginning to digress some, but in 1943-44 Sweden developed domestically their own internal 3x sniper optic (I think M/44 scope). Anyhow, my understanding is that some sources of Swedish steel had metallurgic qualities that made it desirable in WWII. (I think low sulfur content but I need to research that).

 

[KAIFS]

yes, Neutral's Sweden iron ore was transported to Germany in secret via Norway...

 

[sandwarrior]

It's the ore that makes Swedish steel the purest in the world. Recently, we had a group touring the U.S. from Sweden. Teaching Viking games. Anyhow, they are a bunch of young college grads looking for a little fun before they settle down to big boy jobs. I asked one of them who was a geologist and he said it was because of a good balance of sulfides. I'm not a steelmaker or a chemist, but that's what he said. It tends to attract impurities and those can all be removed in one shot. Pretty interesting.

On the transport of ore, yes it happened. Sweden pretty much felt like they had a gun to their heads, though. Literally. It was like doing business with a gangster. "Do bidness wit me, for dis price, or I'll kill ya".

 

[Ledzep]

In most cases I'll opt for a walnut stock, even if it's not quite as nice. That's purely personal preference at work, though. The darker the better. Applies across the board where there's an option, enfields, M1, K31 etc...

 

[Snuby642]

Old mauser my son has.

 

[mongoosesnipe]

@mongoosesnipe - was ther anything special about Swede steel.? Cause Id alway heard Krupp stahl & Bohler stahl were bout the best rifle steel availible in this times>?

if i recall swedish ore was unusually low in phosphurus along with containing key trace elements like Chromium and Molybdenum which made the swedish ore eiser to make premium steel out of germany needed to import the trace elements to make premium steel

 

[mongoosesnipe]

It's the ore that makes Swedish steel the purest in the world. Recently, we had a group touring the U.S. from Sweden. Teaching Viking games. Anyhow, they are a bunch of young college grads looking for a little fun before they settle down to big boy jobs. I asked one of them who was a geologist and he said it was because of a good balance of sulfides. I'm not a steelmaker or a chemist, but that's what he said. It tends to attract impurities and those can all be removed in one shot. Pretty interesting.

On the transport of ore, yes it happened. Sweden pretty much felt like they had a gun to their heads, though. Literally. It was like doing business with a gangster. "Do bidness wit me, for dis price, or I'll kill ya".

germany did not have natural deposits of the trace elements needed for forge grade steels which was one of the reasons they developed their stamping tec during the war in addition to it being cheaper, additionally maintaining neutrality requires you to either trade with both sides or neither during a conflict the swiss had it worst in such regards they are land locked and were food negative and surrounded by axis without maintaining trade they would have been cut off and starved

 

[Snuby642]

Ya.

Lead, follow, or get out of the way.