In 1896 the Kingdom of Sweden adopted the Mauser m96 rifle in calibre 6,5x55mm and, although production had already started at Carl Gustafs factory in 1898, Waffenfabrik Mauser also manufactured 38,600 m96 rifles at Oberndorf am Neckar in 1899 and in 1900.

I acquired at a UK auction in 2015 one of these Waffenfabrik Mauser m96 proofed in 1899; her serial number was # 30116 and she still brought the GF initials of Gustaf F. Fredenberg, the Swedish Inspection Officer then seconded to Waffenfabrik Mauser at Oberndorf am Neckar. She also displayed the Birmingham (UK) Proof House “BNP” marking, in service from 1954. Of her service history I can’t tell.

At some stage in the following years, I decided to have this service rifle converted into a sporting one. I therefore asked Joël Dorléac if he would agree on turning this top pedigree pumpkin into a formula one coach, which he kindly accepted in spite of permanently having an almost full order book several years in advance. Decisions were made for:
• keeping all original markings in order to pay tribute to the rifle’s previous history;
• keeping the excellent 6,5x55 caliber and fitting the new sporting rifle with a 25 inches / 635 mm Lothar Walther match grade barrel so that the ammunition can work to its full ballistic potential;
• carving a classic nice but not fancy walnut stock with rounded pistol grip of the pre-WW1 era style;
• mounting a Swarovski Z3 3-10x42 rifle scope with BRX reticle;
• and keeping weight as low as reasonably possible.
All ingredients were gathered on paper for a potentially exceptional mountain working rifle!

Then gestation occured.

I received last week from Master Joël photos of the resurrected rifle, 123 years after she went through initial proofing; they were the best Easter Eggs I ever enjoyed! The rifle is still in the white but already zeroed with Norma Bondstrike Extreme 143 grain ammunition. Last cosmetic operations such as blueing, engraving of the rear/front rifle scope bases, etc., are still to be completed before this rifle of a lifetime is hopefully ready for mountain hunting later this year.

I now look forward to sharing with you all more photos of the rifle when completed and – needless to say, to provide feedback on first mountain hunt when time will come.

Louis