new info find (to me) from WWII... the Swedish Model 1941 6.5 X 55mm

joepistol · Apr 11, 2024

Had just finished another great book by Stephen Hunter, his latest, a trilogy of novellas featuring the 3 generations of the Swagger clan, titled "Front Sight".
it seemed each story was bested by the story that followed..a great read IMO. That book wasn't the source of my latest info find, as soon I had finished reading "Front Sight", another Stephen Hunter book I had reserved @ the library was ready for pick-up, titled "The Bullet Garden". It is a title I had not read or heard about, published in 2023.

"Bullet Garden" refers to an area in France, during WWII, where a sniper ? group of snipers ? had stalled the Allied invasion after landing at Normandy.
The mysterious sniper(s) seemed to be able to see in the dark, and was adept at picking off squad leaders & officers at great distances,
when they attempting to advance thru "the bullet garden" The demoralizing effect on allied advancement resulted in military minds to resort to
enlisting USMC Sgt.Earl Swagger to solve the sniper problem.

Swagger eventually learns the sniper is using a non-military rifle , the Swedish Model 1941 6.5 X 55mm, and much detail around this rifle& cartridge is presented.
Anyone interested in military history, the rifle mentioned , or the caliber, may find the material presented of interest. I certainly did.

If anyone reading this hasn't read a Stephen Hunter book,I'd advise them to try reading one. One of his books was made a movie, titled "Shooter" ( move made from a Stephen Hunter book by a different title.)

nightstryke · Apr 12, 2024

@joepistol Isn't the Swedish Model 1941 just a variation of the Swedish 1896 Mauser in 6.5x55mm?
As far as I know even if it was Pre-WW2 most non-military Rifles in Sweden would have been Husqvarna manufactured, and yes they used to make everything in Sweden, similar to how General Electric used to make everything here in the United States.

joepistol · Apr 12, 2024

" Isn't the Swedish Model 1941 just a variation of the Swedish 1896 Mauser in 6.5x55mm? " .... I believe you are correct on this.
The book does describe some details on the manufacture of the rifle and German -made scope, as well as model variants. I didn't mark where in book the details were, or search for them after I finished reading , was focusing on how & who the sniper(s) were determined & found, tracked, and who the spy in the Allied intelligence organization's was.. . It was impressed how they determined (eventually) the caliber of the assassin's rifle, partially discovered by the specific shot placement made on those killed by the sniper(s)., as well as other methods. A very imaginative, informative story filled with histories of military intelligence, tactics, as well as big game hunting, most of which I've never heard of / read about before.

nightstryke · Apr 12, 2024

joepistol said:
" Isn't the Swedish Model 1941 just a variation of the Swedish 1896 Mauser in 6.5x55mm? " .... I believe you are correct on this.
The book does describe some details on the manufacture of the rifle and German -made scope, as well as model variants. I didn't mark where in book the details were, or search for them after I finished reading , was focusing on how & who the sniper(s) were determined & found, tracked, and who the spy in the Allied intelligence organization's was.. . It was impressed how they determined (eventually) the caliber of the assassin's rifle, partially discovered by the specific shot placement made on those killed by the sniper(s)., as well as other methods. A very imaginative, informative story filled with histories of military intelligence, tactics, as well as big game hunting, most of which I've never heard of / read about before.

I'm just going by what I know about European Arms and Sweden is a bit of an odd ball by having only a few firearms manufacturers before WW2 Started so most Pre-WW2 Commercial/Civilian Rifles would have been manufactured by Husqvarna as they were the largest manufacturer that sold Commercially.

joepistol · Apr 12, 2024

Didn't Krupp make firearms ? Maybe it was Krupp steel used in their making.
There was no mention of Husqvarna firearms or the factory. I would have remembered, as I was a fan of their m/c's and chainsaws.
Not to say they weren't involved in making WWII era firearms, they just were not mentioned in the book.

nightstryke · Apr 12, 2024

joepistol said:
Didn't Krupp make firearms ? Maybe it was Krupp steel used in their making.
There was no mention of Husqvarna firearms or the factory. I would have remembered, as I was a fan of their m/c's and chainsaws.
Not to say they weren't involved in making WWII era firearms, they just were not mentioned in the book.

Yes, Krupp made guns, once upon a time, but they made them for Germany as Krupp was a German Company, and mainly they were artillery pieces.

My Uncle has a few Husqvarna rifles that I think he said he bought at Sears many years ago.

This website has some insight on Swedish Pre-War and Post-War Manufacturing:
https://www.gotavapen.se/gota/sverige/history_se.htm

Also I know it's Wikipedia, but they have some insight on the Firearms Manufacturing side.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Husqvarna_Vapenfabrik

If you'd like to see what their rifles look like, a good place to find ones for sale with pictures would be Simpson LTD.
https://simpsonltd.com/husqvarna-rifles/

barnetmill · Apr 17, 2024

nightstryke said:
Yes, Krupp made guns, once upon a time, but they made them for Germany as Krupp was a German Company, and mainly they were artillery pieces.

My Uncle has a few Husqvarna rifles that I think he said he bought at Sears many years ago.

This website has some insight on Swedish Pre-War and Post-War Manufacturing:
https://www.gotavapen.se/gota/sverige/history_se.htm

Also I know it's Wikipedia, but they have some insight on the Firearms Manufacturing side.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Husqvarna_Vapenfabrik

If you'd like to see what their rifles look like, a good place to find ones for sale with pictures would be Simpson LTD.
https://simpsonltd.com/husqvarna-rifles/

Krupp guns ended up in many parts of the world. In in at least one occasion were used against german gun boats in china.
list of countries over the years that used versions of: The Krupp gun is a family of artillery pieces that was used by several world armies from the nineteenth century onwards.

red442joe · Apr 17, 2024

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nightstryke · Apr 17, 2024

joepistol said:
" Isn't the Swedish Model 1941 just a variation of the Swedish 1896 Mauser in 6.5x55mm? " .... I believe you are correct on this.
The book does describe some details on the manufacture of the rifle and German -made scope, as well as model variants. I didn't mark where in book the details were, or search for them after I finished reading , was focusing on how & who the sniper(s) were determined & found, tracked, and who the spy in the Allied intelligence organization's was.. . It was impressed how they determined (eventually) the caliber of the assassin's rifle, partially discovered by the specific shot placement made on those killed by the sniper(s)., as well as other methods. A very imaginative, informative story filled with histories of military intelligence, tactics, as well as big game hunting, most of which I've never heard of / read about before.

@joepistol I think if it was German Export Scopes, more than likely it would have been Zeiss, Zeiss has been around in Germany since the early 1900s before WW1, also even though their website erases what they did after 1936, most of us who collect WW2 Era Rifles know that Zeiss made really good scopes for the Mausers used in WW2 so I think it's safe to guess that any Scope exported in the Pre-WW2 time period up to the build up of WW2 most likely would have been Zeiss made. Remember of the WW2 Manufacturers of German Rifle Scopes, there was only Hensoldt, Mauser Werke and J.P Sauer and Sohn, and Zeiss. I've bolded the companies to give a bit more insight, all of these companies still exist in one form or another, Zeiss while they're known for the best Scopes in Germany they're also know for some of the best Microscopes, Mauser is Mauser, Hensoldt is an Aerospace Company, and well J.P Sauer and Sohn eventually became the Sauer of SIG Sauer, still producing firearms under Sauer and Sohn in Germany (They're the Beretta of Germany Technically.)