old Swede semi still shoots (pic)

[Carlitos]

http://mail.google.com/mail/?view=att&disp=emb&attid=0.1&th=10b21050bc431c8b


Hopefully the picture will show up. This is an old Swede Model 41 Semi auto that was made in 1943. There are actually 3 hits on the steel, although only one shows up in the picture. My ancestors were swedes though this is the only 6.5x55mm I own.

This was taken in the state of MD on a friend;s farm. We started at 400 meters with some slightly corroded PrkSkytte surplus ammo with steel jacketed bullets. It was easy to ring the steel shooting prone off the elbows w/ this gun. Next, we painted the steel orange & moved out to 800 meters - which was a problem considering the gun's sights only go to 700. I had to hold over. Also, we shot from hillside to hillside - so you have to shoot over the tops of the cows in the valley. I think I fired 10 rounds at the steel @ 800 & managed 3 hits using a small boulder as a rest. Because of the target size, we had to use a spotting scope to call hits at that distance. A 6.5mm FMJ sometimes does not kick up much dirt to see.

Nevertheless, I really like this old gun. Very little recoil, it is reliable, and it is accurate. Had the Germans been foolish enough to violate Swedish neutrality and invade in 1943 when this gun was manufactured, they would have been in big trouble. Its a testiment to quality that it still shoots as well as it does. I'll try reloading for it soon to see how it shoots with copper jacket Sierra match kings.

Regards,

D.C. Johnson

[Carlitos]

Correction from above: the correct designation for the rifle is the AG-42B Ljungman.

I found this cool page w/ history about the gun:

http://www.geocities.com/therealsailorx42/

I bought the gun on a whim. It does go with an old Husqvarna 9mm pistol I have.

[dave5339]

Very nice! My wife and I have a soft spot for the old Swede's. We have a pair of Model 96's at home. They are some very nice shooters.

Semper Fi

[kf4zra]

i have the egyptian versions of it, the hakim and the rasheed. really cool guns. the swede version was made with better craftsmanship than the egyptians.

[Vic303]

Lucky dog! I'd love a Ljungmann!

[GeorgiaGlockMan]

That is a nice looking rifle.

I'd love to get one.

Where did you find yours?

[Carlitos]

Thank you very much gentlemen!

GeorgiaGlock Man wrote: "Where did you find yours?"

I stumbled upon it for sale at Potomac Arms in Alexandria, Virginia. The store is slated to close its doors soon - which is not surprising considering that it sits on the bank of the Potomac River just a few hundred yards from gun-free Washington, D.C. (it is valuable real estate).

Anyway, the marked price was $650 but it had been marked down to $575 which was fine by me. I later looked on gunbroker.com, auctionarms.com and gunsamerica.com to compare and found that the price I paid was about average.

kf4zra, RE Hakim: I admire those rifles too! How does it shoot? My limited understanding is that after the Swedes stoped making the Ljungman, they arranged to sell the tooling & ship it to Egypt, where it was used to make the 7.92mm (or 8mm Mauser) Hakim. From the examples I have seen at shops & show, the Hakim differs in that there is a seperate muzzle brake instead of the Ljungman's back-bored muzzle with porting (similar to a ported shotgun - though the Ljungman's rifling ends before the ports begin so the bullet never touches that portion of the barrel). I also understand that sometime later, they made the Rashid in 7.62x39mm - but I do not know if there is any relation to Hakim - Anyone know if the Rashid shares Hakim features? Later the Russians built them an AK-47 plant during the war (the genesis of the Maadi AK-47s we know here in the USA).

The Ljungmen & Hakim gas system is direct gas impingement - like the French MAS semi auto and later, the AR-10 and AR-15. There is no piston in the gas tube. The gas just hits the carrier directly to unlock it.

I was surprised by two things w/ my Ljungman: its accuracy and its lack of recoil. I have shot 6.5 before, but the Ljungman recoils less than a '96. It is a pleasure to shoot.

I hope to do some loading with the 139 grn Sierra match kings & post another report. Brass will be unfired Prvi Partisan. Out of respect for this fine old rifle, I plan to keep the loads on the mild side & just go for accuracy.

Thanks again for the comments,

Regards,


D.C. Johnson

[Carlitos]

Hope to get some ammo loaded up & back to the range at the end of the month.

Anyone have a range report on a Hakim?

Would like to hear from some owners & compare notes.